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PORTRAITS

BRITISH AMERICANS,

W . N T M A N ,

r H O T O O 11 A P 11 E n TO H K R MAJESTY.

.'7 '

WITH BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

FENNINGS TAYLOR,

DEPUTY CLEP.K,
AND CLERK ASSISTANT OP THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OP CANADA.

Vol. I.

-^■■^::^

MONTREAL:

PUBLISHED BY WILLIAM NOT MAN.

JOHN LOVELL, PEINTER.

1865.

v./

LIST OF PORTRAITS

IN VOL. I.

l'A<iE

lIlH Kxf'KLLKNCY VlHCOl'ST Mojft'K I

liiK Most Hevkkend Fiiancis Fur.Koiti), D.D., JIktroi-omtan . 16

lloNonAiii.K. John A. Macdonalu, D.C.L., 25

HoNoiiAiH.K S. L. Tir.i.KY 37

IIONOIIAIILK SlU Loirlrt ir. I.AFONTAINK, l?AltT 41

HlH KX( ELLKNTY Sill Wll.l.IAM FenWICK Wri.LIAMH, Kaut, K.C.B., 51

Colonel Tiik IIoxohablk Siu Etienne Tabcal Taciik (i"

Kkvkuekd Alkxandkk Mathieson, D.U., 81

HONORAULK .loifN S \Nr>PIEl,U Mai'DONALD, 93

Honokahle Geouoe Moffatt 109

llONouAnLE Geokoe Etik.nne Cartier 119

■1. William Dawson, Esy., LL.D., 143

Honorable James Ferrieu, 169

The liiGHT IJevereno Jean Jacques Lartkiue, 173

IIONORABLK WiLLI AM JIORRIS 181

His Excellency Sir Kicharjj (Jraves Macdonnell, C.H., 197

Honorable Edward Bowen, ai7

Honorable Antoine Aime Doiuon, 229

Honorable Alexander Cami'Bell,, 247

Keverend William Leitcii, U.D., 259

James IIodoes, Esq., 267

Honorable Joseph Howe, 291

Honorable Uene Edouard Caron 309

liT. Colonel Irvine, 325

Honorable Thomas Tmbot, 331

(MiARLES John Brydoes, E.sq., 847

KiiiiiT Keverend John Thomas Mullock, D.D 371

HdNORABi.B Isaac Buchanan 381

HoNoiJABLK Joseph Cauchon, 403

Samuel Wentworth Monk, Esq., 419

■^jm^sBBBmrnmamm^

W.fcj»*K ■■^■W^f •WU

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m w ' pw-w *' tm i ■

PORTRAITS OF BlUTISII AMEIUCANS,

BY W. NOTMAN;

■\VITIt

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

EDITKI) »Y

FENNINGS TAYLOR, ESQUIRE,
Deputy Clvrh, and Clerk Assistant of the Legislative Council of Canada.

^-■V.-'.x^'" .'•^'

It may not he out of place to repeat here, and by ^vay of intro-
duction, sonic of the considerations ■which led us to think that
a Literary and Illustrated Serial, exclusively devoted to the por-
traiture of British Americans, -would at the present time l>c regar-
ded with especial favor by the inhabitants of British America.

Did it not seem somewhat presumptuous, we should be inclined,
as we make our bow, to glance a compliment at our own sagacity,
and upon the very doorstep of our enterprizc speak of the success
of our venture in the accents of confidence, instead of the language
of hope. The chill and shiver of uncertainty have been removed
or qualified by the notes of kindness and encouragement which have
reached us from all quarters. Hints of great value have been
gathered with pains, and given to us with freedom. Gentlemen
in difierent and distant jjlaces have, unsolicited, gratified us by
reciuesting the insertion of their names on our lists of subscribers ;
and, generally, we have received from every class of the community
such expressions of cordial good will, as not only assure us that our
Portraits will satisfy a public need, but also that the public will
shew its appreciation by satisfying us for our Portraits.

The truth is, events of great national importance are hourly passing

into history. Public opinion is visibly acquiring new animation.

Political aspirations, moved by unseen influences, like the tide in

pring, are rising to a purer level. Statesmer of different parties,

pprcciating the requirements of the hour, forgetting alike the

ivalries and jealousies of the past, are agreed in declaring that

PORTRAITS OF BRITISH AMERICANS.

the time is come wlicn the power of those separated Provinces
shoukl bo consohclatcd, Avhcn tlicir individual strength sliouhl bo
knit together; when, as one great Monarchical Confederacy,
they should practice in unison the graver duties of Government,
should accept the burden of new obligations, and the administration
of new trusts.

Proceedings and events so unique in themselves cannot be viewed
apart from their authors ; and we should miss much of their mean-
ing were we to attempt to interpret them without reference to their
opponents. The canvas which encloses the historic tracery should
include also the personal portraiture. The strife of opinion should
represent the parties to that strife. We care not to separate the act
from the actors, the accepted design from the competitive designers ;
on the contrary, we acknowledge the relationship, and recognize
propriety in unity. What has been done, and what is now being
done, are however matters of state policy, not necessary to be
discussed here ; but the subject suggests the observation, and, we
hope, warrants the opinion, that standing, as we may be said to be,
on the threshold of new and great events, the time is propitious for
collecting in a form, not unworthy of being preserved, notes and
sketches not only of men who are now filling, but of those also
who have in years past filled, positions of resj)onsibility and honor
in the political and social history of the British American Pro-
vinces.

The wish to possess, even in an imperfect form, the resemblance
of individuals whose names are familiar to us, is a very natural one.
Indeed such desires have almost become conventional habits, which
we make little effort to restrain, and none to disguise.

The growing taste for collecting likenesses is not attributable to
a passing fashion merely ; it has its root in the better parts of our
nature, and derives its nourishment from the higher sentiments of
the mind — from reverence and respect, from the love of kindred
and the charms of friendship, from the regard for private worth or
from the appreciation of public service. It is no evanescent impulse,
but a chronic craving, a craving that had existence when the means
of gratification, if not wholly beyond reach, Avere laid aside among
the expensive and almost unattainable privileges of life. At the
present day however such acquisitions are within the attainment
of all. The sun himself has become the limner. Science has

POIITRAITS OF nniTISII AMKRICANS.

• • •

111

unlocked her secrets ; Art ha.s aj)|)lie(l them, while knowlcdf^o
aiitl cx[)eri('nco have tauji^ht us that li^ht, the first, the purest, and
the most universal of (Jud's ^it'ts, has, hy fusion with siihtlo a;^en-
cies, heconio the source, it is scarcely an exa^;^eration to say, of
the most cherished and economical of man's luxiuies.

No lengthened introduction is needed in regard to that part of
our project which relates especially to the illustrations, except
indeed to state that every pains will he taken to nud<e the work
e(iual in all respects, in its mimite and general characteristics, in
its artistic and mechanical attractions, to the best and most exact
specimeny of Phocogra[)hic art. In addition to the style and finish
which commonly belong to work done at his studio, it is Mr. Not-
man's intention to bestow, if it be possible, even more than his \isiial
pains on every Portrait that may appear in the forthcoming Serial;
so that each subject may be represented in a manner as true,
natural, and lifelike, as it is possible for Art, combined with know-
ledge and experience, to effect.

The plan which has foimd favor in England with respect to
similar publications will be attempted here. Each monthly pait
will contain five Portraits, to be separately mounted on delicately
tinted paper, especially prepared for the work. Each i)ortrait,
moreover, will be accompanied with notes and sketches, which,
like index posts on the highway, though, peradventure, neither ele-
gant nor i)icturesquc in themselves, may at all events be found
useful in directing the inquirer to where he may arrive at more
perfect knowledge and more exact observation. The notes and
sketches accompanying each part will usually be completed in
thirty-two pages of letterpress. Occasionally, when the subjects
are of more than ordinary interest, this limit will bo exceeded ;
but no extra charge to subscribers will be made on account of such
excess.

In speaking for himself, the Editor may perhaps be allowed to
observe, that the duty he has undertaken to discharge was not of
his seeking; for he and the author of the project were wholly
unknown to one another. It was the desire of Mr. Notman that
the Sketches should be written fairly and impartially, free alike
from extravagant eulogy on the one hand, or cynical ill-nature on
the other. With this object in view, it was supposed by him that
a gentleman whose duties did not necessarily bring him into confi-

rORTllAITS OF mUTISIE AMKUICANS.

(Ictitial intercoiu-Hc ^vitll any mcMiihor or oatato of the fiovernmeiit,
who had for many years heeii connoctod witli tlie |je«^iHlature, who
had conHO(juoi»tly enjoyed fair opportiuiitie.s of ohservnij^ the
course of puhho events, and had been hron<:;ht into ahnost daily
contact Avith the public men of all parties, would, from inclination
and experience, as well as from the habit of C(iuablo impartiality
tliat is almost inseparable from ofhcial life, be disposed to trace such
records with a ;;;ontle hand, and make criticism subservient alike to
justice and courtesy.

There is, too, in connection with this point, another consideration
which, perhaps, nuiy be re'^^u-ded as a type of thou^dit, in a certain
sense jieculiai to and inseparable from the minds of those whose lot,
in the JJritish Provinces, has been cast in the public service of the
State, llemoved by their position from the radius of party attrac-
tion, placed outside, so to speak, of the maelstrom of factional
strife, the observant members of this class have not failed to note,
and they have done so with re<];rct, that there exists in the com-
munity, no matter from what cause, a [)roneness to disparage the
position and abase the influence of our public men ; to belittle
their titles to consideration; to discredit generally the presence of
high principle, and challenge particularly any claim to patriotic
motives ; to sneer at humble and jest at obscure origin ; to remem-
ber with exaggerated [)recision what it were generous to forget, and
forget with facile indifference what it were just to remember ; to
speak coldly of manly struggles, and to withhold from intelligent
success all graceful recognition. It is true that persistent integrity
may, for it sometimes does, win in the end ; but the contest is not
equal, neither can the final triumph of right make us oblivious to
those features of the play that blemished the struggle. Our pur-
pose, however, is not to discuss a state of things more easily ac-
counted for than excused. On the contrary, we refer to them by
way of introducing the remark, that as our Serial is issued for no
partizan object, neither will it be edited on any partizan principle.

There is, moreover, a condition with respect to contemporary
biography that should never be lost sight of, namely, the difficulty
of treating fairly an incomplete career. While he lives, the per-
sonal history of a man survives ; and he, therefore, who should
attempt to judge sueh an one before the time, w^ould necessarily
judge partially and from imperfect data. Under such circumstances

rOUTHAITS OF BUITISFI AMKUICAXS.

it is safer to record facts tlian t>) draw conclusions. In anotlicr
sense than the lii;j;liest, it may he said of each of us, "we know not
what we sliail he." In the face of such i;;noi'anco it wo\d(l ho an
offence against taste, and it nii;:;ht he an offence a;:;ainst truth, to
assert of one still livini^ that such was the character and such the
issue of a life; for the latest act of existence, like the codicil of a
will, hy revealing]; a new motive, may chan;:;e the oj)inion of the
critic, haflle his conclusions, and tomiiel him to see in the act of
another the error of his own thou<^ht. (ireat reticence will, there-
fore, ho observed on such {joints ; for our work would miss, or over-
reach its ohject if, hy any means it should hecome insti'umental in
inflicting a jjuhlic hurt or a private wound.

It is not, however, with contemi)oray hio;i;raiihy alone that we
propose to deal. We hope to be a))le, by dili;^eut lesearch, and
Avith the assistance of others, to galher together some of the scraps
and fragments of individual history, whicii may still linger, like
traditional lore, in the crevices of memory, or be j)reserved, like
forgotten relics, in out of the way or unfre(|uentod places. It is
difficult to meet tho elders of a young country like om* own without
experiencing sensations of regret that so little pains should have
been taken to perj)etuate in some imperishable form the anuihing
and occasionally striking incidents of days past, — incidents which,
if industry will not preserve, time must destroy. Such gleanings of
personal narrative acrpiiro value as the stream of events rolls on ;
and since general history is ])ut the aggregate of individ\nd history,
he may bo regarded as contributing to tho more perfect whole,
"who shall succeed in gathering together some of the essential
parts. Many sympathetic friends will, it is believed, gladly help
forward such an object ; and all such may bo sure that their honor-
able confidences will neither be abused nor betrayed. The pioneers
and foanders of a State, of whatever profession or calling, will
generally be found to bo men of great force of character, as well as
of an adventurous turn of mind, who arc more inclined to perform
heroic deeds than to record them. The descendants of such men
still live amongst us. The traditional, and in some instances the
recorded transactions of such lives may yet be recovered ; and
the lessons which the narratives should teach of courage, loyalty,
devotion, high principle, and stainless honor, would not only pro-
mote innocent gratification and mental pleasure, but might, by

PORTRAITS OF BRITISH AMERICANS,

exciting a sense of laudable emulation, tend to our moral and
national good.

In bospeaking the assistance and co-operation of all who cherish
towardL' our work any sentiment of sympathy, we may, perhaps, bo
allowed to add, that our wish is to collect and gather together what
the historian would probably pass by, and the statistician would
certainly reject ; namely, those incidents of domestic and personal
adventure, that underlie or are concurrent vvi*"h the greater drama
of History and Government. Had we no materials wherewith to
lighten the sterner narrative of oar progress, then of course nothiog
could be said ; but such ia not the case. The incidents of the early
French colonization, vrith their wonderful accompaniments of chival-
rous adventure and missionary zeal, have their place in history,
and belong chiefly to Eastern Canada. Tbese, we hope, to some
extent at least, to be able to place before our English speaking
population. Yet we should not forget that the life story of the
sister Provinces is neither less alluring nor less heroic. Upper
Canada, Nova Scot'a, New Brunswick, are marked with the foot-
prints of faithfulness and devotion. The vestiges of moral and
patriotic worth lie scattered about the land. Imperfect they must
be, for, like the inscriptions on broken grave-stones, time has
destroyed some, obscured others, and defaced all. Still they are
worthy of being gathered together, worthy of being patiently
studied, as the moral relics of a race which, it is to be feared, has
no counterpart now. Let the hoar and moss of years be reverently
removed. Let us carefully decipher whatever appears to be obscure,
and, if possible, recover the faded records. Let us directly or in-
directly seek the representatives of earlier days, and listen kindly to
old tales of by-gone times, for we may be sure the traditions we may
thus gather will help to perfect the record of events, which connects
the present with the past. Then, perchance, we shall understand
aright the principles and characters of the " United Empire Loyal-
ists,"— of a race of men who, rather than bow down to the Repub-
lican idol which their faithless countrymen had set up, abandoned
their possession and forsook their kindred, to become the foun-
ders of colonies whose creation it is no exaggeration to say was the
offspring of sentiment and devotion, — a Monarch's tribute to his sub-
jects' faith.

Montreal, May, 1865. '

ilfl^ft^fl^m.vfV'fh^ys'f-'li'.'"!!^' - !»V¥^V" ,'U'"tHi-*i"!««5i'«'»''"^™'"^'''^ »J' 'amt V

V (

HIS EXCELLENCY

THE RIGHT HONORABLE VISCOUNT MONCK,

GOVERNOR GENERAL OF CANADA.

Some by royal command, others by personal election, and more by
the force of circumstances, have found their lots cast in the British
American possessions. The life story of such individuals is, partially
at all events, contemporaneous with the progress of the country ;
and we shall do little wrong, either to history or them, by placing
their portraits in our gallery side by side with those whose boast is,
that " this is their own, their native land."

The first in order as in rank is, in the language of the Royal
Patent, " His Excellency the Right Honorable Charles Stanley
A^'iscount Monck, of Ballytrammon, in the County of Wexford,
Governor General of British North America, and Captain General
and Govemor-in-Chief in and over the Provinces of Canada, Nova
Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Island of Prince Edward, and
Vice-Admiral of the same."

We learn further, on reference to those very communicative
books, " Dodd's Peerage " and " Walford's County Families," that
His Excellency " is the eldest son of Charles Joseph Kelly, third
Viscount ; by Bridget, daughter of John Willington, Esquire, of
Kilkoskehane, in the County of Tipperary ; that he was born in
1819, and succeeded to the title in 1849 ; and that in 1844 he
married the Lady Elizabeth, fourth daughter of the first Earl of
Rathdown." Besides being a Justice of the Peace, we read that
His Excellency " is Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Wicklow ;

VISCOUNT MONCK.

I' '

:!*

that ho represented Portsmouth in the House of Commons ; was a
Lord of the Treasury, and Lord Privy Seal to His Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales."

To be territorially and officially connected with two such counties
as Wexford and Wicklow might Avell excite some pardonable pride.
It is [)lcasant to read of Irish counties whose landlords arc for the
most part resident ; Avhose estates generally are not racked, and
whose populations, therefore, are happy and prosperous. Nor is our
interest diminished by noting the peculiarities of the peasantry ;
the brightness of their attire, and the joyous character of their tem-
perament. The hilarity with which, on extraordinary occasions, — on
holiday and festival, — both men and women cast away care, might
excite unrestrained envy, were it not qualified by the further informa-
tion that the former on ordinary ones cast away work. The laborers,
like the idle gentry of other lands, are as averse to a superfluity
of toil as they are fond of a superfluity of clothing. The latter
peculiarity shows itself in them as it did in the exquisites of forty
years ago, or in the grave-digger class of the days of Hamlet, by a
passion for wearing, at the same time and at all seasons, a plurality
of many-colored waistcoats, to say nothing of one " trusty " on
their backs and another over their shoulders. Thus it may be
charitably conjectured that the peasantry of Wexford and Wicklow
redeem the playful inclination of their lives by the picturesque
character of their appearance. Indeed their precautions to keep
out the weather might be praiseworthy, did they not become
impediments to the performance of work. There is, too, another
especial local trait which should not pass unnoticed. The habit of
ungrudging hospitality, so common to the Irish race, seems to be
the especial attribute of the people of those counties. The phrase
" keeping open house " is not a figurative one. The benevolent
disposition expressed by this benevolent phrase pervades all ranks,
and is common to every class ; for even poverty and wretchedness
are made happier by the practice of it. The word " welcome "

VISCOUNT MOXCK.

inties
n-ide.
)!• the
I, and
is our
mtry ;
ir tem-
s,— on
, might
Lforma-
iborcrs,
levfluity
c latter
of forty
let, by a
plurality
ity" on
may be
WickloW
turcsque
to keep
t become
, another
e habit of
ems to be
he phrase
)enevolent
all ranks,
jtchcdness
welcome "

seems to be stereotyped alike on castle and cabin ; and the lord and
laborer appear to vie with one another in showing the Christian
grace of liospitality. Qualities such as these become second nature
to those who observe them ; and they may, to some extent, account
for the peculiar social chai-m which is said to distinguisli His
Excellency the Governor General.

The nobility and gentry of Ireland, as a class, may have been
prodigal in their expenditures and not very conservative in the
management of their estates, still the personal inheritance of a
gracious courtesy appears to have descended from father to son with
a kind of heir-loom regularity ; nor in truth is such a possession
to be lightly esteemed. Manner, like music, possesses a charm
more sensibly felt than accurately described. The glow and kind-
liness that wait on the former, in the influence they exert, resemble
the joy and pleasure diffused by the latter. Both, in the first
instance, are nature's endowments, but both are amenable to the
laws of cultivation, and to the considerations by which those laws
are controlled. Still it should not be forgotten that a bright and
cordial manner, like many other things attractive in themselves,
has its drawbacks as well as its advantages. There is, we know,
a prejudice with some, that gaiety of thought is inconsistent with
exact study, and that a mind which is sympathetic towards mirth
is not well inclined towards business. Thus men will think, not-
withstanding the fact that Lord Palmerston lives to refute their
theories, and to prove to all that a merry heart and a clear head
may lodge together, and give the world not only " assurance of
a man," but of a wise man too.

His " social gait," however, in the case of Lord Monck, was
the cause of some criticism, and became the point of many objections
on his nomination to the oflSce of Governor General of Canada. It
was alleged, and with some show of reason, that a manifest depar-
ture had taken place with respect to the rule of preferment which
was supposed to govern the Colonial Minister in the selection of

VISCOUNT MONCK.

Ill

Colonial Governors. Viceroys and laborious pro-Consuls found
their promotion stoi)pcd by the unlooked for appointment of a
nobleman Avho had seen no service in the duties of their order. Some
forty-crown dependencies, in the persons of their rulers, may thus
directly or indirectly have felt themselves aggrieved, and through
many avenues of articulation have found the means of giving utter-
ance to their complaints. Therefore \yas it stated, by way of
objection, that " Lord Monck Avas an inexperienced and unknown
man," that " ho was to try his 'prentice hand at government for
the first time, and at a " period, too, when the history of Canada
was critical ;" that at " such a crisis ministers persuade their
sovereign to delegate her functions in her greatest Province, save
one, to a nobleman utterly unpractised in any kind of statesmanlike
work." The Governor General, it was alleged, " was at no time a
cypher in Canada, and least of all so then ;" for though Responsible
Government, it was observed, " may have impaired his executive
strength, it had not weakened his directing and suggestive influ-
ence." The role of a Governor General's duties was elaborately
rehearsed. His Excellency was considerately premonished that,
with respect to local affairs, he v/ould have to fulfil the office of a
Moderator, and with respect to foreign ones, to discharge the func-
tions of a Diplomatist. In the latter character he would be required
to interpret the relations between Great Britain and those irritable
States, some of which overlap the Provincial frontier. He was
furthermore, with tact as well as wisdom, to bend the prejudices
of the Province to the policy of the Empire. He was to stir the
feelings of the people on the subject of defence, and to still them
on the subject of aggression. He was to excite them to warlike
activity, and soothe them to rigid neutrality. He was to be the
Commander-in-Chief of a militia not organized, and Vice-Admiral
of a fleet that had no existence. In short, the prospect for His
Excellency was made as uncomfortable as possible, while the
ministry which nominated him was menaced with anticipatory
censure.

VISCOUNT MONCK.

As a historical coincidence, and by way of comparison, it may l)o
observed that twice only in tlie recent history of Canada has the
wisdom of the Royal selection of Governor General been challen<^ed
by any considerable portion of the English press ; and since the
occasions are not dissimilar, either with resjject to the gravity of the
subjects to be dealt with, or with respect to the popular ({ualifica-
tions of the individuals selected, it may not bo out of place to note
the parallel.

Upon the abrupt and somewhat inglorious termination of Lord
Durham's five months' Canadian reign, the ministry of Lord
Melbourne found itself suddenly called upon to appoint a new
Governor General on whom should dcvol; the duty of prosecuting
the Avork which the irritable Earl had left incomplete.

To the astonishment of the influential classes in England, and the
dismay of the commercial classes in Canada, the Statesman chosen
was no other than the Right Honorable Charles Poulett Thomson,
the then President of the Board of Trade. Those Avho remember
the severe animadversions of the press on the appointment, the
angry comments and gloomy forebodings to which the selection gave
rise, will probably be inclined to receive such opinions from such
sources with considerable reserve. " Stop the Pique," " Stop the
Pique," wrote one with more passion than judgment ; " don't freight
an English frigate with an English Governor whose policy is to
destroy English rule in America." " Don't intrust the government
of that important Province to one who has distinguished himself
chiefly by his antipathy to the Canada Timber Trade, and for his
attachment to Baltic interests." " Don't send one to govern who
has had no experience of government," who is moreover " corrupt
and indolent," " frail in health and feeble in purpose," and whose
" despatch box, if carried in one hand, must be balanced by a
medicine chest in the other," and, moreover, who acknowledges as a
political ally that member of the House of Commons who had
counselled Canadians to " shake oflf the baneful domination of the
Mother Country."

VISCOUNT MONCK.

I.I

li i

Tho time haa not arrived for prosecuting the parallel to comple-
tion, for tho Colonial career of the present Governor is not yot
determined ; but it may be consoling to remark, in passing, that if,
in the accuracy of their knowledge, tho newspapers of 1 800 resemble
the newspapers of 1840, His Excellency need have little to appre-
hend Avith respect to their criticisms on his capacity, or their pre-
dictions on the question of the success or failure of his rule.

Tho allusion to tho name and memory of Lord Sydenham carries
our recollections a quarter of a century backwards. Wo recall the
time when tho two Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada stood
towards one another in tho relation of an exacting Bridegroom
and a reluctant Bride. The former possessing opportunity and
the guardian's favor, and tho latter a fair presence, and money in
the Bank. The settlements were arranged, and the marriage took
place ; and though the love was not of a demonstrative order,
still there were not wanting at that day some, like Mrs. Mala-
prop in tho " Rivals," who consoled themselves for the absence of
affection by tho comforting assurance that after all, " it was better
to begin with a little aversion."

The 10th of February is doubtless a marked day in the history
of England, and it is especially so in the history of Canada ; for on
the lOtli of February, 1763, the Provinces were ceded by Franco to
England. On the 10th of February, 1838, the Bill for suspending
the Constitution of Lower Canada received the Royal sanction ; and
on the 10th February, 1841, the Proclamation was made which
created the Province of Canada.

It was not, we may well imagine, to commemorate a British victory
or a Canadian misfortune that the 10th of February was selected
for re-uniting the separated Provinces, No doubt the day was
chosen by authority, and the reason for the choice, it may be easily
conjectured, was to associate the political fortunes of the Canadas
with the personal history of our most gracious Queen.

The Provincial espousals took place on the first anniversary of

VISCOUNT MONCK.

ITcr Majesty's nmrriago with the jii^roat and good Prince Consort ;
but tlio political union had not attained its turbulent majority Avhcn
tho personal one was dissolved by death. Tho toiich of time at
which the typo crumbled, seemed also to leave tho mark of disso-
lution on the antitype. The grave which had been prepared to
enclose tho former, only pre-figurcd another grave which seemed
to bo opening rajjidly to receive the latter.

Such facts should recall gloomy memories, while they suggest
tho commentary that tho fortunes of Canada, as exemplified in her
rulers, have been wreathed more with cypress than with bays.

Tho Earl of Durham, who advocated a British American Confed-
eration, and accepted a Canadian union, died five days after the
Act was passed which embodied his counsels.

Lord Sydenham, who in person opened the first session of the
United Parliament, was not in person permitted to close that session,
for almost the last act of his ebbing life was to delegate to another
the duty with which, by the gracious permission of his Sovereign,
he had intended to determine his Canadian career. The sunset of
that evening was the last this gifted Statesman was permitted to
see. By the light of the following day the heralds might have
received back again the unfolded, unworn ribbon of the Bath, and
have noted in their College records that it was restored to Royalty
by the representative of " The first and last Baron Sydenham."

His successor, the courtly and gifted Sir Charles Bagot, the
very beau-ideal of manly grace and beauty, had scarcely entered
on his government when he was stricken Avith mortal disease, and
within fifteen months after his arrival in Canada, expired in the
house in which his predecessor had died.

Sir Charles Bagot was succeeded by the benevolent and large-
hearted Lord Metcalfe, whose career would have been eloquent in
instruction, had it left no other lesson than the example of
unswerving fortitude triumphing over mortal suffering, of the
highest duty cheerfully performed in the presence of excruciating

rwm^^

VISCOUNT MONCK.

ngony, most patiently endured. His work done, tlii.s ;^roat and
good man returned to Kn^land to die, and with his deatii expired
his newly ereated title, for on his tomb the words arc written
" The first and last Lord Metealte."

Earl Cathcart Avas already an pged man when he became Gov-
ernor General, and it is therefore no matter for surprise that hia
martial name should be found on the roll of those who luvo passed
away.

The accomplished and versatile Earl of Elgin replaced his
military predecessor, and it was reasonable to suppose that such
vigorous manhood as his seemed to be would have won the crown
of ago. The supposition is rebuked by his (piict grave amidst
Asiatic hills, where, in a heathen land, solitary and ulone, tho
wearied Statesman, tho humble Christian, sleeps in peace.

On the roll call of our Governors who for twenty years have
represented the Crown in Canada, one alone survives. We cannot
mention his name without at the same time thinking of the inextin-
guishable sorrow with whicli he who bears it must evermore recur
to his residence in this Province. The troubled waters of the St.
Maurice, and the quiet grave at Sillcry, recall as in a vision, not
only the generous, open-hearted boy, who perished in one and sleeps
in tho other ; but they tell also of the direct line of a good old
family cut off — a good name passing away, or, if preserved at
all, preserved only on a tombstone. If it bo true that our late
Governor General, the high-minded and gifted Sir Edmund Head,
obtained the Queen's permission to decline a coronet, — then those
waters and that grave tell us also of a stainless career arrested;
a glorious goal reached, and then avoided ; the prize of honor won,
and yet declined ; the aim of a life realized, and yet lost. Death
and sorrow, we may conjecture, had closed the avenue of ambi-
tion ; and thus it may have been that one nearly peerless among
rulers could not be attracted to the assembly of Peers. The official
records of Royalty, on the page of distinctions conferred for ser-

n ■

VISCOUNT MONCK.

vices in Canada will not, at all events for the lliirtl time in ono
generation, bo blotted with a new entry on the roll of the extinct
I*eora«^es of England.

In one form or other, directly or indirectly, it may be said that
death has, wit'» remarkable assiduity, overtaken all who have hi'ld
the commission of Governor General of Canada. The great IJritish
Province of the West, like Her Majesty's possessions in the East,
seems to have been a kind of fatal vestibule, through which succes-
sive rulers have hastened hurriedly to the grave.

If the personal history of his i)redecessors in the government of
Canada was not of a tranquilizing order, neither was the general
state of the Province at the time of Lord Monck's succession very
well calculated to dispel anxiety. Political parties had been, and
continued to bo, greatly excited. Government, it is true, was carried
on, and in the Legislative Assembly by means of respectable
majorities ; but it was difficult to get rid of tho impression which
was keenly felt by many, and strongly expressed by some, that tho
persistent administration of public aftairs by means of a single
sectional majority, was not to be desired even though it could not bo
avoided.

In addition moreover to these local embarrassments, which the
healing influence of time, or the salutary presence of temper would
assuredly have overcome, there arose unexpectedly a foreign ques-
tion, in comparison with which all local difficulties seemed to fade
into nothingness. The affair of " The Trent" suddenly brought the
Government of Great Britain and the United States into attitudes
of imminent hostility.

Thus it was the guidance of the opinion and tho direction of the
zeal of an excitable population, was found to be one of tho earliest
duties that devolved on the New Governor General. That this
delicate trust was wisely discharged, may be safely assumed ; for
the subsequent course of events seemed to shew that Imperial
policy was carried out with sagacious subordination no matter
whether the instructed hand was moved at Washington or at Quebec,

VISCOUNT MONCK.

ill

With the partial subsidence of the Foreign question, the domes-
tic difficulties again recovered their former consistency, and were
brought to a crisis on the 20th of May, 1862, by the defeat of the
Cartier-Macdonald ministry, and their subsequent resignation.

On the 24th of the same month the Sandfield Macdonald-
Sicotte Government was officially announced in the Canada
Gazette. On the 12th of May following. Parliament was prorogued
with a view to its dissolution ; and on the 16th of the same month
the public was informed of the appointment of three new members
of the Executive Council as successors to a similar number who had
resigned. The Cabinet as thus reconstructed, became known as the
Sandfield Macdonald-Dorion Government. But the two-fold ex-
periment of a dissolution of Parliament, and a reconstruction of
the Cabinet, added but httle to the numerical supporters of the
Government. The elections resulted, as is usual in such cases, in
certain individual changes, but the numbers ranged respectively on
either side of the House, remained about the same as they were in
the previous Parliament, nor were the sectional disparities very
materially altered. The short Session in the Autumn of 1863
shewed with what slender majorities the ministry was sustained ;
and the public, being prepared for some change, felt no surprise
when, soon after the opening of the following session in February,
1864, the Sandfield Macdocld-Dorion Government resigned.

On the 30th of March, the Ministry of Sir E. P. Tach<« was
gazetted, and became popularly known as the Tach^-Macdouald
Government. Such, however, was the feverish state of the rival
parties in the Legislative Assembly, and so evenly were their re-
spective numbers balanced, that in less than three months after its
formation, the new Ministry, on the 14th of June, found itself in a
minority of two, on a subject so peculiar and important as to be
tantamount to a non-confidence vote. The gravity of the case
could scarcely be exaggerated, for the vray of escape from the
political difficulty was by no means plain. Two courses only pre-

VISCOUNT MONCK.

sented themselves, namely, a coalition of parties, or a dissolution
of Parliament. The former had been attempted by the previous
Government, and had resulted in failure. The latter might be
resorted to, but still statesmen of approved experience, and from
a sense of responsibility, would, under the circumstances of the
case, regard such an alternative with feelings of regret, if not of
anxiety.

On the following day a very important interview took place
between His Excellency the Governor General, and Sir E. P.
Tachd. From the published Memoranda the following particulars
are extracted :

After reciting the Resolution, on the merits of which no opinion
need be expressed in this place, Sir E. P. Tach<) observes .•

" This Resolution was carried by a vote of CO to 58, and thereupon the House
adjourned.

'• The undersigned has consulted his colleagues, and submitted the state of the
case to them ; and they have come unanimously to the conclusion that, although
tha motion is a censure on an administration not now existing, for an official act
which occurred five years ago ; yet, under the circumstances in which this vote was
carried, it must be regarded as a vote of want of confidence, and as indicating the
withdrawal of the support of the House from Your Excellency's advisers.

" The undersigned begs to call the attention of Your Excellency to the circum-
stances under which the present administration accepted the responsibilities of
office, and to point out that they have successfully obtained the support of Parlia-
ment to all their measures, and which measures they have every reason to believe
are satisfactory to the country.

"The undersigned therefore, with the concurrence of his colleagues, begs to
tender the advice to Your Excellency that they should be empowered to appeal
from this vote, made by a Parliament not elected when they were Your Excel-
lency's advisers, to the people themselves, in whose decision they have every
onfidence. »■

"June 15, 1804." . ,

On this statement His Excellency was pleased to make the

following

"memobandum.

" The Governor General has attentively considered the Memorandum submitted
to him on Wednesday last by Sir E. P. Tache, containing the views of himself and his
colleagues on the Resolution which passed the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday
night, and their advice that they should be empowered to appeal from that vote of
the House to the people.

" Before proceeding to give any answer to the request contained in this Memo-
randum, the Governor General is desirous to call the attention of the Members of
the Executive Council to the position in which political parties in the Province
are now, and have been for a considerable time placed.

11^

VISCOUNT MONCK.

" I'lio House of Assembly, returned nt the General Eloclion in the year 1801, by
successive votes declared its want of conlidenco in Ministries representing rosi)ec-
tively the two i)arties into which it was divided.

"In ^lay, 18(>.'}, a dissolution, the constitutional consequence of such a state of
facts resulted in the return of a House in which the GovernMent, under the leader-
shij) of Mr. .1. S. Macdonald and Mr. Dorion, found itself so weak that its Members,
after the experience of the whole of the Autumn Session of 18f>;{ and a portion of
the Session of 18(54, resigned their places in the month of March last, without
having ever incurred actual defeat.

"During this period no question involving any great i)rinciplo, or calculated to
prevent politicians*, on public grounds, from acting in concert, had been raised in
rarlianient. Under the.se circumstances, the Governor General, on the resigna-
tion of ^Ir. Sandfield Macdonuld's ft')vernment, conceived that the time had
arrived when an appeal might, with propriety, be made to the patriotism of gentle-
men on both sides of the House, to throw aside personal differences, and to unite
in the formation of a Governnic.it strong enough to advance the general interests
of the country.

" The Governor General deeply regrets that this attempt to form a Government,
representing politicians kept asunder by no difference of opinion on public ques-
tions, should have then failed.

" The present Government was at that time formed on a distinctive party basis,
and the course of events, since it came into power, has only given further proof of
the evenly balanced condition of politicral parties in the House, and of the absence
of i)ublic grounds for antagonism between them.

"The further continuance of such a .state of things is very prejudicial to the best
interests of the Province, and it is very doubtful whether a General Election would
materially alter the relative position of parties.

" The Governor General does not consider it would be right for him to enter
into any examination of the character of the llesolution come to by the House on
Tuesday night; he may, however, without impropriety, express his regret that it
appears to have produced an impression on the minds of those affected by it likely
,to render a junction of parties more dithcult.

'• Tiio ( Jovernor General still adheres to the opinion that such an amalgamation
of i):irtics is the course calculated to confer the largest amount of benefit on the
Province, and earnestly hopes tha^ means may bo found for effecting such an
arrangement, without doing violence to the self-respect of any gentleman connected
with Canadian politics.

" The Governor General desires to commend the views expressed in this Memo-
randum lo the serious consideration of the Members of the Executive Council,
and would be glad to be furnished Avith the opinion of Sir E. P. Tache and his
colleagues upon thoni ; and while giving them the assurance that he is prepared to
act on their advice, trusts that some means may be devised for obviating the
necessity for an appeal to the country under present circumstances."

This important Memorandum was gracefully acknowledged by
Sir E. P. Tachd in the following Avords :

"memorandum.

" Tiie undersigned has the honor to convey to Your Excellency the thanks of
his colleagues and himself for the confidence shewn in them by Your Excellency's
acceptance of their advice.

" The Executive Council fully concur with Your Excellency as to the expediency

VISCOUNT MONCK.

of avoidinf/, if possible, an appeal to the country under the circumstances referred
to in Your Excellency's Memorandum ; and vhey desire the undersigned to assure
you that they will not cease in their efforts to effect the formation of an adminis-
tration, without hiivinf? recourse to a dissolution, which will obtain the conlidence
of Parliament and of the country.
"June 17, 1801"

These published papers arc honorable to the representative of
the Queen, and to the head of the Canadian Ministry — both -were-
evidently moved by a sense of the like responsibilities, the like
anxieties, and the like opinions of the course to be pursued.
While unreservedly pledging himself to act on the advice of his
Council, His Excellency adds the expression of his trust, that
under the circumstances in Avhicli the country was then placed, an
appeal to the people by election might, if possible, be avoided.
The occapions are exceedingly rare, on which the Queen's repre-
sentative may with propriety promulgate a personal opinion on a
point of State policy ; and the Governor General Avho shall at
any time successf ally depart from this rule of silence may be pre-
sumed to display both courage and wisdom.

Thus it was at the time in question. In and out of Parliament
all felt that the period had arrived when His Excellency should
speak. No word of complaint followed the unusual proceeding ;
on the contrary, every one admitted the occasion was propitious, and
the counsel was just. Great indeed was popular anxiety to dis-
cover whether such words of wisdom would awaken any correspond-
ing act of patriotism. The people began to recognize what His
Excellency plainly saw, that prominent men of all shades of opinion
were kept apart, more by the recollection of peisonal, than by the
existence of political, differences. The giave question, for instance,
of a change in the basis of Parliamentary representation, had ceased
to be the property of one party only. The statesmen then in
power, like their Parliamentary opponents, had seriously considered
the whole question. Indeed they generally agreed with the ma-
jority of Representatives from Western Canada, in acknowledging
the existence of the evil ; they differed chiefly in the application of

VISCOUNT MONCK.

'I
ill

the cure. T1)C specific on one side was to apply a strong local
remedy. Such application had however been resisted as irritating
in itself and dangerous in its tendency. The prescription on the
other side was, primarily, to strengthen the body politic, and thus,
with the aid of new stamina, to enable it to bear, without loss, the
remedial action of constitutional treatment.

Recognizing a unity of aim, even though accompanied by con-
trariety of plan, it was surely an object worthy of a Ruler and a
Statesman to take measures for reconciling the means with the end,
to bring together earnest men, who, on pubUc grounds, need not have
been kept apart ; and, by paths of conciliation and compromise, to
direct ambition towards a higher policy, to guide the public mind to
wider fields of thought, and thus to bring about, in fact as well as in
name, " the peace, welfare, and good government" of the country.

His Excellency Viscount Monck represents, in his own person,
historical auguries of success, for he bears the name, and is colla-
terally descended from the family of the first Duke of Albemarle,
whose personal history is not only interwoven with the stirring times
of the Commonwealth, but is directly identified with the happier
ones of the Restoration. He also bears the title of the first Vis-
count of his name, one of a small, sagacious band, whose prescience
and discretion enabled them to bring about a more intimate union
between Great Britain and Ireland. If the past history of the
family and race has any influence in directing its future destinies,
then may we not look forward with confidence to the success of
kindred services on a different field, and in another Hemisphere ?
The name of Monck is intimately associated with the restoration
of Monarchy in England. May we not hope that it will in like
manner, be associated with its perpetuation in America ? It is
identified historically with the legislative union of three Kingdoms
in the Old World. May we not appropriate the double omen, and
say that it shall also be identified with the Federal union of five
Provinces in the New ?

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THE MOST REVEREND FRANCIS FULFORD, D.D.,

TUK LOUD BISHOP OF MONTREAL, AKD METROPOLITAN.

It is said that -when the first Anglican Bishop arrived at Quebec
he was courteously received by the Roman Catholic Bishop, who
made him welcome by saluting both cheeks, and by expressing
the pleasure he experienced in receiving his Episcopal brother;
for, continued the communicative Prelate, " Your people want you
very badly."

The commentary of a keen observer at the end of the last cen-
tury with respect to the Protestant population of Quebec, might
have been made with ecjual propriety in the middle of the present
century with respect to the Protestant population of Montreal ; for
certainly those who remember the state of the Episcopal Church at
the period in question, will probably agree in thinking that the first
Anglican Bishop did not arrive at all too soon, as his people wanted
him ** very badly."

Until 1850 the See of Montreal was included within the Bishopric
of Quebec, and consequently the larger population, and, commer-
cially, the more important city, was ruled ecclesiastically, not only
from a distant, but also from a less considerable place. Such
arguments in the old world have little weight ; but in America the
element of numbers enters largely into considerations connected
with government ; and thus it happened that the greater did not
accept gracefully the Episcopal oversight of the smaller city.

There were moreover reasons why the presence of a Bishop, resi-
dent at Montreal, was especially to be desired. The time was one
of peculiar excitement. The restlessness of thought, the notes of
controversy, the cry of alarm which at that time distracted the

l' t

; t

i •

I'i

! !

I i

MOST REV. FIIANCIS FULFOUD, D.D.

Churcli in England had been borne across the Atlantic to the dis-
comfort of the Clmrch in Canada. Good people, Avith more feeling
than reason, and whose knowledge was scarcely eijual to their zeal,
appeared to think that the peace of the Church hero would bo
promoted by an effort to naturalize the " cries" that Avere dis-
turbing the Church at home, and thus it happened that the Pro-
testants of Montreal found themselves whirled about in a flurry of
crude phrases, and were, so to speak, suddenly called upon to elect
their controversial colors, for in their alarmed minds the time had
passed for sailing under the i)rotection of the old fashioned neutral
flag. The pulpit, too, being f(jund inadequate to the duty of ((uict-
ing alarm, controversy silently crejjt from the cloisters to the press,
and then the difficulty was found to be almost as great to hush
" a cry " that had si)rung from no adequate cause, as it was to
discover the cause of the cry. The Missionary work and the
Missionary Church of Canada were thus hindered and disturbed
by questions that most people asked, and few people could answer.
Men's minds were misty as well as heated ; they understood
neither what they said nor whereof they affirmed: but since it was
easier to determine colors than to unravel controversy, ecclesias-
tical vestments became the badges, so to speak, of the competitive
parties ; and matters of doctrine and Church government seemed to
be determined by the consideration whether the clergyman preached
in a surplice or a gown.

Perhaps we ought to apologize for recalling such trivial reasons
for such grave discords ; but since the consequence of si ifo is not
unfrequently in an inverse ratio to the cause of strife, it may tend
to make us tolerant towards weakness if we will only remember the
weaknesses of which we were intolerant.

Quiet Churchmen were therefore very thankful when it became
known that the Rev. Francis Fulford, D.D., was, by Her Majesty,
nominated to the newly erected See of Montreal. The question was
very probably asked, and who is Dr. Fulford ? and it is equally

MOST RKV. FRANCIS FULFOIin, D.D.

probal)lo that a part of tlic answer was aou^^ht for and obtaihv'd in
the volume now l)cforo us, namely, *' IJurkc's Dictionary of tlio
Landed Gentry of Great Britain." The family record, wo may
add, though very intereHtin^i;, is too long for insertion here ; wc
shall, therefore, only make use of some of the facts. Wo learn,
then, that His Lordship is descended from ono of those ancient
county families which are the especial pride of the people of the
old country. Although the rank of such families is not noble, it is
at all events of more ancient dignity, for it belongs to the earlier
degree of " gentleman." We learn further, not only from the
book in cpicstion, but from other sources of information, that the
family is of Saxon origin, and held " Folefort," as it is written in
Domesday Book, from Avhich place the name is derived. Here it
was seated in the time of Richard the First, and it has continued
in possession of the same name and [)lacc, now Avritten " Fulford,"
by uninterrupted descent for more than six hundred years. The
fiimily is one of the old martial families of England, whoso members
were ever ready to enforce their opinions with their swords. Thus
we learn that many Knights of the name distinguished themselves
in the Holy Land, and during the " Wars of the Roses," as well
as for the King against Cromwell. Gallantry, too, seems to have
boon as conspicuous as courage ; for " Prince,"* in speaking of Sir
Baldwin do Fulford, quaintly observes that " ho was a great soldier,
and a traveller of so undaunted a resolution that for the honor
and liberty of a royal lady in a castle besieged by the infidels, he
fought a combat with a Saracen for bulk and bigness an unequal
match, — (as the representation of him cut in the wainscot in
Fulford Hall doth plainly show), — whom yet he vanquished, and
rescued the lady." The chronicle does not inform us in what
language the gallant Knight and royal lady expressed their mutual
obligations; and the wainscot of Great Fulford, as well as the
Portrait Gallery, is silent on the character of the guerdon that

» Author of " The Worthies of Devon."

i^li

MOST REV. FUANCIS l-'ULFOUD, D.D.

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the rescued captive bestowed on htr deliverer. Such an adven-
ture doubtless should have ended happily ; that it did so, wo must,
with all who relish romance, bo permitted to hope.

There is, too, another bit of family adventure mixed up with a
curious passage in English history. Sir Thomas Fulford, it is
recorded, was one of the Knights who went up with the Earl of
Devon, and relieved Exeter when boHiegcd by Perkin Warbcck in
1497. We may add, that the family mansion, which is one of tho
oldest in the West of England, was garrisoned for King Charles
the First, and was taken by a i)art of Fairfax's army in 1045.

Passing over much that is interesting in tho earlier passages of
his family history, to the subject of our sketch, wo learn that tho
Most Reverend Francis Fulford is second son of the late ]Jaldwiu
Fulford, Esquiro, of Great Fulford, in the County of Devon ; that
ho was born at Sidmouth on tho 3rd of June, 1803, and having re-
ceived his earlier education at Tiverton, he was, in 1821, admitted
to Exeter College, Oxford, of which College he was, in 1824, elected
a Fellow. Having obtained his B.A. degree, Mr. Fulford was
ordained Deacon at Norwich in 182G, and Priest by Bishop Carey
in the Cathedral of Exeter on the 22nd of June, 1828. After
holding successive curacies in two Parishes, he was histituted to
the Rectory of Trowbridge, of which tho Duke of Rutland was tho
patron. Having taken his M.A. degree, he was, in 1838, appointed
Chaplain to Her Royal Highness the late Duchess of Gloucester.
In 1841, on resigning the Rectory of Trowbridge, ho was insti-
tuted to tho Rectory of Croydon, in Cambridgeshire, which ho held
until 1845, when, on tho nomination o.'' Earl Howe, ho was licensed
by the late Bishop of London as Minister of Curzon Chapel, May-
fair. This appointment he held until St. James' day, 1850, when
he was consecrated in Westminster Abbey as first Bishop of tho
Diocese of Montreal, the honorary degree of D.D. having pre-
viously been conferred on him by the University of Oxford. He
received his Patent from the Queen as Metropolitan in 18G0.

MOST IIKV. FIIANCIS TULFORD, D.D.

To ^o hack in point of time, wo may add tliat, in 18.^0, Mr.
Fultbrd murriod Mary, eldest dau^^liter of the late Andrew IJerliley
Driunmond, Esquire, of Ca<lland, Hants, and the Lady Mary, his
wife, who was (huighter of John, second Earl of Ef^mont, and sister
of the Right Honorable Spencer Perceval, who, while holdinfj; the
office of First Lord of the Treasury and being at the time Prinio
Minister of England, was murdered l)y BcUinghara in the lobby of
the House of Commons.

Not only was Mr. Fulfoid a hard working Parish priest, but he
did good service in the literary forces of the Church. When the
'* Colonial Church Chronicle" was first established, he was selected
as its trusted editor. Whilst Rector of the populous manufactur-
ing town of Trowbridge, ho found time to publish two volumes of
Sermons, as well as a short Treatise on " the Progress of the
Reformation."

The reflection will probably occur to many that the varied
nature of his earlier clerical duties must have been of great
service to the Bishop in his later and more exalted position. His
first curacy, for instance, at Holne, in Dartmoor, in some respects
resembled the backwoods missions of Canada. Fawley, his second
curacy, like some of the older livings in this Province, was situate
in a rich and picturesque agricultural county. His institution as
Rector of Trowbridge, placed him in the midst of a largo manufac-
turing population, where much prejudice had to be met, and many
forms of dissent to be dealt with. Curzon Chapel, Mayfair, seated
in the aristocratic suburbs of the metropolis, would naturally attract
a highly educated congregation. No doubt the experiences ac-
quired from observing different classes of society, and from working
in different fields of labor, have been of great service to the Bishop
in later life. Nor was his earlier work unmarked or unrecognized
by the people during the period of its progress. Evidences of
popular affection and esteem are at hand to attest, that however
versatile and discursive his knowledyie and however varied the

■^Tr'^-f-r-^^

MOST REV. FRANCIS FULFORD, D.D.

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Bishop's duties may have been, tlioro was one kind of duty which
attracted equally different interests and different classes, and which
gained fro'n all a general expression of good will. Thus it was that
the manufacturers and artizans of Trowbridge, and the nobility and
gentry of Mayfair, moved by kindred sentiments, met on common
ground, when they sought by imperishable gifts to show their own
gratitude, as well as their opinion of the person on whom those
gifts were to be conferred. The former, by way of remembrance,
and as a mark of their regard, presented a tea service of silver; and
the latter, an antique grace cup of the like precious substance,
accomj inied with three hundred and sixty sovereigns.

The Arab proverb " Speech is silver, but silence is gold," is,
we venture to think, not unknown to His Lordship. His passages
of silence, on his arrival in Canada, were more expressive and more
eloquent than many passages of another's speech, for they rebuked
the garrulous propensity of some to indulge in disputations more
conducive to human vanity, than to spiritual progress. Doubtless,
as the wise man wrote, " There is a time for silence," and few men
better than the Bishop understand when to determine that time.

Thoughtful persons are generally of opinion that by tempera-
ment, education and experience, the Bishop is eminently qualified
to discharge the judicial, as well as the ecclesiastical, duties of his
oflSce ; for, besides a clear, he possesses a calm mind, and yet his
serene thought is manifestly accompanied with active and exact
powers of observation. He remembers accurately, and appHes aptly
what he remembers. With strong powers of perception, he acquires
naturally great insight into character. His opinions are, we think,
never rashly formed, and consequently they arc rarely changed.
Having seen much of " all sorts and conditions of men," having
mixed much with various phases of social life, he is the better able
to turn his acquired experience to account, and thus his knowledge
of the world enables him to rule with wisdom and patience the
Church in the world.

MOST RFA'. FRANCIS FirLFOUD, D.D.

Regarding the influence of the Church as of higher importance
to the happiness of the human race than any (piostion of mere
temporal government, the Bishop has been extremely reticent iii
expressing opinions on contemporary politics. Indeed His Lordship
is much more an ecclesiastic than a politician ; and we shoidd
therefore be inclined to think, that had he boon present on a recent
occasion in the ancient University City of Oxford, when Lord R.
Cecil, and afterwards the Right Honorable B. D'Israeli sought to
establish for their party a kind of special political property in the
Church, no cheer of approval would have escaped his lips ; but that,
on the contrary, a righteous protest against such assumptions would
promptly have occupied his thoughts. We write in ignorance, as
we are not aware that His Lordship is allied, politically, with any
party, either in England or Canada.

If, however, the Bishop cannot be identified with any political
party in the State, neither do we think he can be charged with
acting as a party man in his administration of his Diocese. Doubt-
less he has not lived in stirring times without being influenced by
the opinions which have stirred those times, nor has he affected to
conceal the inclination which his mind has received from such
opinions. Still there is one subject to which with an earnest Prelate
all opinion must be subservient, and that is the extension, through the
medium of accredited channels, of the faith, worship, and practice
of the Church. This object the Bishop has without doubt kept
steadily in view, and he has carried it out, too, with a large-hearted
charity beyond all praise.

The Diocese of Montreal includes within the ranks of the resident
clergy, representatives of every school of clerical thought. To use
conventional phrases, there are probably no " higher," and the^'e
are certainly no " lower " Churchmen to be found in any portion
of the Province with which His Lordship is connected, than could
be named in his OAvn particular Diocese ; and yet, it is doubtful
whether in any other there exists an equal amount of clerical liar-

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MOST REV. FRANCIS FULFORD, D.D.

mony, or more cordial co-operation for Christian work. Those who
remember what the Diocese was in 1850, and know Avhat it is in
18G5, will not only " thank God and take courage," but will,
with feelings akin to human pride, rejoice at the flexible qualities
of the Anglican Church, whose Christian fellowship, like the net
of old, may, without breaking, include " every sort." He who
sanctified their calling, and made poor fisher folk his friends, shall
some day, but not yet, separate the " bad " from the " good."

We cannot in this place refer to the Church work which has been
accomplished under the Bishop's rule. Such information must be
sought for elsewhere than in these pages. It may, however, be
interesting to the class which is inclined to determine all progress,
whether secular, or sacred, by a money standard, to learn, that the
amount raised within the Diocese for Church uses, was, in 1855,
less than §35,000, and in 1865, more than $80,000.

The Bishop, without seeking popularity, is exceedingly popular.
Personal character must and does tell at all times, and with all
classes ; and it is especially valuable in a mixed community, whose
interests and feelings, whose enmities and prejudices, seem always
to be mapped out in sharp and angular lines. Under such circum-
stances it is something to be thankful for, that the chief man in
a place is in repute, fair, just, honest, and of " good report;"
that his character is without warp, his transactions without stain,
and that straightforwardness of conduct is written in every pas-
sage of his life. Such an one is likely to receive the esteem and
respect of all, from the working-men who love him for his sym-
pathy with Avorking-men, to the most conscientious opponent of his
rule, or separatist from his Church. For though the Bishop can
not, and may not, on subjects of religion and orders and worship,
associate himself with those who ecclesiastically are separated or
have separated themselves from the doctrine and fellowship of his
Church, — and being men of principle, such persons would but lightly
esteem him, if he were to do so, — still, in matters of benevolence,

MOST REV. FRANCIS FULFORD, D.D. 23

of philanthropy, and of science, in fact on all common ground, on
all neutral ground, on all public ground, he may and does co-operate
cordially mih those among whom his lot has been cast. Before
his arrival in Canada, the Bishop had, doubtless, very thoughtfully
considered the moral and social chart of his Diocese ; and the result of
such study very probably found expression in his Lordship's answer
to the congratulatory address which was presented to him on his
arrival at Montreal, in which he said "that while we are bound to
seek to provide for the wants of our own people, and I must ever
remember my duty to the Church of which I have been appointed
a chief pastor and overseer, yet still I hope to cultivate a spirit
of charity towards all around me."

How admirably the Bishop has succeeded in carrying out the
princii)les thus wisely enunciated, is known to all. Therefore it
happens that while the members of the Anglican Church are proud
of their Bishop, so do Christian people generally cherish towards
the Metropolitan feelings, if not of pride, at least of unalloyed
respect and admiration.

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TFIE HONOR ABLK JOHN A. MACDONALD,

ATTORXKY-GKNKllAL KOK CANADA WKHT.

" Who is he ?" Such was the enquiry made of tlic writer hy the
witty and accomplished correspondent of the London " Daily Tele-
graph," on the occasion of the Ball given by the Canadian Gov-
ernment in October, 1864, to the Delegates from the Maritime
Provinces, as the Honorable John A. Macdonald entered the well
lighted, but modest apartment-^' which are now used by the Parliament
of Canada ; " how like D'Israeli," continued the keen observer; and
adjusting his spectacles more exactly to the bridge of his cogitative
nose, the critic continued, " and with a strong dash of Milncr Gibson,
too." We conversed for a while ; Mr. Macdonald passed and re-
passed, with the quick, gliding, jaunty, careless step so peculiarly his
own, his head, meanwhile, moving from side to side with the kind of
bird-like celerity that expresses activity of thought, and quickness
of perception. " Remarkable man, I should think," continued Mr.
George Augustus Sala, " one would enquire his name anywhere."

The impression of a stranger agrees with the testimony of friends
and the admission of opponents. Mr. Macdonald, apart from his
personal resemblance to distinguished statesmen, is a remarkable
man, and would perhaps bo more so were the field of political
exertion larger than that which is included in the Province and
Government of Canada.

Having had the advantage of a liberal education, Mr. Macdonald
was articled to a lawyer of repute, and large practice at Kingston,
and in the course of time he was admitted to the Bar of Upper Ca-
nada, becoming thereby a member of the learned Society of Osgoode

HON. J. A. MACDOXALD.

Hall. Sliortly aftcrwiirds an opportunity offorctl, of which Mi*.
Macdonald proudly availed hinisolf, to impress on the Bench, the
Bar, and also on the inhabitants of the city in wiiich ho resided,
that his legal attainments Averc of the highest promise, including, Ave
may observe, the safe (pialities that lodge in the Chambers of Coini-
sel, as well as the showy ones that shine in Courts of Justice.
Thus it chanced that ([uiet men who rule Corporations, control
Banks, make investments, accept mortgages and accumulate money,
very early discovered in the accomplished young advocate, the
particular lawyer to whose character, honor, and judgment they
were Avilling to confide grave trusts and important issues. Con-
sequently Mr. Macdonald was named Solicitor to the Commercial
Bank ; and shortly afterwards he received the like appointment from
the newly established Tiust and Loan Company of Upper Canada.

To lead the Bar of his Circuit, and save money for his clients,
or make it for himself, was not, however, the sole end and object
of Mr. Macdonald's ambition, lie saw, beyond and above such
attractions, allurements more ennobling than the greed of gain, more
irresistible than the work which Avas bounded only by the limits of
his county. He saAv in his path the prize of poAver. Ho saAv,
too, that public confidence had already prepared for him a place in
Parliament, Avhere influence could be exerted, and good could bo
done.

Thus the double attraction, poAver and fame, Avhich most men
are obliged to court, Avere Avooing him. In England it is the House
of Commons. In Canada it is the Commons House of Assembly.
The honor may be, and doubtless is, different in degree, but the
fascination is alike in cither country. Fcav avIio come Avithin its
influence can resist tiie spell : it bewilders a humble man, it appro-
priates a gifted one. No vulgar vice is more enslaving than the
gran I passion for jjower. Thus it Avas that the point in Mr.
Macdonald's career Avas reached, at Avhich professional success
generated, so to speak, political aspirations ; Avhcn the paid services

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

of the gifted advocate were to give place to the unpurchasable
services of the ardent Statesman. The die was cast, poi)ular favor
was accepted, private ease was lost ; for the tumultuous shouts
which followed his successful election for Kingston, could they have
been reduced to language, and interpreted aright, would have fallen
upon his ear as a knell to rest, and peace and home, — a knell,
musical it may be with the memories of (piiet times, whose echoes
would linger in days to come, like the recollections of childhood,
about the troubled pathway of his laborious life.

Mr. Macdonald, who has now for twenty-one years sat for King-
ston, and who, also, for one reason and another, has been suc-
cessfully returned no less than eleven times, very early in life cast
his lot into the Conservative party ; and though of more advanced
views on some points than the elder scholars of that school, he
nevertheless sympathised cordially with them, and worked cordially
for them, on all the important questions that agitated tlie Province.
But, while he was generally loyal to tlie old traditions of his party,
men began very early to conjecture that those old traditions would
speedily be taken out of ordinary, refurbished, made serviceable and
turned to account by this representative of a younger school of
Statesmen.

As became a ne>v member who would win his way successfully
lo tb.o ear of the House, Mr. Macdonald continued for some time
after his entrance into Parliament most studiously silent. He was
content to listen, and to learn ; for in truth in the person of the
then Attorney General, the present Chief Justice of Upper
Canada, there was an export " Master of Fence, and no inapt
teacher of the science of government." With strong personal
sympathies, the Honorable Mr. Draper and Mr. Macdonald found
themselves cordially allied with a party whose principles they
respected, and whose policy in the main it was their desire to
uphold. The p !,rty in question however, was not only conservative
in principle, it was almost inimical to progress in practice. It was to

HON. J. A. MAfDONALD.

;■!•

a ccrtuiu extent a i)arty of memory and pivjiulico. It treasured
tlio recollections of the past, its sacrifices and heroism, its enmi-
ties and aversions, with fanatical affection. It disliked a Reformer
from instinct, and a Krenchman from tradition ; and finally, it is
scarcely an cxag;|cration to say, it grew cool in its supjjort of
Mr. Draper, because he sought to conciliate the former and pro-
pitiate the latter.

IJut though Mr. Draper's effort was not marked with immediate
success, still such inclination had been given to political thought as
would ere long influence j)ublic jjolicy. The earnest conversations
of such astute politicians as Mr. Drai)er and the Hon. Mr. Caron,
had they not resoWcd themselves into iState i)apers, would un-
doulttedly have left behind them some abiding impressions — im-
pressions which, passing by inheritance to Mr. Macdonald, would
necessarily be turned to useful purposes.

It was evident that jmblic affairs could not be satisfactorily con-
ducted without the co-operation of the representatives in Parliament
of French origin ; and it therefore became the especial task of JNIr.
Macdonald to weld the conservatism of the two sections of Canada
into a condition of solidity and strength. Nor can it be denied
that, beneath the heated crust of party, there did exist, on certain
great subjects, cognate opinions — opinions from which political
affinities take tlicir rise, and towards which, as by a natural law,
they commonly gravitate. In examining such opinions, Mr. Mac-
donald Avould probably observe that the comparatively fixed
conservatism of his party in Upper Canada was balanced by the
absolutely fixed conservatism of the French i)arty in Lower Canada.
That, for example, on the highest subjects through which thought
is influenced and men are moved, namely, the subject of religion,
and, as gcrmain to it, the sacredness of church projjcrty, the prin-
cii)les of the two parties were not in antagonism. The Anglican
clergy, together with a large proportion of the laity of that church,
asserted, equally with the Clergy and laity of the Roman Commu-

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HOX. J. A. MACDOXALD.

nion, tlio perpetual Hanctity of property once Hetapart to the p\ir[)oses
of reli;^ion. Such opinions, with respect to cliurcli property, arc
apt to influence opinion generally with respect to all property ; and
it may, therefore, ho conjectured that Mr. Macdonald'a clear mind
very early discerned, in a fact so patent, the basis of that political
alliance which has since taken place, and which, primarily, may have
had its root in the sympathetic conservatism which is based on tho
sanctity of tho rights of property.

Tho policy, too, of tho Reformers rather favored than thwarted
Mr. Macdonald's proceedings. When in alliance with tho party
of Lower Canada, which was led by Sir Louis Lafontaino, tho
liberals of tho Western Province very earnestly and eloquently
asserted the abstract right of the state to deal with, and, if neces-
sary, alienate, the property of tho church ; and, by way of showing
their sincerity, they succeeded in obtaining Legislative authority
to divide tho estate of the Anglican, and were not over reticent
of their menaces with respect to tho possessions of tho Roman
Catholic Church. Thus it happened thai, partly from a divergence
in tho policy of two political sections, which equally called them-
selves Reformers, and partly from tho prescience and ability of
Mr. Macdonald, separations wore silently taking place, and adhe-
sions wore silently being promoted, which, ore long, would bring
about now alliances, and a groat change in tho governing party of
the Province.

That tho policy commenced by Mr. Draper and continued by
Mr. Macdonald was in advance of the time, is sufficiently pro-
bable. The recollections of 1887-38, inseparably associated as
they were with the antagonistic names of " Tory " on one side,
and " Reformer " on the other, were too vivid in the minds of
the actors to make cordial api)roach then possible. Besides too,
and growing out of the events of those troublous times, there
remained an uncomfortable question whose settlement was impera-
tively requisite before hostilities could bo permanently laid aside.

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

The complaints of losses sustained and of compensation withheld
were repeated again and again, and each time more loudly than
the former. Heated, menacing discussions accompanied the com-
plaints, until it seemed to be equally dangerous to giant as to deny
the redress prayed for. The ministry of the day, doubtless moved
by the conviction of their duty, determined by every means known
to the constitution to bring the subject to peremptory and final
settlement. They did so, and the Rebellion Losses Bill became
law.

It might afford matter for interesting speculation to observe the
political consequences that rapidly followed the enactment of this
act. TliC Reformers supported it with intolerant anger. The Con-
servatives opposed it with vehement rage. Feeling and policy,
present rancour, and former hate, were uppermost in the minds of
the disputants. Men were too excited to listen to reason to con-
temporary ii.formation, or historical analogy. All with ofjual
solemnity asseverated " Justice." Nevertheless, in its political
consequences the question may be fairly asked, whether any
measure, more than this particular act, contributed to bring about
the change of alliances that has since taken place ? It is very
probable that neither party saw the contingent consequence of its
own policy. Had they done so, perhaps haste on one side, and re-
sistance on the other, would have been very considerably modified.
Mr. Macdonald was a member of the Executive Council from
the month of May, 1847, to the month of March of the following
year. At the latter period he crossed the House, and till che 11th
of September, 1854, became the actual, if not the nominal, leader of
" Her Majesty's loyal Opposition. " On the last mentioned day
the coalition took place which Mr. Drrper imagined, which Mr.
Macdonald promoted, and which Mr. Hincks acquiesced in, — a coali-
tion that placed the chief of the Conservative party of Upper
Canada at the same Council table with Sir E. P. Tach6 and Mr.
Carticr, the representatives of the like party in Lower Canada, — a

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

coml»ination it may bo supposed based on sympathetic principles,
as it has since then been fostered and preserved by tlie most
intimate friendships. With the exception of two intervals, the
first of a few days, and the second of less than two years, ]Mr. ^lac-
donald has remained in power from that time till noAV.

What has been accomplished during the period our space will not
permit us to epitomize. Questions vexed with the discussions of half
a century have been peacefully set at rest. Internal improvements
which could scarcely have been hoped for for fifty yeai3, have
taken place in one decade. It is true indeed that some of those
questions have been disposed of by consent of parties, and on a
basis that Mr. Macdonald would not have chosen; and it is also
true that works of great public utility have been hurried forward
at a somewhat oppressive cost, for which, however, Mr. Macdonald
can scarcely be held answerable. Still the country has got rid of
grievances that occasioned much strife, and has acquired posses-
sions that confer many advantages ; the double result being con-
temporaneous with the period during which Mr. Macdonald has
represented Upper Canada in the Government.

There is one question, however, from its connection with a some-
what exceptional transaction, that should receive a passing notice.
After years of idle discussion, after blemishing the journals with
resolutions and divisions more conspicuously playful than severely
proper. Parliament became weary, and apparently ashamed of its
own proceedings ; and therefore, by humble address to the Queen,
besought Her Majesty to " select some one place for the permanent
seat of Government for Canada," supplementing their prayer
with a pledge to grant the requisite supplies. Her Majesty was
pleased to accept the ungracious task, and, at the next session, com-
municated to Parliament that she had fixed the capital at Ottawa.

Having an unsettled previous history, provoking deltates that
were only too pitiful, followed by divisions that were wholly derisive,
it might have been conjectured that Parliament was weary of the

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

theme, and would gladly have avoided any renewal of an idle dis-
cussion. Not so, however, thought the gentlemen who moved and
seconded an address to Her Majesty to reconsider her decision and
substitute " Montreal," for " Ottawa." They probably forget that
since the members last trifled, laughed, and divided, the question
had assumed Imperial relationships and gathered about it Royal
solemnities and sanctions.

Members however acted as of old, utterly regardless of what
Parliament had done, and only careful of what their constituents
might think. Thus it chanced that on the vote being recorded,
the Macdonald-Cartier administration found itself in a minority
of fourteen, and consequently resigned. That the vote was
inconsiderately given may be fairly assumed ; for five days after-
wards, as soon as the rules of Parliament permitted, and it may be
added, in singular disregard of the usual amenities observed in
party warftire, many of the members voted non-confidence in the
new administration which had resulted from their vote, and,
by a parity of reasoning, non-confidence in the vote itself; since
the latter proceeding included a return to power of the adminis-
tration which that vote had disjilaced.

The transactions of those few days must, it is feared, continue to
bo a blot on our Parliamentary history. We would ghidl}--, if we
might, lose the page whereon the unseemly record is written. The
opposition, if they remembered their duties, forgot their responsi-
bilities, and agreed to a vote that will scarcely bear examination.
The ministry, defeated by a vote that was hardly lair, retaliated by
a proceeding one does not care to investigate. In the game of
Chess, the crooked advance of the black knight may perhaps,
without detriment, be answered by the crooked advance of the
white one ; but such oblique movements in morals or politics may
not be made with impunity. Irregular warfare provokes irregular
warfare, and the use of unfair weapons leads to the abuse of fair
ones. The case under review illustrates the point. The Ministers

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

who, by a " surprise vote," were improperly unseated, re-scated
themselves by a succession of very questionable surprises. It is
true indeed that on an appeal to the judges, the Province learned
that the pantominc, as it appeared on the columns of the Canada
Gazette, was not contrary to law ; but notwithstanding the decision
of the courts, the public conscience was not appeased; and even
at the present day, public men take pains to disavow all connection
with what has been popularly stigmatized by two words of oppro-
brium, which, however, shall not be repeated in this place.

Passing from this transaction, we continue to find Mr.
Macdonald — with an interruption of twcnty-lwo months only — the
head and representative of the Western Section of the Cabinet.
On the resignation of the Sandficld Macdonald-Dorion Government,
when Sir E. P. Tach(j undertook the duty of forming an adminis-
tration, the subject of our sketch very earnestly sought, not for office
or emolument, but as a reward of service to be indulged with the
poetical post of honor ; namely, the })rivatc station, and the privilege
of rest. He sought in vain. Sir Etienne knew too well the qualities
of his friend, to entrust to another standaixl-bearer the colors, which
for his party ^^v. Macdonald had always borne so bravely. The
country again needed his services, personal sacrifices were again
required, and personal considerations were consequently again cast
aside. His old allies and adherents once more beckoned him to the
front ; and forgetful of political antipathies, a glow of satisfaction
may well have pervaded the Assembly (for all are proud of him),
as they saw ISIr. Macdonald once more take his familiar place as
leader of the House.

The truth is, Mr. Macdonald possesses a combination of qual-
ities that arc rarely met with in the same person. He is a
student and a man of the Avorld. With a memory supremely
retentive, he is a ravenous devourer of books. With genial tastes,
and warm sympathies for his kind, he possesses a keen relish for
social enjoyments. A wit and a satirist in spite of himself, he gives

HON. J. A. MACDOXALD.

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the rein to the former, to the admiration of his fiiends, and puts a
curb on the latter, lest, in answering, he should wound his opponents.
Endowed with a more than ordinary share of manlj courage, he
seems also to possess a corresponding amount of human tenderness.
Alike generous in thought and in action, he is considerate to all ;
conscious of imperfection, he is indulgent towards prejudice, patient
towards ignorance, and tolerant towards infirmity. Thus his public
career, if it have any blemishes, has no stain of cruelty.

As a speaker, Mr. Macdonald is very cfFcctive. It is true, ora-
tory, as an art, has not apparently been studied by him. The knack
of rolling words, and rounding periods, receives, in his practice, little
respect, lie appears only to think of the matter of his speech and
not of the manner of speaking. Evidently there are no mists in his
mind ; he sees clearly, and expresses as clearly as he sees. Like
Mr. Draper, as we remember him, Mr. Macdonald is a logical
speaker ; but, unlike Mr. Draper, the aim of his speech is not
apparently sacrificed to the form. The manner of the former was
cold, argumentative, and persuasive. Mr. Macdonald, on the con-
trary, is earnest, impassioned, and convincing. The ordinary
style of Mr. Hincks is the occasional style of Mr. Macdonald, for
sometimes he apparently declines to argue, and contents himself
with vehement assertion.

On great occasions, when the subject enables him to rise above
the level of local politics, it is refreshing to listen as he foreshadows
it may be on the future destiny of this grand Province, the future
oflSces of the outlying dependencies of the Empire ; when no class
of Statesmen shall speak of them as sources of national weakness,
but as elements of national strength ; when they shall take their
places in the great British Commonwealth, and become at once the
most formida])le and the most important outworks of British power,
At such times, and on such themes, Mr. Macdonald's unstudied
oratory teems with eloquence, gleams with daring, and is brigiii
with hope. Then, it is, one may observe the physical eftects

■f I

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

of intellectual influences in the hush and stillness of a thousand
voices ere they burst the bars of conventional imprisonment, and
break into loud and rapturous applause. Moreover, then, may
be noted the pride which a great party cherishes towards its chief-
tain ; for, let the division result as it may, the hearts and minds of
that party carry away the solace of a triumph.

In our Legislature we possess no higher type of popular states-
manship than is to be found in the subject of our sketch. Let it
be our duty, therefore, as it is our interest, to cherish and to make
much of our possessions.

That every fibre of our intellectual and moral nature should be
of equal strength would be as unreasonable to expect as that every
feature of our face should be of equal regularity. All men have
foibles ; and if we have the disposition to pry narrowly, our
curiosity will probably be rewarded by the discovery that all
characters have flaws. That the subject of our sketch is an excep-
tion to a universal law, no one pretends to aSirm. We should,
however, do violence to our own opinions of fair criticism were we
to judge a public man from any other than a public point of view.
Let his public services be the standard by which his public worth
shall be determined. Those who cherish contrary opinions may
listen with advantage to the wise words of the late Sir James
Graham, who, in addressing the electors of Carlisle, said : " I tell
you, not for myself, but for public men, and in the interests of the
pubUc, do not pry too closely into the flaws of the character of public
men ; do not hunt too closely into every particular of their conduct,
but look to the general tenor of their lives. Try them by this test ; —
Has avarice or ambition misled them from the path of public duty?
Have they gained honors or advantages for themselves at the cost
of the public ? Try them by that test ! "

When the time shall have arrived for Mr. Macdonald to retire
from the scene, and, in the words of Burke, " To shut the book,"
then, perhaps, the people of this Province, irrespective of party, will

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:i r i

HON. J. A. MACDONALD.

more fully comprehend how much their happiness and peace are to
be ascribed to his conservative wisdom ; how much their union and
advancement are duo to, what may read like paradox, his en-
lightened principles of conservative progress.

Hi If

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HPItjIUM H' TT'.'' '. *^'' - ■ .^TfW'^r^"'^-^ .'■■■•.r'-r;^

THE IIONOIIADLK SAMl KL LEONARD TILLED,

KKW IinUNSWICK.

TiiE Ilonorablo Mr. Tillcy was no stranger to Canada or to
Canadians when, as tho Primo Miuistor of Now Brunswick, ho
arrived at Quebec, and took his place at the Conference held in
that city in tho month of October, 18*)4. Neither were the duties
m which he found himself engaged new to him. His mind had
already been disciplined in the school of incipient diplomacy. IIo
had officially and fre({ucntly discussed, with Ministers of tho dif-
ferent Provinces, subjects of great national importance. Questions,
for instance, of inter-colonial free trade, of an assimilated cur-
rency, and of uninterrupted intercourse between tho separated
communities, had received from him especial attention, and their
consideration had probably ena1)led him to seo with greater clear-
ness the political advantages of a more intimate union of those
communities. Mr. Tilley had moreover visited England, with
Reiiresentatives from Canada and Nova Scotia, to arrange, and if
possible perfect, the grand project of connecting the Provinces by
means of an Intercolonial Railway. That his part in this important
negociation was alike sagacious and beneficial we have a right to
assume, as it received the support of tho Imperial authorities, tho
approval of his own Government, and was moreover satisfactory to
the inhabitants of New Brunswick.

Mr. Tilley, who is indebted to hl5 character and genius for his
position, was born in New Brunswick, and comes of a hardy,
vigorous, self-reliant race. A native of Queen's County, he was
educated at Gagctown, and afterwards moved to tho city of

ill
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nON. S. L. TILLEY.

IS'

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St. Jolin. IToro lio occupied liiinsclf with tlio pursuits of cora-
mcrcf, until the more alluring attraction of politics threw around
him its fascinating spell. Then it was he forsook the (juiet path of
profitahle industry, for one more lahorious and less rennnierativo.
In the year 18r>0 Mr. Tiiley Avas one of the two memhers elected
for the city of St. John. In a few months afterwards, for reasons
with which wo arc imacquainted, ho resi;:;ned his seat, and Avitli-
drcw into privacy. Ihit ho Avas not permitted to contimio in retire-
ment. At the general election in IH'A ho was again returned for
St. John ; and shortly afterwards, on his hecomiiig a mcnih- r of
the Government hy accejjting the office of Provincial Secretary, ho
was for the third time re-elected, and then without o|)position.

Mr. Tillcy is a liheral, and, avc may add, a political and social
Reformer of a somewhat advanced school. One of his early meas-
ures, as a mcmhor of the Government, Avas to introduce a Jiill to
extend the franchise and to secure vote hy hallot. As a social
reformer and Temperance advocate, he belongs to the class of
earnest, enthusiastic men Avho, dazzled hy the glare of their OAvn
pure intentions, insist on pushing their theories to Avhat they regard
their legitimate practical conscf^uenccs. Thus, though they shoidd
fail to make all men agree in their opinion, they Avould never-
theless ohligc them to conform to their example.

We can scarcely imagine a better illustration of the force of indi-
vidual character, and the Aveight of jjcrsonal o])inion, than that Avhich
is afft)rdcd by the particular transaction to Avhich avc arc about to
allude. In the session of 185f5, jNIr. Tilley, Avhen a member of the
Government, introduced, in the House of Assembly a Bill intituled
" An Act to prevent the importation, manufacture, and traffic in
intoxicating liquors." The Bill itself Avas as stringent in its pro-
visions as the title represented it to be ; but though stringent, irri-
tating, and semi-revolutionary, it Avas nevertheless passed by the
Legislature, Avith sufficient majorities to enable it for a fcAV months
to assume the air, and enjoy the dignity of an Act of rarliament.

HON. S. L. TILLEY.

Intnisivo measures interferin;^ witli and litnitin;^ our liberty of diet,
like acts iuterferiug with and restrictin;^ our liltcrty of conHcienco,
are not lila'ly to receive niucli countenance from puMic oi/miou.
Tliouf^litful men will for the most part shrink alike from social and
reli;j;ious meddlin;i; ; for tlie sinrit of tho a<i;o is opposed to acts of
uniformity, no matter whether tho subjects bo dress, diet, or divin-
ity. A (rovernmcnt, morever, no matter wliat its party color may
be, which shall unfortiuiutely find itself clothed with such authority,
liad, we think, better iniitato tho wisdom of the Lef^islaturc of Now
Brunswick, and sununarily get rid of tho unenviable trust by
repcalin;^- the Act which conferred it. Still it must not bo for-
gotten, that, thou^^h tho means were vicious and tyrannical, tho
end aimed at was pure and philanthropic. It is complimentary
to the ardor and enthusiasm of Mr. Tilley's advocacy that it
seemed to captivate and enthrall the minds of the Assem))ly,
eausin;^ its Members to bec(mie temp(jrarily oblivious to the inevit-
able issue of a schemo of coercion. Doubtless too, there was
about his ar-^ument what is apparent in his act, namely, tho fas-
cination of logical attraction.

Mr. Tilley Avas no advocate of half, inconsetpiential measures.
Ilis purpose was, not only to affix tho seal of rarliamentary prohi-
bition on what ho believed to bo wrong, but, by legal i)ains and pen-
alties, to prevent what ho prohibited. lie succeeded : a law was
enacted, Avhicli, though scarcely creditable to tho gravity and wis-
dom of the Legislature, was un<|Ucstionably flattering to the genius
and clo(pienco of its author. Tho transaction, as a measure of
public policy, must, wo think, bo placed among tho mistakes of
statesmanship ; but, at the same time, it may fairly be accepted as
an illustration of the force and strength of personal character and
influence.

The new law, as wo have hinted, did not commend itself to tho
public conscience. It was not only objected to, but resisted ; tho
peace of the country was menaced ; whereupon the Lieutenant

.»i

HON. S. L. TILLEY.

Governor very properly determined that means should be adopted
to restore the deranged balance of society, even though the opera-
tion included a dissolution of Parliament. Mr, Tillcy and his
colleagues resigned ; and at the election -wliich immediately fol-
lowed, the former was obliged to submit to defeat. A special
session was convened. The objectionable Liquor Law was repealed,
by an almost unanimous vote ; but on other questions, parties were
so evenly divided, as to make all useful legislation impossible. A
dissolution and a new election took place in the course of the
following year, when Mr. Tilley was again returned for St. John ;
and shortly afterwards re-instated in his former oflScc in tho
Government of the Province.

Mr. Tillcy is said to possess considerable administrative talent,
as well as great Parliamentary tact. His popular as well as per-
sonal qualities are equally attractive. He wins respect alike from
supporters and opponents. He has a genuine relish for debate,
and really enjoys a face-to-faco encounter with an antagonist. He
possesses a more than ordinary share of moral courage, and is
especially apt and ready on questions of tiuance. If the Political
Union shall be brought about, — for the hope and advocacy of which
Mr. Tilley is at present excluded alike from office and from Parlia-
ment, — then it is probable his old constituency will renew its con-
fidence, and restore the late member to the place which for the
present he has lost. In the meanwhile, Mr. Tillcy carries no pusil-
lanimous heart. His faith in the future is not, Ave venture to
think, dimmed, though it may be his hope is deferred. Like a
cheerful traveller on life's highway, he will still keep in the sun-
shine, and, if need be, " sing beside the hedge !" Nor will his
consistent mind struggle unsustained by those strong sided cham-
pions, reason and conscience : for the wisdom of the Empire has
approved what tho sagacity of the Provinces projected.

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THE IIONOTJABLE

SIR LOUIS Ili^POLXTE LAFONTAINE, Bart.,

CHIEF JUSTICE OP LOV.'KU CANADA.

TiiE common point at Avliich the varying lines of cliffcrcnt lives
meet and end, is significantly solemn to all. Men may perhaps bo
forgiven if they speak and feci uncertainly on the manner in which
they would elect to approach that point. All, however, will agree
in the opinion that there can scarcely be a fitter way for a ^--ood
man to rest from life than when occupied with the duties to Avliich
that life has been devoted. Therefore it would appear especially
seemly that one like the subject of our sketch, whose time, talents,
and services Avero given to the State, should fall in harness, and
die while discharging the work of the State.

The picture of his last day of life, resembling as it did so many
previous days, may perhaps without mjach difficulty be traced anew,
for time has not yet effaced either the freshness of the public sorrow,
or the features of the personal loss.

Those who knew, or had seen. Sir Louis Lafontaine will easily
recall him to their recollection. We can, as if the reality were of
yesterday, see his commanding presence, as on the 2Gth of Feb-
luaiy, 1864, he sat in Chambers for the last time. We can note
the well-remembered muscular figure ; the imperturbable manner ;
the square Napoleonic face ; the massive brow unruffled by a
wi inkle ; the silent bearing, offspring of thought and gloom— for,
like " Great Cato," Sir Louis was " for gravity renowned." We
can, as in a mirror, observe all this.

M '

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SIR L. II. LAFOXTAINE, DART.

His brother Judges, however, -who, on that occasion, if not
for the moment associated with, were not far removed from
their official chief, will see, and will doubtless remember more.
Tliej will recollect his ajipearance somewhat suddenly changed ;
an observation incoherentlj made, and heard with difficulty ;
a paper somewhat furtively felt for and scarcely reached. They
"will furthermore remember an anxious interval of unexplained
piemonitoiy silence, followed by the hopeless paralysis of that
grand frame. They -will recall his speechless suffi;ring as they
conveyed him home ; his interval of sensibility on his arrival
there ; his anxious encpiiry for Lady Lafontainc, his Avife, and
their only son, a child of eighteen months. Perhaps they will also
remember the last cffi)rt of the cx})iring intellect, the last act of tho
closing life, for they were thoughts of love and acts of care.
They will remember how fondly the dying Baronet kissed the un-
conscious heir of his title ; how tenderly he restored him to the
arms of his mother. They may remember, too, how rajjidly clouds
and darkness gathered around his mind, and then with what sud-
denness all intelligence fell into the folds of night. Like one over-
wearied with work, or overcome by watching. Sir Louis Lafontaino
sank into insensibility, and then into death.

His was not a long life, for he expired in his fifty-sixth year;
nevertheless his name -will live, for though, says the son of Sirach,
"a good life hath but few days, a good name cndureth for ever."

The death of Sir Louis Avas universally regarded as a public loss.
Some loved, many admired, and all respected him. Thus on tho
occasion of his solemn funeral at tho great Roman Catholic Church
at Montreal, where all classes of the community were represented
in that Congregation of Mourners, though pi-ayers ascended from
many voices, and incense from many censers, they were, we believe,
attuned only to one thought, fragrant only w'ilh one gncT, thought
of him, and grief for his loss, whose silent remains lay unconsciously
on that luminous bier; deaf alike to anthem, chant, or hymn.

SIR L. II. LAFONTAINE, I3A11T.

Much "Nvas written of the decor sed Baronet, for admiration and
regret found many channels of expression. Still nothing that we
met with at the time, nothing that wo have read since, touched us
more than the following letter, and the incident it narrated. Little
did we think as we put aside the " tlower" which Mr. Ryan cast,
like loving tril)ute, on a good man's grave, that the time would
arrive when wo should, so to speak, gather it anew, wreathe it with
our own thoughts, and bid it bloom afresh.

TIIK LATK SIU L. H. LAKONTAIXH.

To the lulitof of the Montrml aa-.itle.

Sir,— Tt mn^t h^ t'lo fli'sirc! of ov(»r.v (»no wIid knew our l;ito Chief .Tiistico, Sir
Louis llypolilo Lifoutiiuo, oillior porsoniilly, or l).v rcitutilion iis ii public iiiaii,
to rou'lor lioiu:ii;o, at lliis iiionu'iit, to his siiii-'ulMr worth. As one who knew much
of him as a statcsiiiau, and not a ii1tk> as a iirivato i,'ciitl«'mui, I hiivo my desire
to cast a flower upon his ;.'ravo. Will you therefore. Sir, he ])leaso(l to };riifify
mo by roproihieiui,' in yourjourual of lo-morrow the followiu.,' brief l)ut beautiful
eulo;_'y of the character of Sir Louis, pronounced ))y the llou. liobert Haldwiu, at
a meetinii of the R'forni Association of Toronto, in January, ISH. The extract,
which I have lon^; preserveil, is taken from a report of the proceedings of the
meeting, published in the ^loutreal 'Times" of the 10th of .January, IMH; and
it is si'arcely a month since, in si)eakin^ of it to the lion. Mr. Chauveau, J
remarked, that should I survive the Chief Justice, it would be my care to call the
attention of some ^'entleman of the press to the noble tribute, so worthy both of
Ihoso ureat and jiood men.

^Ir. IJahlwin said : "And that as to his learned friend (Mr. Lafontaine), he had
found him so clear in his jjorception of n^ht, so i>rompt in the assertion of it, and
so stern in the condemnation of those arts of low and party intri.i^no to which
little minds resort to conceal their barrenness, that he (Mr. IJaldwin) declared
it a comfort to have smdi a jiiiide, a Kh»ry to have sucdi a leader, and a source
of the greatest satisfictiou to have such a friend. And he would tell the i)eople of
Upper Canada that, in his oi)iiiiou, they could not hive a man as the leader of the
irnited Reform party more attentive to their interests, more resolved on having
the Administration, as respected that .section of tho Province, conducted iu a
manner satisfactory to them."

I am, Mr. Editor, respectfully yours,

Matthew Rvax.

Montreal, February 271li, IStVi.

Turning to the personal chronicle, Ave learn that the deceased
Baronet was born at ]}ouchervillo, in 1807. In 1830 he was
returned to Parliament as member for the populous County of

Terrebonne, and in 1831 he married.

Sril L. II. LAFOXTAINK, DART.

'II
4.

Unlike liis matured cliaractcr, liia disposition in early life, It is
said, Avas conspicuous for its activity and restless ener;iy. 1'liere-
fore lie entrred ardently into the political discussions of the jieiiod,
and advocated Avitli the fervor of youtl- what he hclieved to be tlio
rights of his race. Whether at the time Mr. Lafontaine thoroughly
a;j;rced with Mr. rapineau, his reputed leader, it is not necessary in
this ])lacc to eiKpiirc. rro1)ahly there was some divergence of
oi)inioii even at that early day, for Mr. Lafontaine was constitution-
ally l)ut little inclined to follow any one's le,id. It has been stated,
too, that he resisted Mr. Paiiineau's arguments, and opposed his ad-
vice to the proceedings of his countrymen in 1837, when they were
directed towards violence. His much (pioted letter to Mr. Girouard,
to which the Government at Quebec very naturally attached serious
signiticance, was intended, it is said, rather to satirize than encourage
the illegal movements which were then on foot, and which were
unfortunately daily becoming more perilous and compromising. As
however the letter in question was not likely to receive a i)layful
intei'])retation from the Canadian authorities, Mr. Lafontaine very
wisely took sanctuary abroad, and, with that firm faith in ]»ritisli
justice which seems never to have failed him, he patiently awaited
the issue of enrpiiry. The time and the result, as he expected,
arrived, and then Mr. Lafontaine returned to Canada.

After the re-union of the Provinces, having failed, in 1841, to
secure his election for Terrebonne, Mr. Lafontaine, through the
good offices of the late Honorable Robert l]ald\vin, his fast p(jliti(!al
and [jcrsonal friend, was returned as member for one of the Ridings
of York.

Li 1842, when Sir Charles Bagot was Governor General, Mr.
Lafontaine was appointed Attorney General for Lower Canada ;
but in the year following, on a misunderstanding with Lord jMetcalfe,
he, with his colleagues, resigned. His party, which was stedfastly
attached to their sagacious leader, crossing the house with him.
Mr. Lafontaine continued in oj)position till March, 1848, when

sill L. ir. LAFONTAINK, TAUT.

luiviii;!; 1)cen cliar^eil hy the l^arl of Kl^j^in to form a luinistry, tlic
Goveniinont, for tlit.* first time (k'si^iuitod hy a doiiMe iiaiiic, and
known popnlaily as the " Lafontaine-lJahlwin" administration, -was
sworn into olficL'. The a(hninistrati(»n as thus constitntt'd, -with
certain siihonlinate eliaii;j;es, continued in power until Octoher, 18.')1,
■wlion Mr. Tiafontaine, uitli his friend ^^r. ]>aldwin, retired ahke
from l*arliament and from |)olitieal life. The former devoted himself
to his professional pursuits until IH'):], when he accejtted the ap-
pointment of Chief Jiistiee of Lower Canada, rendered vacant hy
the death of i^ir James K^tuart. f^hortly afterwards, Her Majesty
was f;;racious1y pleased to confer on him the high honor of a
Baronetcy.

As Chief Justice, and in addition to the onerous duties that attach
to the office. Sir L>uis Lafontaine presided at the sittings of the
Seigniorial Tenure Court ; hut he declined the appointment suh-
sequently ofl[ere<l to him of Member of the Commission to codify
the laws of J^ower Canada. Tiie duties of his exalted oflicc re-
quired all his attention ; and he therefore seemed to regard Avith
aversion, as if it were something to he avoided, any temptation
to Avitlidraw his thoughts from those duties.

In manner. Sir Louis was neither captivating nor conciliatory.
Like most men whoso knowledge of (iovernment was derived more
from jirivatc study than from public ol)servation, more from books
than exiierience, he was disposed to be dogmatic and dangerously
theorctieal. He spoke seldom, and then not agreeably. His voice
possessed u) flexibility of tone, and the key to which it was attuned
was harsh and guttm-al. Speech, it should be reinembered, Avith
him was not a vain possession to be used chiefly for the i)urposcs
of display, but a weapon of approved temper to be employed in
actual service. Li Parliament ho rarely spoke unless, in the true
sense, he had something to say ; neither Averc his speeches unrea-
sonably long. He possessed in a great degree the ability that most
men covet and few attain to, and fewer still practice, — the ability to

SIR L. H. LAFOXTAIXK, J'.vUT.

coiiocntriito h'ls tlioiii^lits, to reason closely, and to jtroHont Ii'h pon-
clusiouH with force ami directness, IVeo alike Irom the films Avitli
'wliioh cloudy minds conceal tlieir ar^inneiits and ;^arrul(»us ones
destroy tlieir lo;:;ic. 1'lius it chanced that Sir Tiouis always spoko
to a listonin'!; audience, and was always listened to with attention.

The |)uhlic jud;j;uient nnist, we tiiink, lor the present bo reserved
as to the particular place which Sir Louis Lalontaine is destined to
fill in the history ol' Canadian worthies ; whether, for instance, hlsJ
iianio will shino more conspicuously on the roll of our Statesmen
or on the list of our Jud;^es. Doubtless he was u purc-!nindetl
as Avell as a hi^h-minded man. All respect his unsullied name,
his ;^reat ability and his stainless life. No taint clin«^s to his
memory, for none attached to his acts. Honest in his own
transactions, he expected and required honesty in the transactioni?
of those about him. He lived simply and without ostentation, and
died comparatively poor. Without controversy, he was a ^ood man.
The enquiry is, in what respect was ho a „reat one ? Educated
politically in an atmosphere of suspicion and distrust, an)idst the
strife and tumult of opposing:; races rather than of op}»o*in;^ principles,
it is probable that Sir Louis Lafontainc's mind had very early suf-
fered contraction, and received a w arp, for the wholesome recovery
of Avhich, time and observation, and calm thought were necessary.
The period for reconsidering and revising our first impressions
comes sooner or later to us all ; and it may be for more than
our own happiness that such season should arrive when reflection
has acquired the mastery of passion, and impulse has been subdued
by reason. A truly great mind can aflbrd to be generous, and
shrinks not from confessing its errors and mistakes.

When the occasion offered, Sir Louis did not hesitate to acknow-
ledge the fallacy of his first impressions. His fear, for instance,
that the re-union of the Provinces would imperil Canadian nation-
ality, caused him at first to be the steadfast opponent of that mea-
sure. Later in life, when his connection with political affairs had

sill li. ir. LAFONTAINR, HART.

(lotorni'mcd, Sir Louis took the opjmrtiinity of |»n1»licly coiifossin^
tlio error of his curlier tli()u;.^lit, by admittiu;^ tiiat a result con-
trary to Avliat he IukI expected had actually taken place.

Aj^ain, his cherished opinions, as we may sujjpose they >vcro, as
enunciated in the Ninety-two Resolutions of the House of Assembly
of LoAVcr Canada, nuist have under^^one considerable modification
ere ho was content to accept, as a preferable substitute, Mr.
Baldwin's sim})lc project of executive resjmnsibility to the pcojile.

Sir Louis was inidoubtedly a man of iron will, as well ar. of ^^reat
force of character. His innnobility of disposition combined Avith
his power of resistance is somethin<^ to remember. Naturally
brave, he never (piailed at consecpiences, and rarely abandoned
"Nvhat he undertook to accomplish, lie did what he conceived to
bo right, and he did it too at once, and for its own sake, and without
ref;ard to remote results. The adoption of this view may, we think,
help us to interpret what seems otherwise not very clear.

Thus, Sir Louis Lafontaine's idea, initiated, however, with more
hesitancy than it has since been acted on, of rulin«5 by a double
ministry in the same Government, by a double majority in the same
Legislature, though manifestly ofjposed to the common notion of
administrative unity, possessed at all events the ftiscination as well as
the semblance of fairness, and appeared moreover at the moment to
to meet, and as some thought to overcome, an obstinate difficulty.
Nevertheless experience has, we think, demonstrated that one half of
the idea, the double majority in rarliament, has been found uneiiual
to the wear and tear of actiud service, and that its merits, whatever
they may have seemed, were theoretical and delusive. The other
condition of the idea, namely, a double niinistry in the same Govern-
ment, will probably at some future time attract more attention
than it appears as yet to have received. Based on a princij)le of
sectionalism, it may be said to contain the germ of disunion, and
to that extent must be regarded as antagonistic to the spirit, if not
to the letter, of the Constitutional Act. Moreover the student of

Sril L. ir. I.MONTATNR, HAIIT.

Kii^lisli lilstoi'v would (U'tcct, \sli;it our l*i'o\ inriiil (vvpcriciict' jilsd
coiifirm-i, nauicly. that the idea, rc^ardcil as a jiriiifiplc and hnw^
reduced to pracl'u'o, lias euc'oai'a;;fd nH'iu'tiTs of tlic hc^islaturo
to take dimiiiutivc and, a«< we thiidc, uustatcsni-iidiko views ol'tlieii*
duties and oltli^atious. Tlu^y s[K'ak of tlieniselvcs, for ('Naiii|ile,
as the d(de;j;atom of localities only, uith uu'ivly sectional resiionsihili-
tios, instead of nieniheis of one ^reat delilieratisc Imdy, i'onii;onent
jiarts of the estate of Parliament, with eonnnon iluties and eoniinon
trusts. It may tlierefoiv l»e n\:;anle(l an a fair suhjeet for specu-
lation, whether the policy of dwarfm^u; the (Jovernnjent ami the
country hy' divi<lin,i^ them, lias not ln-en i'ollowed l»y evils which,
thou^^h not apparent at the time, are the nat\u*al results of the
incipient sectionalism which that policy inau;j;urated.

Ardently attacheil to the people and traditions of his race, Sir
Louis was, nevertheless, a minister for the whole Province. The
measures he advocated were, in his opinion, for the henefit of all.
He })ossessed the eoura^^e and prinei[)le to do what he helieved to
he ri;j;ht irrespective of results ; and thus, his conscience hein.j;
satisfied, he looked to the issue with serenity and calm.

Like ^[r. IJaldwin, Sir Louis Lafontaine hecame latterly very
conservative in his 0})inious. In his earlier life he saw, or thought
he saw, that right was overljorne l>y wron;^. lie devoted himself
to the adjustment of the hulancc. Success contented him. The
visionary views of Government which had da/zled his youth, had
j)rol)ahly l)een rehuked hy his later experience, and destroyed hy
the suhlime follies which in 1S4S lunl held tliL'ir rcvid in Europe.
Utopia is still an imaginary land. The rule of virtue, alas I is not
yet. We must hlend it with force, or it will prove contemptihle.
Such a union sliould he fruitful in wisdom, the wisd'»m whicii not
only " cxaltetli the children of men," but which is the most
precious jiossession for the rulers of men.

Sir Louis Lafontaine was twice married. Firstly, to Adele,
daughter of A. Berthelot, Es*}., of Quebec, by whom however

SIR r,. II. LAFOXTAINi:, HART.

lie liJid no iMHU(\ Rccoiidly, to Jane, (liui;;1iti'r of C'liarlcs MnrriHon,
Ksi)., of IJcrtirK-r, Ity Nvliom \w had ksuu, two sons, the ]ircst'nt
]lai'onc't, and a second, who was honi sevenil >vec'k.s after the
decease of his father.

How tcndei-ly that yoini;j; child wlioni he liad seen was htved, it
wore i(Ue to eiifinire ; equally iiMe were it to attempt to ;^aujLie the
human h»ii;^in;^s that ;i;rew in the licart and mind of that in'nnd
fatlier. We may, it is tnu>, conjecture in what kind tunes of
;j;enth'ness that ;^rave man hiid liis h'arnin;L!; asiih-, and humhled
his speech to tlie capacity of his chihl ; with what un,u;ru<l;::;iii^
j.atience he watclied for the (hiwn, ami waited for the growth of
thou,^ht, and ))rol<eu words. We can iuia,^ine, too, that this dis-
cipline of ;^entleness multiplied in his own (hilly life l)ri;j;hter hopes
of a more heloved existence. The increasinif rays of l<uowle<lgo
in the openin;^ mind of his snn, from the simple piu'ity of their li.Ljht,
eonnnunicated to liis own intellect the twofold sensation of joy and
calm, — the joy and calm that helon;^ alike to time and to eternity.

AVe cannot analyze the mystery of such love, any more than we
can exa^'gerato its intensity. We recognise a divine [»riueiple
seeking mortal expression in the heart of one who was putting oft'
mortality. It was a touching lecture, who may tell its hidden
meaning? The world receding, — all things hurrying towards the
absorbing past, — the unknown assiuuing the shape of knowledge, —
the future becoming present, — the invisible drawing near. At such
a moment, earthly longings becouie elo(pient, the human heart seeks
en([uiringly for its lunnan heir, and the dying father is consoled by
the caresses of his child ! In the words of t>outhey, Ave may ex-
press for the deceased ]>aronet what Avas probably his last worldly
wish, a wish, though born of earth, was already brightened with the
hues of heaven :

To lt':iv(' bi'hiu'l a uaiiic, T trust,
That shall not perish in Iho dust !"

vvmwvfm^lWWfi''^'

4!'W".'"

JM5.'

-««fvv*,, *

IBBBI

HIS EXCELLENCY

SIR WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.,

COMMANUKU-IN-CHlEr OK TIIK F01!C'K8 IX BRITISH NOltTll AMKRRA.

The two events in recent years which most moved tlie Englif)h
mind were, witliout question, the Crimean war, and the Indiai;
mutiny ; and the two episodes in those two events which perhaps
attracted the most continuous interest, were neither dissimilar in
character nor unlike in their surroundings.

The first was the defence of Kars, under the command of Lieut.-
Gencral Sir Fenwick Williams, who held the city for the Sultan;
and the second was the defence of Lucknow by Major-General Sir
John Inglis, who held it for the Queen. Beyond these general
features of similarity, another may be mentioned, which is not without
interest to British Americans generally, and to the inhabitants of
Nova Scotia in particular, for both those distinguished officers were
born in the latter Province.

An;l a charming old Province it is said to be ! for, apart from its
social, gv^ographical, and physical attractions, Nova Scotia possesses
a history such as we delight to read, to admire, and to shudder at.
There are records of happy valleys, " favored sea slopes," peopled,
and made desolate, and peopled anew by a race, conspicuous only
for the virtues of simplicity, innocence, and faith. There are, also,
narratives of fraud, falsehood, and bloodguiltiness conceived in the
spirit in which fanaticism enacted its blue laws, and characterized
with that sort of religious zeal which a Pharisee may be sup-
posed to practice who assumes the habit of a freebooter. Honor
and justice should have wept, while humanity and reason cried
" shame."

SIR WILLIAM FKNWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.I5.

Tlic liistoiy of ancient vVcadia is alike intore.stin;^- for the
virtues and crimes it records. Thougli the narrative Iims attracted
the attention of poets, and by no means escaped tli notice of
liistorians, it nevertheless deserves to bo studied for its u^sn sake,
and apart from the metrical fascination which Longfellow has
thrown arouml it in his sorrow laden ei)ic of " Evangeline." Like
" Sweet Auburn," Acadia, the deli<^ht of other days, with its
simj>lo clet^ancc, its touching and tragic memories, its French
traditions, its old flag Avith the white lilies of the Bourbons, its
Norman, customs, and its Gallic speech, together with its soft sad
name, have all i)as3cd away.

" A liiclniid host of liifjh born l)o,L'j;;irs,
McLoiius, McKcnzics, iind 3I(tirof;ors I "

have succeeded the earlier inhabitants, and have called the conntry
" Nova Scotia," after the land of their own indomitable race.
Besides this early Scottish immigration, there is a more recent and
an equally attractive infusion of United Empire Loyalist blood, and
with it no small amount of pure Royalist princijjles. No better
examples of fine old "fossil" Tories could, it has been amusingly
represented, anywhere bo found, or in a state of higher preserva-
tion, than in the lloyal Province of Nova Scotia. " Brave old
Tories," who say what they think, and do what they say, who give
their faith to their Church, and if need be, their lives to their
Queen ; for, they stedfastly believe the one, and nobly maintain
the other. " Charming old Tories I" who relish " Sam Slick," and
devoutly believe every line of llaliburton's " rule and misrule of
the English in America." " (Jlorious old Tories I" cavahers as truly
though without the flowing locks, as were their ancestors, Avho
fought a failing cause at Naseby, or vowed vengeance at Whitehall
for the bl(»od of their murdered king. No wonder that such a 1 Pro-
vince should produce soldiers — such soldier-s as possess the endur-
ance of the Covenanter, and the dash of the Cavalier — such soldiers
as need but the opportunity to shew the (piality of their mettle, the

SIR WILLIAM FENWICK VVILLL\MS, K.C.15.

lU
()-
r-

extent as well as tlic temper of tlieir courage — sueh a soldier as
the gallant subject of o\ir sketch.

Sir Fenwick Williams was born at Annapolis Royal, the former
capital of Nova Scotia, on the 4th of December, ISOO, where, during
the administration of I lis Royal Highness the Duke of Kent, his
father, Thomas Williams, Estpiire, held several military appoint-
ments. His early education was directed by his inicle. Colonel
William Fenwick, of the Royal Engineers, who at that time Avas
constructing the fortress of Spike Island in the harbour of Cork.
Young Williams continued at a school near Cork, till 1S14, Avhen
he went to P]ngland, and in May, 181"), entered the Royal Military
Academy at Woolwich.

Owing to the great reductions of the Artillery and Engineers
that followed the peace, Mr. Williams did not join the Regiment of
Artillery till 182.'), four years after he had pas.sod his examination.

Having been stationed for a short time at Gil)raltar, he jro-
ceeded hi 1820 to the East Indies, and remained at the Island of
Ceylon for nine years and a half. During each of those years,
Mr. Williams visited the three Presidencies, and took the opportmiity '
besides of seeing a good deal of Central India. About this time
Sir Robert Wilniot llorton, the Governor, preferred the subject of
our sketch, to an appointment in the Surveyor General's depart-
ment of Ceylon, Avliere his talents were usefully em})loyed in super-
intending the erection of the public buildings in Colombo, as well as
in lac construction of the roads and bridges which approach and
surro\md that capital. In the winter of 1835-6, Mr. Williams left
India, and, visiting l\i:ypt, he saw all that was noteworthy in the
Uj)i)er and L(»\vi.'r Provinces, availing himself of the 0{)portunity of
making the ac(|uaintance of the celebrated Mahomet Ali, wlio,
combining in his character the (|ualitics of the tiger and the
fox, ferocity and cunning, Avas always kind and courteous to
Euro{)cans. Passing thence to Syria, he lingered at Constantinui le.
and the Greek Islands, from Avhence, via, Malta, Mr. Williams
sailed for England, ^vllere he rejoined his regiment at Woolwich.

SIR WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

The time was about to arrive when the advantages of Oriental
travel and experience Avcre to become apparent. The " Eastern
question " was suddenly re-opcned, Mahomet Ali asserted his
independence of the Sidtan, and political complications, as well as
confused quarrels, arose thereon between France, Russia, and
England.

In the month of October, 1840, Lord Palmcrston, who has
always been reputed to possess a special liking for the Turks, as
well as a resolute determination to maintain the integrity of the
Ottoman Empire, sent instructions to Woolwich, to select for special
service at Constantinople, an officer of Artillery whose duty it
should be to examine and report on the Turkish Arsenals, Avith a view
to render them more effective. Sir Hew Ross, the then Adjutant
General, named the subject of our sketch to his Lordship. Where-
upon Mr., now Capt., Williams, hastened, for the second time, to
Vac Tiu-kish capital, where he was at once attached to the British
Embassy as military commissioner. Thus commenced in the
" near p]ast " a career which was destined to be famous.

From that time till 1843, Capt. Williams served in the Turkish
Arsenals ; but we may observe, in passing, it was not to his ad-
vantage, nor to the advantage of the Ottoman Emi)irc, that the
sovereign for the time being was Abdul Mesjid, and not the more
resolute Sultan Mahmoud, his great reforming |)redecessor.

In December, 1848, Capt. Williams was sent as Her Majesty's
Commissioner to Erzeroum, in Upper Armenia, to meet in confer-
ence the Commissioners of Russia, Turkey, and Persia, for the
purpose of settling the vexed cpiestions of the Turco-Persian boun-
dary. That commissionership, and that conference must have
been anything but a joke. The address requisite to make a
Turk and a Persian agree, must have proved very exhausting
to Christian patience, and have been attended with weariness
alike to flesh and spirit. How many chibou(jues such phlegmatic
negociators must have smoked, it were idle to conjecture ; but

sill WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.K.

T)-)

since the period consumed for determining this boundary ex-
tended from lH4iJ to 1840, we may easily imaj^ino that tlio
Russian commissioner, as well as Captain, now Major Williams,
were beyond measure gratified when they brought the [jroeced-
ings to a satisfactory conclusion. The treaty of " ten articles"
being signed and ratified. Major Williams was instructed by
the Earl of Aberdeen to carry out practically its provisions so
far as they related to the boundary lino of the two ^lusselman
States. Officers were in like manner named by the other States,
which were parties to the boundary treaty, namely, Persia, Russia,
and Turkey.

In midwinter, in the year 1848, the four commissioners sailed
from Constantinople, and having landed at Samsoun, on the Black
Sea, they, at great personal risk, crossed Mount Taurus. Passing
through the city of Mardin, in the northern part of Mesopotamia,
they reached Mosul, the ancient Nineveh, where Major Williams,
with that relish for work which seems always to have been second
nature witli him, addressed himself to the duty of carrying out the
scientific and antiquarian excavations at that place for his friend,
Mr. Layard, who was then absent at Constantinople. Leaving that
city on rafts, suj)ported, as is customary in the East, by inflated
sheep skins and goat skins, the Commissioners reached Bagdad.
Here they purchased tents, and organized for their greater con-
venience a mule and camel carriage department. Thus eipiipped,
they proceeded to Busra, situated on the point formed by the
junction of the rivers Tigris and Eu})hrate8, and thence to the con-
tested ground at the entrance of the Persian gulf. During any
season of unavoidable delay, it was the practice of Major Williams
to turn his leisure to account, and thus while he awaited instruc-
tions from his government, he took the opportunity, not only of
visiting ancient ruins, but of observing the modern condition of
certain Asiatic tribes.

The official survey embraced the whole country from the Persian

SIR WILTJAM I'KVWICK WILIJAMS, K.C.U.

gulf to Mount Ararat, the intersecting jioint of the tlwee great
{States of liussia, Turkey, and Persia. This arduous work in-
volved daily niarehing and continuous camping, connnunicating, we
arc inclined to think, even to amateur Nomads, a sort of elironic
taste for haehelor life, since the <luty included the oldigatiou of
sleeping f(U' three years and a half under canvas with either the
pitiless hurning desert for a hed, or, hy way of variety, the cool
slo})e3 of the snowy mountains of Southern I'ersia and Kurdistan,
where the degree and <piality of the frost nnist have heen some-
thing to rememher, and, if possiMe, to avoid. Another olHce of
the commission was to en(juire into the suzerainty of every Chief
of this turbulent region ; and since many of those soldier n/nhers
commanded from ten to twenty thousand followers. Major Williams,
in addition to the duty with Avhich he was charged of olttaining
statistical information for his government, had the oi)i)ortunity of
observing as well as aeipiiring a personal influence with those
warlike tribes.

The work of the four commissioners arrived at a poetical termi-
nation, for it was finished on Mount Ararat. Having folded their
plans and packed their Instruments, they descended the mountains
of Armenia, until they found themselves once more on the borders
of the Euxine, and as if to preserve an historical analogy, on the
exact spot where the wearied and harassed army of \enophon
glimpsed and welcomed the sea with shouts of joy ! Eml)arking at
Trebizonde, they landed at Constantinoi)lc a few weeks l)erore
Prince Menschikoff arrived to conduct tiiose diplomatic discussions
which culminated in the Crimean war.

Reaction, as was natural, succeeded to this life of exj)Osure and
anxiety, and Colonel Williams became seriously ill. He therefore
obtained leave of absence, and returned to England. Thus it
chanced he was in London when the news arrived of the defeat
of the Turkish army by the Russian forces under Prince Bebantoft',
and of the former being driven under the walls of Kars. It was

SIR WIl.MAM Fl'.XWiriv WILLIAMS, K.C.ll.

cun.sidcrod to 1)0, and it was, a critical uiomcnt I An army had
been beaten, vaim>iisljcd, and driven to bay under the sha(h)W
of a fnrtrea!^. Assistance and succour were innnediately needed.
The former was sent by the (^u(!en in the person of one officer
only, to be subsofjuently reinforced by three others and a doctor.
Happily that one was Cfpial to a host; such was the assistance.
The succour, for some reason which wo cannot understand, was
not contributed at all ! Colonel Williams innnediately hurried to
the threatened cai>ital. It is true he was clothed only with indis-
tinct powers, but then he [)ossessed an imposing title, for ho was
'' The Queen's Conunissiouer." Arriving Avith his four gallant
friends, he lost no time in gathering the scattered fragments of a
beaten army, lie luiited together its separated j)arts, he iuHamed
it with his /,eal, and lired it with his courage ; and thus for a time
at least he caused the inhabitants of England and of Plurope to
breathe h<»pefully for the safety, not only of Kars, but of Asiatic
Turkey, of which it was considered to be the key.

The story of the defence, and the catastrophe of the sm-render
of Kars, are episodes in the history of warfare, without, as we arc
inclined to think, either precedent or parallel.

There is nothing in fiction more astonishing than the marvellous
facts which gave as it were a magic meaning to that little word
" Kars" ! We read that a Turkish army had been beaten, van-
(piished, and driven by a superior Russian force ; that being })ursued
to the shelter of a fortress, that army turned on its j)ursuers, and
while standing at bay, called on its allies for help. Her Majesty's
Government seemed to answer the appeal of an army on the verge
of annihilation by contril)uting to the crisis one military commis-
sioner, three officers of subordinate rank, and a medical attendant.
' It is not necessary to entpiire whether England C(^idd or could not
have done more ; but it is complimentary to the authorities to note
the wisdom they displayed in selecting the agent, and the faith
they manifested in appointing him to the work.

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(7I6)I72-4S03

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SIU WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

What Commissioner Williams was expected to accomplish, it were
idle to en(juire. As a commissioner to a foreign army, we may
suppose his duties to have been those of a non-combatant, to note
events and to report them, to continue passive and observant, with
a facile inclination to chronicle occurrences.

Commissioner Williams, however, like a brave and loyal soldier,

knew full well the great object for which the Eastern war was

undertaken. He saw before him in the discomfiture of brave troops

evidences too palpable of imbecility, and worse, of corruption in the

commanding oflScer. He saw his opportunity of restoring to vigor a

paralyzed foi ce, of preventing an army from becoming dissolved, of

preserving for some time longer the integrity of an Empire ; and, as

has been niiively observed, " Colonel Williams at once interfered,

committing thereby a breach of etiquette, but saving Asia Minor!"

Doubtless it was a bold stroke for this extraordinary Englishman to

deal, but then fortune favors the bold. The Turks were astonished,

and bhed their torpor, taking, it may be, a new view of their destiny.

They shewed moreover their willingness to obey the orders of one

who, with undefined powers and no physical force, seemed to exert

a magical influence, to do as he liked and direct as he thought fit,

irrespective of military or local authority.

" The Turkish soldiers" said Dr. Sandwith, writing at the time and on the spot,
" see him everywhere ; he is with the sentries at the menaced point ere the morning
has dawned, anon he is tasting the soldiers' soup, or examining the bread, and if
anything is wrong here, his wrath is terrible. His eyes are everywhere, and he
himself ubiquitous ; each soldier feels that he is something more than a neglected
part of a rusty machine; he knows he is cared for and encouraged, and he is
confident of bei ig well led. '

The mysteries of war, diplomacy and government became at

times so crossed and entangled, that it were idle even to attempt to

unravel them. Thus we lose ourselves in u labyrinth, when we

venture to interpret the catastrophe of Kars. We see an isolated

deserted Asiatic town ; we see it beleaguered by an army on whose

brow there rests the flush of recent victory ; we see it held and

strengthened with persistent patience, and indomitable gallantry ;

SIR WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

we note the matchless endurance of its native defenders, and think
that no troops in the world could display greater courage and
heroism, We note, too, their diminished and diminishing maga-
zines, and depleted stores. We watch with speechless interest the
calm, nnwavering courage of those heroic British oflficers, who, like
wardens for their country, Avould, in her honor, hold both keep and
fortress against all enemies from without. But we note, too, the
inroads of the enemies from within, the lean and livid shapes of
famine ; the bony fingers fashioning with fatal accuracy new bills
of mortality, or hollowing scanty graves wherein the attenuated
shadows of brave soldiers may hurry away and hide from shame
and surrender. Such intense suffering, such shrinking: stren-zth,
such glorious constancy, merited some words of commendation,
some notes of sympathy. They were looked for, listened for, and
longed for ^ith hungry expectancy, by all in that beleaguered
garrison, and especially looked for, listened for, and longed for
by the brave commander, who had written without acknowledg-
ment, no less than sixty-one public and private despatches to his
official superior at Coijstantinople. Why such energy won no
sympathy, why such courage conciliated no support, why such
heroism provoked no acknowledgment, must, we think, for the
present continue tu be regarded as a state mystery. In the
meanwhile we shall agree with Mr. D'Israeli in opinion, '' that
the man who merits success, like the man who achieves success,
deserves well of his country!" And Mouravieff, the gallant and
high-minded Russian commander, in addressing General Williams
on receiving the surrender of the fortress, is reported to have said :

" I have no wish to wreak an unworthy vengeance on a gallant and long suffer-
ing army which has covered itself with glory, and yields only to famine." " They
must be splendid troops"— he added, pointing to a lump of bread, and a handful of
roots—" who can stand to their arms in this severe climate on such food as this-
General Williams, you have made yourself a name in history; and posterity will
stand amazed at the endurance, the courage, and the discipline which this siege
has called forth in the remains of an army. Let us arrange a capitulation that
will satisfy the demands of war without outraging humanity."

8IR WILLIAM FENWIOK WILLIAMS, K.G.B.

i ; ft'

Whatever difference of opinion may have existed as to the policy
of the government with respect to the transactions at Kars, there
was none on the unsurpassed gallantry with which those transac-
tions had been conducted. Thus Lord Palmerston said, " A greater
display of courage, or ability, of perseverance under difficulties,
or of inexhaustible re^iources of mind, than was evinced by General
WilUams, never wris exhibited in the course of our military
history." Mr. Maguire said, " That gallant public servant had set
an example to the generals of the world! His was as brave a
heart as had ever beat in human bosom; and had it not been for
Lord Stratford de Redcliffe he would have been the saviour of
Kars." And with terrible force Sir Bulwer Lytton added, " The
stain of the fall of Kars will still cling to your memory as a govern-
ment, as long as history can turn to this book, for the record of a
fortitude, which in spite of your negligence and languor, still leaves
us proud of the English name." While in the House of Lords the
Earl of Derby, in language eloquent with the tones of triumph, said,
'* I would say to those gallant spirits, to Williams, to Tcasdale, to
Lake and Thompson, ' You may rest assured that this house and
the country deeply sympathize with you in your misfortunes ! and
we honor the valor and prize the fame of the brave but unsuccess-
ful defenders of Kars as not below those of the more fortunate
conquerors of SebastopoL' " " The name of Kars," continued his
Lordship, ^^ will be remembered to the immortal honor of its
defenders ! a name of everlasting triumph and distinction to the
valiant souls, who, amid all the horrors of famine, and hemmed
in on all sides by an overpowering force, again and again repulsed
their enemy, on whom they on one occasion inflicted a loss almost
exceeding the carnage of any battle of modem times, and who, in
spite of every discouragement, maintained theur high spirit, and
achieved victory after victory until finally compelled to yield not
to the overwhelming numbers of the foe, but to the still more
unconquerable force of sheer famine. If on the conqueror of

SIR WILLIAM FBNWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

Kara, and still more on its heroic defenders, the name of that
fortress reflects imperishable renown, I must say, with deep regret,
it is equally a name of eternal reproach and shame to those, be
they whom they may, by whom this devoted band was left without
support and without relief, and this important town allowed to fall
unsuccoured, and even unavenged."

And stepping back again to the House of Commons, we hear
Sir James Graham on one side, and Mr. D'Israeli on the other,
expressing the like wish " that a proposal could have been made to
vote the thanks of this House to General Williams;" but continued
the latter, " We, too, were stopped by routine, there was no pre-
cedent." " I think it would have been wise," added Mr. D'Israeli,
" if we had made a precedent. There would have been something
noble in an exile, and a prisoner receiving the homage of an ap-
plauding senate, and an admiring country." " Sir," continued Mr.
D'Israeli, " there are heroes in adversity, there are prisoners, not
to say it profanely, who lead captivity captive. We have not been
able to express those feelings, but at least we have done this, we
have not taken refuge in a shameful silence. We have had the
satisfaction of expressing our sympathy with heroic merit and with
national honor."

This debate received a suggestive comment two months later,
when Sir William Fenwick Williams, the " hero of Kars," was
entertained at a banquet by the Army and Navy Club. He spoke
in the following terms of the minister who had just been accused
by a party in the House of Commons of neglect, little less than
treasonable, towards the army at Kars :

"I have a sacred dtity to perform in bringing to your notice the constant
encouragement which I have received fW>m the Minister of State, under whom I
was particularly engaged— I mean Lord Clarendon. His despatches, when they
arrived among us, produced', as it were, a kind of electric shock which impelled us
to go on. We were not at the time a melancholy crew ; we were laughing ; we
were merry ; we were like men that would not be extinguished. We were sur-
rounded by very great difficulties, but whenever the despatches arrived, they pro"
duced a most extraordinary effect upon us. Not only were these despatches read
among us, but there were numerous private letters read ftrom that nobleman, and

SIR WILLIAM FEXWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

if we hiid not on the receipt of tlio-.n exc-rtod oiirsclvos to the utmost of our power,
and valued our lives at the worth of a straw, we should not have been worthy of
the name of Englishmen. I ean assure you that the very soldiers who served
with nie were ready to die for him."

Speaking of the transactions themselves and some of the inci-
dents they embraced, Sir Fenwick Williams added :

" I must tell you, there .its Colonel Lake— there sits the man who was contin-
ually by my side, working by day at the fortifications, and watching unceasingly
by them at night. There, too, sits Teasdale. Alas ! Thompson is no more. I
cannot present him to you, but I can assure you that they never would have lived
until the eventful day of the 2i»th of September, if I had not laid ni)on them the
iron hand of discipline. For day by day they were engaged with the enemy, and
it was only my stern word of command which preserved them up to the last day
of the struggle. Let mo also point out to my young Secretary, a youth whom I
took with me from his mother, and who proceeded step by step in his career, until
the eventful day when taking command of a battery he did, I assure you, most
essential service to our cause. I wish to associate myself with these my gallant
companions in arms, and to share with them the honor which you have bestowed
upon me. I must now tell you about the glory of the Turkish army— men who,
when I came to them, were starving, were without clothes, men without hope; but
such was their confidence in the eflbrts which I was able to make for them, that
they stood by me in the most gallant manner. No troops on earth could have
behaved 1)etter than those men ; for instance, on one occasion at the battle of the
2!»th of September, about which you have all read, they had been working all dny
and watching all night at those fortifications;— but I wish to speak to you particu-
larly about this 29th of September. They were not on this occasion an unruly
undisciplined force behind walls, but were disciplined soldiers standing behind
their entrenchments. Colonel Lake could tell you what they did, for no one
could help admiring their courage, their discipline, their file-fire, their rolling fire.
I assure you that neither the Guards of London, nor those of Paris, could have
surpassed them. From early dawn till an hour after midday, that fire continued.
The noise of a thousand drums never ceased for a moment, therefore you may
suppose what soldiers they were. "When the enemy got into those entrenchments,
which in consetiuence of the absolute necessity for protecting other points were
for the time unmanned, they were driven out again by those brave little fellows at
the point of the bayonet "

Referring to his captivity in Russia, and to the chivalrous conduct
of General Mouravieff, Sir William said :

" From the very moment that we entered his camp, although we had inflicted
very severe losses on his army, we were received with a charming frankness, and a
delight which all gentlemen feel when they receive a friend. He received us in
his camp as comrades, and from that time until the time we quitted the llussian
dominions, we were treated with the gresitest kindness. It may be said, to ue sure,
that such chivalry wa.s to be e-xpected from such high quarters ; but when I tell
you that he was equally kind and humane to the Turk, to the Turki.sh soldier, to
the suffering starving host who went out to deliver themselves up that day, then I
think . you will give a cheer for General !MouraviefF. From that moment every
arrangement which humanity could suggest, and which the most extensive Com-
missariat could execute, was carried out. They clothed and re-clothed the Turks."

SIR WILLIAM FENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

(l:^,

The Legislature struck the key note, but the Empu-e hail ahcady
caught the refrain, when it unitecl in one chorus r " praise to Jie
indoiuitable and chivalrous defender of Kars. Though the rules of
Parliament did not permit solemn thanks to be expressed, it
emphatically declared that substantial rewards should be bestowed.
A Baronetcy having previously been conferred by the Queen, under
the style and title of " Sir William Fenwick Williams of Kars," Her
Majesty was graciously pleased, by Royal Message, to recommend
that provision should be made " for securing to him a pension of
£1,000 per annum for the term of his natural I'fe." We cannot
condense the eloquent speech of Earl Granville in making the
formal motion in the House of Lords ; unfortunately, it is too long
for insertion in this place. Neither can we find space for the
speeches made by Lord Palmerston and others in the House of
Commons on the same occasion. There is, however, no exaggera-
tion in our statement Avhen we say,, that a thrill of ecstatic
satisfaction encircled the Empire, and reverberated with sympa-
thetic cadence through the Colonies, a thrill that was folt and
acknowledged in colleges of learning, in halls of justice, and in
marts of commerce. " In tower, and fort, and tented ground !"
wherever devotion is admired, courage respected, and endurance
ranked amongst the highest virtues, — no matter in what speech
praise sought a voice, to what tongue it was attuned, or in what
accents it was expressed, — no matter how diverse the men, or
dissimilar their homage, one sentiment was uppermost in the
minds of all, and that was a sentiment of pride, and gratitude that
rewards, heroically earned, had been gracefully and ungrudgingly
bestowed by the Queen and Parliament of England.

The City of London conferred on Sir Fenwick the freedom of
that ancient Corporation, accompanying the honor with the gift of
a State sword.

Nor in England alone were honors and distinctions given to
Sir William Fenwick Williams. The Sultan created him Mushir,

SIR WILLIAM FENWIOK WILLIAMS, K.O.B.

that is a Pasha of the highest rank, and conferred on him the First
class of his Order. Napoleon the Third created him Grand Officer
of the Legion of Honor, and added, as a mark of his personal
admiration, a sabre with a diamond hilt.

The Province of Nova Scotia enrolled the name of Sir Fenwick
in the ranks of her most illustrious sons, accompanying the pro-
ceeding with the following Resolution. The sword referred to, we
may add, was wrought of steel and gold obtained from the mines of

Nova Scotia :

House of Assbmblt,
Nova Scotia, Saturday, 16th February, 1856.

On motion of the Hon. Attorney (General " Resolved unanimously, That His
Excellency the Lieutenant (Governor be respectfliHy requested to expend one
hundred and fifty guineas, in the purchase of a sword to be presented to General
Williams, m a mark of the high esteem in which his character aa a man and a
soldier, and more especially his heroic courage and constancy in the defence of
Kars are held by the Legislature of his native Province, and this house will provide
for the same during its present session.

The foregoing Resolution was unanimously agreed to by the
Legislative Council on Tuesday, 19th February, such concurrence
being communicated to the House of Assembly by Mr. Haliburton.

Nor may we omit to notice, that though the enemy to whom he
surrendered, and the country against which his arms were directed,
could confer no other distinction, they nevertheless paid to their
illustrious captive the homage which bravery and success never
withhold from courage and nusfortune, — the homage of an intense
admiration. General Mouravieff showed the knightly qualities of
his soldiership in the terms of capitulation which he granted to
General Williams and his heroic army ; and the present Czar, the
Emperor Alexander, manifested the princely qualities of his mind
in graciously receiving as a friend and a guest, one who had been
sent to him as an enemy and a captive. Such records in some sort
lighten the horrors of war, and go far towards '' makmg ambition
virtue !"

The great beauty of true bravery is, that it is commonly one
of many kindred vuiues, it rarely stands alone ! Sir Fenwick

SIR WILLIAM PENWICK WILLIAMS, K.C.B.

Williams is no exception to this general rule. It would be im-
pertinent and out of place to particularize the points that sustain
the analogy. Many in Canada could, were they so inclined, fill
up the outline. Good done by stealth, not unfrequently becomes
fame, and the open hand cannot always conceal the habit of
benevolence.

Sir Fenwick will be remembered with kindliness by all. His
arrival in Canada was greeted with many welcomes, and his
departure will be followed by many regrets. The lesson of his
career, however, will not depart with him; it will remain as a
subject of study, while his example will be treasured as a pattern
for imitation. The race of glory, it should not be forgotten, is
open to every one. The prize, however, will commonly be found
in the path of duty. To-day it belongs to the boy of Annapolis,
to-morrow it may be won by a youth of Canada.

" Let us then be up and doing,

With a heart for any fate.
Still achieving, still pursuing,

Learn to labor, and to wait !"

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COLONEL

THE HONORABLE SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACHE,

AlDK-DE-CAMl' TO HKR MAJESTY.

By profession a doctor, but by taste a soldier, it is probable that
the subject of our sketch gave his mind to Esculapius, and his
heart to Mars, — "the Divinity that shapes our ends," — shapes
them in accordance with His wisdom rather than with our wish.
For it rarely happens that the dream of life corresponds to the
duty of Hfe. Our occupations seem but remotedly related to our
hopes ; and the work which in fact we are called on to perform is
by no means the Avork which in fancy we pictured for our per-
formance.

Sir E. P. Tachd is, we incline to think, no exception to what
appears to be an ordinary law. In his early youth, the inclination
of his ardent and enthusiastic mind was sufficiently evident, and is
found a congenial outlet when he offered himself as a cadet for the
profession of arms. No sooner did he " hear of battles," than he
sought " a place in the field," with " his face to the foe." His
ambition was, for it is the ambition of youth, to live in fame if not
in life, to show by his example with what chivalrous zeal a native
land may be defended, and a just government obeyed.

Thus, on the breaking out of the war in 1812, between Great
Britain and the United States, we find Etienne Pascal Tach^
following the bent of his mind, as well as the instinct of his martial
race. He willingly forsook the quiet occupations of civil life, and,
with the alacrity of youth, presented himself for active military
service. Being appointed an Ensign in the fifth battalion of In-

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACHE.

corporated Militia, he was immediately assigned to duty on the
Frontier. On his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, he was
transferred to the regiment of Canadian Chasseurs, in which
memorable corps he served with distinction in several engagements
with the enemy, for one of which, that of Chateauguay, he received
a medal.

The war, happily for the interests of the two countries, was of
short continuance. With the return of peace came the reduction
of the naval and military estabishments. Mr. Tach<^, finding his
occupation in the " wounding" art gone, betook himself with
commendable earnestness to the "healing" one. He studied
medical science with as much ardour as he had studied military
art. The result of continuous labor, success, crowned his ex-
ertions. He obtained his " M.D." degree, and settled in the
parish of St. Thomas, where he was born, and among the people
with whom he had been brought up.

The personal and local influence which a medical man acquires,
is no matter of surprise. We respect, and are grateful for, the
skill that alleviates suffering, and the knowledge that ministers to
health. It is not, therefore, much to be wondered at that the trust
and confidence which such qualities inspire should naturally find a
larger field of display. The man in whose hands we place the
issues of life may not unnaturally be entrusted with the manage-
ment of interests less vital. Therefore it happens that the
successful doctor of a county, or parish, not unfrequently becomes
the popular member of parliament. Such seems to have been the
history of Dr. Tach^*s advancement, for, at the general election in
the year 1841, he was returned to the Legislative Assembly as
member for the county of L'Islet.

Enthusiastically attached to the interests of his race, and ear-
nestly bent on asserting for it the rights which he believed it should
enjoy, it may, we think, nevertheless be presumed that Dr. Tach^
had little sympathy with those forms of amelioration which had been

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACHE.

shaped for it in the somewhat republican resolutions of the Assem-
bly of Lower Canada. For, as he religiously believes, or rather
is said to believe, there can "be no Church without a Bishop,"
so also it may be conjectured he is of opinion there should be " no
State without a King !" It was, we may reasonably suppose, alike
from principle and inclination that Dr. Tach<^ avowed himself to be
an ardent monarchist, as well as a faithful subject of the English
Crown. When the occasion oflFered, he spoke not only for himself,
but for his compatriots ; as within the walls of Parliament he
declared his firm conviction " that the last gun that would be fired
for British supremacy in America, would be fired by a French
Canadian."

The government of the day, taking advantage of his military
experience, as well as of his martial ardour, sought for and obtained
his services in a department of public duty which he was eminently
qualified to fill. He was, on the 1st of July, 1846, offered and
accepted the appointment of Deputy Adjutant General of Militia
for Lower Canada, and henceforward became known by the title, by
which he is still popularly called, of " Colonel Tach^."

Colonel Tach^ was observed to possess administrative abilities of
a very marked kind ; and it was not therefore surprising that Sir
Louis Lafontaine, on being commanded, in March, 1848, to form a
ministry, should have requested that officer to give his assistance
to the government about to be organized, by accepting the appoint-
ment of Chief Commissioner of PubUc "Works, with a seat in the
Executive Council. In complying with Sir Louis Lafontaine's
wish. Colonel Tach^ was not only obliged to vacate the post of
Deputy Adjutant General of Militia, but he was required again
to enter Parliamentary life. He neither shrank from the present
sacrifice, nor the future responsibility. He resigned an appoint-
ment that was congenial and permanent, for one that was foreign
to his taste, and uncertain in its tenure. He re-entered Parliament
by acceptmg a seat in, and thus became a life member of, the
Legislative Council.

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIB.

:!;•

In the following year, Colonel Tach<} resigned the office of Chief
Commissioner of Public Works, for the equally honorable but less
laborious one of Receiver General. This post he continued to fill
till the month of September, 1854, when, on the resignation of the
Honorable Mr. Hincks, Colonel Tachd became the leader of the
Lower Canada section of the coalition Government, popularly
known as the " MacNab-Tachd " administration. On the retire-
ment of Sir Allan MacNab in May, 1855, the Honorable John A.
Macdonald succeeded as leader of the Western section of the
Cabinet, which then became known as the " Tach^-Macdonald "
administration. At the time of these changes. Colonel Tachd
availed himself of his privilege of selecting for himself the office of
Speaker of the Legislative Council. This appointment Colonel
Tachd held till November, 1857, when he retired from the*
administration, and, as he intended and stated at the time, from
the more active duties of public life. We may add, that for
the five months previous to this date, on the resignation of the
Honorable Mr. Cauchon, in addition to his other duties. Colonel
Tachd discharged the office of Commissioner of Crown Lands. In
the same month of the following year. Her Majesty was graciously
pleased, in recognition of his great services, to confer on Colonel
Tachd the honor of Knighthood ; and in July, 1860, on the occasion
of being specially invited to Windsor Castle, Sir Etienne was, with
Sir Allan N. MacNab, appointed, not only to the honorary rank of
Colonel in the British army, but to the distinguished one of Aide-
de-Camp to the Queen. We may add, that in the latter capacity
he was attached to the suite of His Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales on his memorable tour through the British American
Provinces.

Though Sir Etienne had retired from the more r'^sponsible duties of
political life, he did not withdraw from Parliament. On the contrary,
he regularly attended the sittings of the Legislative Council, and
took an active part in the discussion of all questions of public

k . #i

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACHE.

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interest. He had neither the wish nor disposition to indulge his
mind with the luxury of " a fallow." Indeed rest would seem to
be foreign alike to his habit and his inclination. Perhaps, too, his
professional observation may have suggested that there are periods
in human history and points in human life, when mental idleness is
apt to produce mental weakness, and when a loss of intellectual
tension cannot easily be regained. He, therefore, who would avoid
this species of slow decay should not forego the discipline of work.

The occasion, moreover, arose in which Sir Etienne recognized
an appeal made to his patriotism and his feelings. Too humane to
court a state of warfare, he was too courageous to decline it, if
it were forced on him. The affair of " the Trent" stirred his
feelings to their utmost depths. In the decline of life he found
himself attracted towards the studies which had fascinated him
in its dawn. Half a century had wrought no change in him. The
youth who had answered the " bugle call" of his king, was ready
in his age to respond to the like summons of his Queen. He who
had given to the grandfather the service of a soldier, was prepared
to give to the grand daughter the counsel of a sage. Thus it was
Sir Etienne found himself again in harness, working with untiring
industry on the commission appointed to inquire into, and report on
the state and organization of the militia. Of their report, and the
Bill which followed, it is not necessary in this place to speak.

Sir Etienne, as we have had occasion to observe, is by instinct
as well as conviction, a monarchist. He has seen the Queen at
home. He has been the subject of Royal benignity as well as the
recipient of Royal honors. He has observed under circumstances
irresistibly attractive the visible embodiment of that theory of rule
which his intellect approved. He has stood in the presence of
perhaps as fair a type of human goodness as the world can show.
He has experienced the spell-like attraction of that subtle power,
which, like an influence, seems to invest the representative of
human sovereignty. Thus opinion has, through the ordeal of

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIE.

observation, passf^d onward to conviction, causing what was only
a principle of his intellect to become a passion of his heart.

Such feelings and such experiences may, we think, be regarded
as the parents of strong emotions. For example, when the nation
mourned for the early death of the Prince Consort, Sir Etienne
appeared to feel as if the shadow of the destroyer had crossed his
own threshold. And so, too^ when the nation rejoiced at the
marriage of the Prince of Wales, many may remember in what
muffled tones of sorrow the gallant Knight sought to articulate his
sympathy with the mourning Queen on an occasion which must
have been blended with bitter memories to her ; as well as his
broken joy notes for the popular young Prince and Princess, whose
futures appeared blazoned with such bright hopes. The scene and
the surroundings represented but a simple ceremoaial. Even the
painter's art could not have invested it with beauty. Still, as a
mental picture, it was very interesting in its outlines, and almost
affecting in its simplicity. The Legislative Councillors, the Peers
of the Province, assembled in more than their usual number. The
white favor which, in honor of the day, shed light on every breast,
suggested a happy present, if not an historic past. Thought, no
doubt, gathered gladness, and lingered with delight amidst the
peaceful wedding scenes of Windsor. And bright-winged fancy,
swallow-like skimming the stream of time, may, perad venture, in
brushing her feathers against recent recollections, have revived
old registers. One touch may have started an historic parallel,
and another an historic contrast. Here memory would recog-
nise peaceful similitudes between the present, and that Royal
marriage of love and worth at which the widowed Queen was
the bride. There imagination might recall strange diversities
in those angry times, when, for example, at the quiet town of
Reading, the Fourth Edward presented his fair young wife,
Elizabeth Woodville, to those faithful Knights and gentlemen who
had sworn within the realm of England to wear their stainless

, !

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIE.

" favors," and with their lives assert the supremacy of the " white
rose" of Plantagenet. Reflections foreign to the mere incidents of
the event were doubtless present to many minds, for the latter, in
their local aspects, were but trivial, and apparently of but small
account. There were a recent widowhood and a Royal marriage.
To the former had been paid the tribute of an almost universal
grief. To the latter was offered the homage of an almost universal
congratulation. Sorrow and joy, however, are near akin, and not
unfrequently wait on one another. In this fact may be found the
key of those contrary emotions which are apparently as necessary,
and certainly as are constant in their attendance at a wedding
feast, as is the clergyman himself. They were not absent from the
Legislative Council on the occasion in question. The white ribbon
and the orange blossoms, it may be, provoked their presence. And
thus it chanced that the impromptu state ceremonial, with its loyal
association of sad memories and bright hopes, suflSced to make
practiced debaters falter in their speech, and obliged a veteran
politician, like the subject of our sketch, to apologize for brevity
and incoherence. Shakespeare, the subtle alchemist of human
nature, wrote truly when he said, " There is a majesty doth hedge
a king," in respect of which all reasoning is idle. The laws of
reverence are independent of the rules of logic. Their influences
are matters of feeling, which the rationalist may resist, but which
he cannot remove.

Retirement from the more active duties of political life, was not
to be indulged by Sir Etienne. The peculiar state of parties in
Parliament made Legislation well nigh impossible. The Sandfield
MacDonald-Dorion government, then in power, to which Sir
Etienne had been opposed, appealed to him, but without success,
to alter his resolution and afford them the advantage of his
personal aid. Failing in their attempt to secure his or other
co-operation, they, in the month of February, 1864, resigned. Sir
Etienne's political allies were necessarily called on to form a

-«l«tl,.« l||IVMHfl*ll||jl^

IIOX. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACilE.

W" I

ministry, and thoy earnestly requested Sir Etienne, who had been
their chief, and who might almost bo regarded as the " Nestor "
of Canadian politicians, to undertake the task of constructing an
administration, offering to serve under his guidance. Moved by
personal, as well as patriotic considerations. Sir Etienne yielded to
his friends what he had refused to his opponents, and undertook
the duties he was invited to discharge, electing for himself the
offices of Receiver General and Minister of Militia affairs. Once
more he left his quiet home at Montmagny, to renew his connec-
tion with the strife and turmoil of political hfe. The resolve was
high-minded in itself, but it was also a graceful tribute to the
quality of friendship and the claims of friends.

As Jeremy Taylor quaintly observes, " friendship is the wine
of life, which grows better as it grows older !" The sentiment of a
Bishop was, on the present occasion, the experience of a statesman.
The appeal from which, without a twinge. Sir Etienne turned
with unconcern, wore a new shape when it was enforced by con-
siderations of feeling as well as of duty, by personal as well as by
patriotic arguments. Thus after a voluntary retirement of nearly
seven years, the gallant Knight, like an experienced pilot, found
himself once more at the helm, and required to steer the ship
of State through a very stormy sea.

Happy in the possession of that which but too frequently
deserts old age " as honor, love, obedience, troops of friends !"
Sir Etienne wore in the face of Parliament

" The marks of many years well jpent.
Of virtue, truth well tried, and wise experience."

The times, however, " seemed to be out of joint." Although
the subject of our sketch attached to his Government much of
the wisdom, the experience and the eloquence of his supporters
those qualities could not, and did not secure the ministry from
defeat. Parties in the Legislative Assembly were too evenly
balanced, and too highly excited to make rule practicable. Con-

HON. Sill ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIE.

cession appeared to bo out of tho question, and compromise had
been attempted without success. Sir Eticnno's proseuco and
counsel could not secure tho administration against an adverse
vote. On the 14th of June, 18G4, it fell before tho argument of
numbers; and there seemed to be but little hope of extricating tho
country from the embarrassing dilemma which personal rancour
and sectional entanglements had brought about. Then, however,
it was that tho old proverb appeared to receive a new verification.
Legislation seemed to have attained its lowest depth. Matters had
evidently arrived at " the worst." Tho question was, would they
mend ? The Representative Oi the Sovereign and the head of the
Provincial Government were equally anxious to discover a way of
escape from such bewildering difficulties. Would it be found, and
where ? The pause was a troubled one, and laden with anxiety.
At length, patriotism shed its torpor ; faction forgot its enmities.
The veil of passion seemed to fall, and a vision of duty appeared
to pass before the minds of men, that kind of duty which, in its
highe-at type, is commonly found to be associated with sacrifice.
The vision became a reality. Old enmities were laid aside ; now
alliances suddenly sprung up, alliances which few people expected,
but at which most people rejoiced. Thus at the season of its
greatest need, the country received the advantage of a strong and
vigorous administration, composed of members representing in tho
Legislative Assembly the majority of Upper, as well as of LoAver,
Canada votes.

It is no part of our plan to discuss questions of public policy.
Still the thoughtful observer will scarcely fail to note that by
arguments somewhat analogous, and through channels strikingly
identical, earnest and sincere men from distant rather than dis-
similar points of reflection, have arrived at the same conclusions.
The new chapter in Canadian politics illustrates an old truth in
English progress, namely, that the history of constitutional govern-
ment is, in part at least, the history of compromise and concession.

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HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIK.

The coalition of parties occasioned certain personal changes in
the Cabinet ; but the retirement of some members, and the succes-
sion of others, did not affect the position of the head of the Provincial
administration, for Sir Eticnnc Tachd continued to bo the Premier.

With the new ministerial alliance there seemed to arise a new
era in the history and politics, not only of Canada but of the
British ])ossessions in America. The statesmen of the different
Provinces thou<;ht the time propitious for making some effort to
draw more closely together the separated communities. To seek
by union and intercourse to turn to account the elements of
strength and prosperity which were supposed to be weakened and
wasted by sc})aration and estrangement. Imperial sanction was
sought for and obtained, and Provincial co-operation was solicited
and granted. The result was a conference at Quebec of Delegates
from all the Provinces, convened by authority, foi* the express
purpose of discussing the principles under which such a union
might be brought about, and the guarantees by which it should
be preserved. As the records of this convention Avill form an
important chapter in British American history, and as the subject
of our sketch was, by acclamation, elected President, we think it
well to group together the names of the Delegates, as well as the
Provinces they represented.

The Honorable Sir Etienne Pascal Tacho, President of the Conference.

DELEGATES KEPRESENTING

Canada :

The Honorable Sir E. P. Tach^,
" J. A. Macdonald,

G. E. Cartier,
A. T. Gait,
A. Campbell,
T. D'Arcy McGee,

Nova Scotia :

The Honorable Charles Tapper,

William A. Henry,
K. 13. Dickey,

The Honorable J. C. Chapnis,
" George Brown,

O. Movvat,
^\n\. McDougall,
Jas. Cockbiirn,
H. L. Langevin.

The Honorable Jonathan McCulley,
" Adams G. Archibald.

HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACAlL

Now Brunswick :

The llonorablo S. L. Tilloy,

W. II. StOCVOH,

" 1\ Mitchell,

" J. M. Johnson,

The Honorable E. Hi. Chnndlcr,
J. II. (Jrny,
" Charles Fisher.

Prince Edward Island :

Tiie llonorablo .1. ILiniilton Gray,
K. I'itlni»>r,
" N. II. Pope,

A. A. M<'Donnl(l,

The llonorablo O. Coles,

T. II. llaviland,
Edward Wlielan.

Newfoundland :

The Honorable Frederick H. T. Carter, | The Honorable Ambrose Shea.

Of the Resolutions that resulted from the Conference it is not
necessiry to say more than that they were drawn up with great
sagacity, considered with exemplary patience, and adopted with
praiseworthy unanimity ; furthermore that they bear the approv-
in2 siiinature of each member of the delegation.

At a ban(iuet given at Quebec in honor of the Delegates, and
perhaps, too, for the purpose of affording the subject of Confedera-
tion a public airing. Sir Etienne Tach<5 is reported to have con-
cluded a speech of much force and eloquence with words of rare
wisdom, words which, following "the winter of our" political
" discontent," come to us like the breath of Spring laden with the
invisible aroma of brighter days ; words of charity and concord,
of peace and good-will ; words prophetic of a time when races and
I)eoples now perilously separated shall not only approach one
another with fraternal kindliness, but shall become fused and
welded in an indissoluble and national union. Like the members
of a healthful and vigorous body, each part shall minister to the
other's strength, and be at the same time the necessary and
symmetrical portion of one complete and perfect whole. Sir
Etienne *' hoped that at no distant period a fraternal era might
be opened to us by which the cool-headed and persevering Eng-
lishman might be drawn closer to the warm-hearted and generous
Irishman, to the keen, persevering, and economical son of Cale-

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HON. SIR ETIENNE VABVAh TACIl/«.

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(Ionia, and the gny and chivalric offspring of old Gaul — each of
these contributing their (juota of the good (lualitios thoj had
inherited from their anccfitors, blended together in one grand
pcoi)le — "Acadian " or " Canadian " ho did not care which, for they
were both dear to his heart."

In addition to the offices and honors mentioned in our sketch,
that have been filled and received by Sir E. P. Tachd, wo may
mention that ho was a Director of the Grand Trunk Railway
Comi)any, as well as a member of the Board of Railway Com-
missioners. That ho is President of the Board of Public instruc-
tion for Lower Canada, and we may add, a Knight of the Roman
order of St. Gregory.

Besides possessing a great aptitude for work. Sir Etienne is a
fluent and ready speaker, and possesses moreover a most enviable
and exact knowledge of the French and English languages. Being
his native tongue, it is probable that he speaks with more facility
in the former than in the latter, but it is difficult to suppose
he can do so with more grammatical accuracy. His wish to be
understood by all, including those whoso acquaintance with the
French language is only very imperfect, as well as his natural
courtesy, incline Sir Etienne on general occasions to address the
Legislative Council in the English tongue. This practice of speaking
in an acquired language has no doubt placed much constraint on
Sir Etienne's manner of speaking, and has, we think, exerted some
influence on the style observed by him, even when he speaks in
French. The declamciory, aggressive, almost angry tones that
marked the manner of his earlier years, and to which exception
was sometimes taken, seem to have subsided into a more colloquial,
and as we think, a more effective style of address. Men of taciturn
temperament, like some of the natives of the British Islands, per-
sistently decline to be warmed by oratorical fire. They repel
torrid, and yield only to temperate, speeches. It is the
application of the old law of gentleness. Men are more easier

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HON. SIR ETIENNE PASCAL TACIIK.

attracted than impelled, more commonly moved by the hnrp of
"iEolus" than the hammer of " Thor." Sir Etienne, without
perhaps being a sliowy, is an instructive, speaker. His well-
stored mind appears to bo a treasury of epigrams and apoph-
thegms. Thcso terse sentences ho has the knack of tying into
liard serviceable knots, and directing with a precision that causes
them to stick. For it is to be observed they are remembered
and quoted too. lie is moreover fond of illustration, and takes
pleasure in conveying his thoughts through the medium of metaphor
and analogy; and these again are the more striking for being
presented in familiar forms. Thus though Sir Etienne never
dazzles, ho always instructs. His aim is to do goo{ji and to bo
useful to his country ; to servo rather than to shine ; for, like the
prophet, ho is not anxious to " kindle a fire to compass himself
about with sparks," nor does he care " to walk in tho light of
that fire and in tho sparks which ho had kindled." His aim is,
and should it be tho latest, it will at all events bo the highest of
his political life, to contribute what ho can towards the construction
of the framework of a great British American Empire ; to
bury the weaknesses and the estrangements of the past ; to take
counsel with the needs of the present ; to find comfort in the hopes
of the future ; to look beyond the haze and smoke of rival sections
and envious races to ultimate peace, ultimate safety, ultimate
strength ; and by the example of unswerving loyalty, unflinching
courage, and unwearied vigilance, to prepare the public mind for the
cordial union and consolidation of all races, classes, and creeds, in
that grand monarchical Confederation which shall some day em-
brace the British Provinces in America.

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REVEREND ALEXANDER MATHIESON, D.D.,

OF MONTREAL.

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" My eyes are dim with childish tears.

My heart is idly .stirred,
For the same sound is in mine ears,

Which in those days I heard."

As age advances, the recollections of our childhood are said to
revive ; the middle passage of life's journey over the broad track
of toil, care, and duty, becomes comparatively indistinct. Its
expanse is too great and too much obstructed by many objects, for
any single one to be fairly vie^yed. But the opening and closing
scenes of a long life, like the morning and evening twilight in the
glowing noontide of the year, draw closely together, so closely that
they almost meet and touch one another. A narrow space on the
orbit, a belt of brief midsummer night alone divides them, a belt
which is scarcely darkness, for it is suffused with the splendour
and sprinkled with the stars of Jiuie.

If human life, like time, moves in a sphere, and if three score
years and ten may, according to the conditions of the sacred allot-
ment, ordinarily complete the personal cycle, then perhaps the
words of Wordsworth, with which we have prefaced our sketch,
may not, unsuitably, occupy the place they fill. Fancy and im-
agination may befriend us, and usurp the offices of knowledge
and observation when we venture to assume with respect to the
Reverend subject of our sketch, that those reveries of his age arc
most exact in themselves, and with all their qualifying conditions,
most exquisite in their charms, which recall the scenes and revive
the memories of his youth.

REV. ALEXANDER MATHIESON, D.D.

There was in the County of Dumbartonshire, in the vale of
Levcn, on the right bank of the lovely stream of that name, a
pleasantly situated village named Ronton. The village has,
no doubt, outgrown its youthful proportions. The child, who
gathered wild flowers in the vale, or the boy who, perhaps Avith
a bent pin, fished for minnows in the brook, would probably
now fail to recognize the locality either of his pleasure or his
sport. Man has invaded the realm of nature. Industry has
multiplied her hives. The throb of the steam engine has silenced
the choir of birds. Furnace and factory have displaced the
" cotters' " dwellings; and a village which was once chiefly cele-
brated as the birth place of Smollett, is only spoken of now
because cotton yarns are bleached, and cotton fabrics are printed
there.

The lovely landscapes in his native vale of Leven no doubt
exerted great influence on the feelings and taste of Smollett, for
they are described with a hearty zest in " Humphrey Clinker."
Nor can we doubt that one like the subject of our sketch, whose
delight is to commune with nature, to study the mysterious in her
ways, and the beautiful in her works, would, had his manhood been
passed where his childhood was nurtured, have given us a sketch
not unworthy, perhaps, of being placed side by side with White's
natural history of Selborne, filled with reflections such as Sturm
might have written, and with morals such as Blair might have
preached.

In this little village of Ronton, so named by Mrs. Smollett in
honor of her daughter-in-law, Miss Renton, of Lammerton, the
Rev. Dr. Mathieson was born. True, it is nearly seventy years
since, for on the 1st of October next he will have attained the age
of three score years and ten. In the school of that village he
received the first rudiments of education. At the age of ten
years he removed to Campsie, where, at the parish school, he
prepared for College. At fourteen he matriculated, and at the

REV. ALEXANDER MATHIESON, D.D.

age of twenty ho received his A.M. degree. In the year 1823,
ho was licensed to preach the gospel, and on the 19th of October,
1826, ho was, by the Presbytery of Dumbarton, ordained to St.
Andrew's Churcii, Montreal. He sailed from England four weeks
after his ordination, and arrived at Montreal on the 24th of De-
cember, when he entered immediately on the duties of his sacred
office.

Dr. Mathicson's personal history resembles the history of many
a Scottish youth. It commences bleakly, if not amidst adversity,
at least somewhat distantly removed from fortune. His father, the
son of a farmer, in Sutherlandshire, in early youth left his native
hills, and animated with the common desire of the Scottish race to
see the world, he enlisted as a soldier. Having served his king
and country with honor and credit for upwards of twenty years, he
returned to his native land. The taste for foreign adventure
was satisfied. Another view of life rose before his mind. The
fascinations of home touched his heart, and awoke, it may be, the
slumbering chord of sympathy. The monotony of garrison duty had
become irksome to him. He looked for occupation that would help
to realize his newly-born hopes, and we may add, to maintain his
newly acquired wife, where, in the atmosphere of his own abode,
round his own humble hearthstone he might enjoy in peace the
prose of competence flavored with the poetry of love. With the
approbation of his commanding officer, he left the army, and ad-
dressed himself to the duty of acquiring a knowledge of, perhaps
the most intellectual of all trades, namely, that of a printer. Cer-
tainly it showed no inconsiderable force of character for one at his
age, and with his experiences, not only thoroughly to change his
occupations, but to acquiesce in the necessary means of doing so
by submitting to begin life anew as an apprentice. It may be that
love, that " mighty lord," had humbled him ; for, if we are not
misinformed, it was somewhere about this time he met his
"Rachel" in the attractive person of one, who, by admiring

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REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIESON, D.D.

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friends, was familiarly called "Janet Ewing," a cheerful happy
maiden, of singular worth, sagacious wisdom, and quick intelligence ;
to obtain whom as his wife, her lover, whether soldier or apprentice,
thought no toil too great, and no servitude too long. They married,
and one blessing that of length of days was pre-eminently their
portion ; for he, an Elder of the Church of Scotland, died at the
age of eighty-two, and :;he at ninety-four.

Contentment was vouchsafed, but wealth was denied to them.
Though respectable and respected in their sphere, the parents of
the subject of our sketch were comparatively poor. Young Mathie-
son was indebted to them, and perhaps to their self-denial for a
liberal education. lie was indebted to his own energy and sagacity
for turning that education to beneficial account. Certainly the
lesson which his example teaches, might be studied with advantage
by the youth of other countries than Scotland. After he had
matriculated, and when laboriously working for his University
degree at the age of sixteen only, we find him teaching an evening
school at Woodside, not far from Glasgow. The remuneration for
intellectual toil is scarcely creditable to a country where intellec-
tual culture is so highly esteemed. We have, however, reason to
believe that young Mathieson's was by no means an exceptional
case. The struggles, the hardships, and the privations of student
life, he only shared in common with many others of the student
class. The remuneration which our University man received, did
not exceed six shillings sterling a week, one third of which was
contributed by the proprietors of some adjacent cotton works, and
the remainder was assessed on the scholars. Pitiful as the sum
must seem, we incline to think that in this school of experience
Mr. Mathieson acquired what, in its immediate and remote impor-
tance, was the reverse of trifling. He acquired that in the
absence of which no man can govern others, namely, self-discipline
and self-control. Thus, while imparting intellectual, he was re
ceiving experimental, culture, and receiving it, too, in that

REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIE80N, D.D.

perplexing branch of knowledge which Pope expressed when ho

wrote —

" Tho proper study of mankind is man I"

On leaving the University, Mr. Mathieson became the resident
tutor to the family of Robert Campbell, Esq., of Rosneath. Of this
refined and ciiltivated circle, he continued to be a member for
eleven years ; and though it is somewhat anticipating the incidents
of our narrative, we may mention that the friendship commenced
then is preserved to this day. The aflFection which not unfrequently
subsists between tutor and pupils did not expire with the departure
of the former from Rosneath. The teacher became a minister,
and the boys grew to be men, but though the old connection had
ceased, the old influence remained. The difference being that
whereas the minister was formerly a member of his pupils' family,
now some of those pupils have become members of his Church.

His first publication is an occasion to be noted by an author, but
the circumstances which gave rise to Mr. Mathieson's earliest ap-
pearance in print, are not likely to pass away from his mind.
They are probably still remembered by some of the older inhabi-
tants of Montreal. Mr. Mathieson was sitting in the house of, and
at the time conversing with his friend, Mr. Robert Watson, the
flour inspector of Montreal, when the latter was fatally shot by an
assassin through the window. Mr. Watson survived only until the
following evening. The the author of the crime has never been dis-
covered. Under such circumstances, with feelings overwrought,
and highly excited, Mr. Mathieson preached a sermon that touched
on the event, for the deceased gentleman was a member of St.
Andrew's Church, as well as his personal friend. The sermon was
published at the request of the congregation, but it is noteworthy,
chiefly as the first literary milestone in Mr. Mathieson's career.
Till then he had never seen himself in type.

Mr. Mathieson took an active part in asserting what he believed
to be the rights of the Church of Scotland to an equal share with

REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIESON, D.D.

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the Anglican Church, of the Clergy Reserves. The result of the
agitation has passed into history, and it wore idle, oven if it wore
wise, or our space permitted, to discuss the question anew. Those
who resisted what they regarded as spoliation, and those also among
whom the spoils were divided, alike glory in the parts they took.
The heat of controversy has passed away, but the conscfpiences
remain. It is probable, with respect to some of us, having seen
the end of strife, had wo to live our lives again, wo should
hesitate to repeat the proceedings of the past. The divergence
between the religious objects for which the Clergy Reserve appro-
priations were made, and the secular uses to which they have been
applied should, we think, make men very thoughtful. " Had an
enemy done this" it might have been borne, but the woinid was
inflicted in the '• house of her friends," and the Reformed Church
still reels under the blow that was struck by Protestants. I'erhapa
some future Sir Henry Spelman may discover in the history of
those lands, materials for a new chapter on Sacrilege ; but it will
certainly perplex another Dean Trench in a new treatise on " the
study of words " to trace, in the mutation of terms, the way in
which the phrase " Protestant Clergy " lapsed from its original
personal meaning, and within a period of seventy years only, was
for practical i)urposes, considered to be synonymous with, " roads
and bridges," or " court houses and gaols."

Being present at the University of Glasgow in the year 1837,
on the day on which the Duke of Montrose was installed as Chan-
cellor, Mr. Mathieson, without previous intimation, had the honor
of hearing his name announced among the na.i.es of those on whom
the D.D. degree had been conferred. It is well that no permission
had been sought for, for it is more than probable Dr. Mathicson's
innate modesty of character would have inclined him to shrink
from accepting such a well deserved honor.

After his return to Canada, in the very year in which the Clergy
Reserve question was settled by the Act of 1840, the subject of

REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIESON, D.D.

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our sketch appeared to think ho might give l»is min<l a holidiiy and
his heart an indulgence. The first was absolved from further Htrifo,
and the second was relieved of further solitude. The festival of
ecclesiastical peace was followed by a festival of personal happi-
ness. Having successfully secured certain benefits for his church,
ho fairly thought himself entitled to certain blcH8inj:;s for himself.
On this supposed conviction ho acted, for in the yrar wo have
named he married Catherine, the daughter of John ^Iiickon/ie, Esq.,
of Montreal. Unhappily for him, she died in 1850. Of her excel-
lence and his grief we will not permit ourselves to si»e!ik ; nor is
it necessary, for neither are forgotten.

A sketch of the history and progress of the Scotch Church since
Dr. Mathicson's arrival in Montreal, would be very interesting, but
it must be sought for elsewhere than in these pages. Stifficc it to
say that in 1826 there were three Scottish Churches in Lower
Canada, and five in the Upper Province, and that two of these were
not supplied with ministers. As an instance of the tolcnnit ieelings
of the Clergy of the Roman Cathohc Church at Montreal, it may
be mentioned that during the period occupied in the erection of the
first Presbyterian place of worship in that city, the congregation
were accommodated in the Church of the " Kecollcts," Avhose
ministers, however, not only declined to receive any money equiva-
lent for the use of their building, but expressed sincere regret when
the arrangement was terminated. Such was the lil)erality of
sentiment and generosity of feeling that characterized the French
Canadian Clergy in those early days.

Dr. Mathieson was a member of the first Presbyterian Synod in
1831. He was chosen Moderator, fii*stly in 1832, and again in
1800, the latter being the year His Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales visited the British American possessions. As Moderator, and
being also the senior Minister of the Church of Scotland in Canada,
it devolved on him to read and to present the congratulatory address
of the Synod of the Scotch Church to His Royal Highness. Some

REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIESON, O.D.

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uiistako occurred which touched the Doctor on a very tender point.
The address of tlio Anglican Cliurch had been formally presented,
and graciously received. The address of the Scottish Church the
authorities had arranged should bo received in a less marked
and imposing manner. Now the worthy Doctor is, wo believe, a
" Church and State " man, a loyalist by instinct, and a royalist by
conviction; none who know him would, wo venture to think, question
either his religious or his political faith. It was therefore intolera-
ble to him that the cherished Church of his country should seem to
suffer in status, and by comparison, appear to be dwarfed, if not
abased, in the presence of her more august Anglican sister, and
worse still, that she should be made to consort with inconstant
company, and be rated as of no more account than the various
denominations of epljemeral nouconformists, which had grown up
about her. This seemed to him to be the position she would bo made
to occupy, if ho consented to present the address of the Synod in
any other than the formal way in which the Metropolitan of the
Anglican Church had been allowed to present the address of that
))ody. Flesh and blood could not stand such a seeming slight,
such a real distinction. None doubted the reverential loyalty of
the true-hearted Doctor. Church and Prince were dearer to him
than his life. For either, if called on so to do, he would willingly
" lay him down and die." It was a trying struggle to a man so
conscientious. ^Vith love of his Church in one scale, and loyalty
to his Prince in the other, duty for a moment seemed to be in
suspense, but only for a moment. Doubt succumbed to determina-
tion. The scales had vil.tj'ted, but the one laden with his higher
love shewed its controlling weight, for the Doctor resolutely de-
termined not to present the address. He would not slight his
Church to win the smiles of his Prince ; nor was it necessary.
The Prince was highly amused at the uncourtly exhibition, and
we have little doubt as highly esteemed the conscientious man.
The contretemps obliged the Doctor to make a trip to Kingston,

REV. ALEXANDER MATIIIE80N, D.D.

whero, on board tho stoamor of that iiamo, ho had the honor of
presenting tho address in duo form.

In 18G0, a movement was mado in tho Scottish body to ro-unito
all tho seccdinj; Presbyterian denominations. This union was, we
believe, to bo effected by some sort of compromise. Now conccs-
sion, whero the higher interests of his Church are concerned, is out
of tho question. Dr. Mathieson would as soon think of purchasing
immunities to sin as of securing peace at tho price of truth. As
Moderator, he preached a sermon, which was subse(iucntly pub-
lished, of great force and eloquence against tho movement. The
project failed, and it is probable tho solemn and earnest protest
had something to do with its failure.

Dr. Mathicson's life commenced in lowliness of station, but the
ladder of his ambition was for him rightly placed, when it rested
against tho Church of his fathers. Ascending step by step, adding
virtue to faith and knowledge to both, it is probable ho has meekly
carried within his heart tho good man's blessing, " a still and quiet
conscience." Tho " snows of eld " have, it is true, settled on his
head, but wo venture to think they have not yet bleached the
greenery of his heart. In thought ho is still young, and his
benevolent sympathies flow towards youth, whoso condition he
would not willingly darken with a cloud, or vex with a care. The
form of his Christian instruction is neither forbidding in its tone
nor morose in ita tendency. " Religion," as we understand his
published words, "never was designed to make our pleasures
less." It was rather intended to cleanse and not to crush those
pleasures, to elevate the duties and enjoyments of our daily life,
and make them meet for a higher service.

" Thou fair Religion wast designed.

Duteous daughter of the skies,
To warm and cheer the human mind,

And make men happy, good, and wise ;
To point where sits in love arrayed

Attendant to each suppliant call,
The God of universal aid.

The God and Father of us all !"

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REV. ALEXANDER MATHIESON, D.D.

We should bo inclined to think that in addition to his natural
benevolence of character, Dr. Mathieson possesses what phrenolo-
gists »vould call a largely developed organ of " reverence." For
example, his public prayers which as is usual in the Church of
Scotland, are extemporaneously delivered, would not truly repre-
sent his private thoughts if he failed with heart and voice to
supplicate the " God supreme " to " bless and protect our Sove-
reign Lady Queen Victoria." His old faith and heritage in
" Fatherland " are inseparably associated with loyalty, and we
think we may add with that type of it which is expressed by the
words " divine right." Indeed, had the subject of our sketch
been born a century earlier than he was, we incline to the
opinion that he would have indulged a minstrel's sympathy for
proscribed minstrelsy, and on the hills and among the heather,
in the glens and beside the " lochs " of his native land, his voice
would have swelled the refrain, and added emphasis to the for-
bidden chorus —

" For Ch.arlie is mj' darling.
The bold Chevalier."

Unfortunately, Dr. Mathieson has given his thoughts almost wholly

to his Church and congregation. It is only now and then the outside

public is permitted to glimpse the style and manner of his teaching.

Of the few discourses we have had the opportunity to read, none

have touched us more than the one from the Prophet's words, " We

do all fade as a leaf." Fancy and truth, the antiquary and the

divine, the poet and the philosopher, meet and teach together.

Thus the solemn facts of revealed religion are presented to the

mind wreathed with the loveliness, and enforced by the analogies

of nature. The preacher

" Find.s tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in everything "

On such occasions however, the beckoning memories of the
past 8eem to call his thoughts to early days and early scenes.
Passing by monuments and headstones, some newly placed,

REV. ALEXANDER MATHIE80N, D.D.

others mossy gray ; passing by the men of the present day, men
of the past generation, his saintly musings wait not and rest
not, until they can linger, it may be, with fair-haired boys
riotous in their mirth, his playfellows then, many of whom have
long since crossed life's stream, taking, perhaps, the " tide at
the shallows." These beckoning memories recall the unfor-
gotten vale of Leven, fancy clad, bright with the glow of
morning, and the glory of youth. The waiting future reveals
another valley, dark and lonely, cold as death, and silent as the
grave, the preacher's caution, and frail man's dread. Age thus
approaches the winter of life ; the air is flavored with its frosts ;
the wind moans unkindly ; the fading foliage puts off its painted
beauty, and with icy crispness rustles to its fall. The wish arises,
and lingers reverently beside the subject of our sketch, that the
leaves symbolic of good men's lives might not forsake the parent
tree — the world, alas ! cannot spare them. May the Divine
Benignity forgive the words; but to us, purblind mortals, it
seems that earth, more than heaven, needs such lives.

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THE IIONOKABLK

JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

" Scratch a Russian," so runs the proverb, " and you will find a
Tartar." The European enamel only conceals the Asiatic sub-
stance. So with the subject of our sketch, though a Canadian by
birth, by parentage and by choice ; still, were we to glimpse his
inner life,* to remove the maple veneer, in other words, to " scratch"
him, we should probably discover that the Hon. John Sandfield
Macdonald, though nominally a Canadian, is really a Highlander,
with all the characteristic attachments, and with some of the char-
acteristic weaknesses that are said to distinguish the inha^-'^ants of
those sea-girt shores who acknowledge for their chieftain " the
Lord of the Isles."

Mr. Macdonald has the birth-right, which on appropriate fes-
tivals, he becomingly exercises, of wearing the maple leaf on his
breast, of singing his national songs to Canadian airs, and of
expressing national hopes of a future for his countiy which shall
inseparably be associated with the Canadian race. Still should you
even, amid such exciting pleasures, venture to " scratch" him, you
may perchance learn to your cost that the guardian thistle
flourishes at the root of the umbrageous maple, and that the thorn
of the former can, without difficulty, penetrate the crust of the
latter. Three generations of descent, and a century of absence,
have not sufficed to exorcise the spirit of the Highlander. The
Scot controls the Canadian ; and the hereditary character of that
noble race will, on compulsion and with dangerous emphasis, express
itself in the menacing words : " Nemo me imvune lacessUy

'il!

If;.

:.;^-i-

1^- is£,l
; • .1 ■

■

HON. JOHN SANDPIELD WACDONALD.

The truth is, certain qualities which arc said to he clannish, have
become grafted on, and are, we think, inseparable from, Mr. Mac-
donald's habit of thought. A friendship or an enmity, for example,
a service or a slight, an attraction or an aversion, are nursed with
green-house care, and if need be, set out and left to grow until they
become sturdy enough for use. Thus, should the occasion arise,
they will, in all probability, be turned to account with Highland
exactness. Social and political, like economical and financial bal-
ance sheets, must be audited according to the hereditary law by
which the descendants of " Siol Cuinn" are said to adjust their
rights and their wrongs. This moral peculiarity will, we think,
receive some illustration in the course of our remarks.

Noteworthy in his youth for the independent and self-reliant
character which has marked his career, Mr. Macdonald, at a very
early age, determined to shape 'lis own course in life. Possessing
few only of those adventitious aids that wait on the spoiled chil-
dren of fortune, Mr. Macdonald must have observed vigilantly and
labored steadily ere he mastered the social and political position
which he has so long enjoyed. In his very tender age, he had the
misfortune to lose his mother by death ; and the plan of life which
had been proposed to him by his father was, we believe, unsuited
alike to his tastes and his aspirations. The laws of self-culture and
self-reliance receive in his history a new illustration ; for there are
few personal narratives in the annals of our Canadian careers that
afford more instructive lessons than that which is supplied by the
subject of our sketch.

In the year 1832, having followed various occupations, and at a
period of life when the duties of school instruction are conmouly
finished, Mr. Macdonald determined to address himself to the serious
business of acquiring a liberal and exact education. With this
object in view, he entered the Grammar School at Cornwall, then
under the able direction of Dr. Urquhart. His fellow pupils may
remember with what zeal he addressed himself to his duties, as well

,mm

HON. JOHN 8ANDFIELD MACDONALD.

as the success that attended his industry ; for at the examination
which took place two years afterwards, he was declared to be " dux "
of the school. Flushed, it may be, "ith the sense of academical
success, and having determined to qualify himself for the practice
of the law, Mr. Macdonald, in the year 1835, was presented as a
candidate ; and, after due examination, was entered on the rolls of
the Learned Society of Osgoode Hall, as a Student at Law. Later
in that year, he was articled to Mr. McLean, the present Chief
Justice of the Court of Appeals for Upper Canada, who was then
a practising barrister at Cornwall. On that gentleman's elevation
to the Bench, Mr. Macdonald entered the office of Mr. Draper, at
Toronto, with whom he continued until the year 1840, when, his
term of legal study being finished, he was called to the Bar.

Mr. Macdonald commenced his career in the town of Cornwall,
where, by steady perseverance, he succeeded in establishing a large
and very lucrative practice. His personal and political have grown
side by side with his local and professional influences. Indeed the
opinion may be expressed, that no public man in Canada has more
attached friends and neighbours than the subject of our sketch.
Being, so to speak, by birth the property of that section of
Canada, he has by choice accumulated his possessions there. The
people and the properties, his friends and his estates, have grown
together. The laws of political and social reciprocity have been car-
ried out. He has been true to the locality and the locality has been
trae to him. On his part it may be said, he has never " changed,
or sought to change, his place;" and on the part of his neighbours
it may be remarked, that they have never changed, or sought to
change, their representative.

Mr. Macdonald had scarcely been admitted to the Bar when he
was invited to represent the county of Glengarry in Parliament.
The request was complimentary to his character and reputation,
for since the loyal men of that section commonly choose to be
represented by one of themselves, it may fairly be considered as

i',\\

i«l

tlON. JOUN SANDFIELD MAODONALD.

something to bo proud of, that they passed over the names of many
an aged gentleman who was willing to servo them, for the sake of
one scarcely more than a youth who had expressed no such willing-
ness. To be sure, " the youth," like Saul of old, was head and
shoulders taller than his particular opponent; but since a man's
qualifications lor a seat in Parliament depend more on his property
possessions tlum his personal inches, more on his nets than his
height, it is fail- to assume that the question of physical longitude
exerted but a small influence on the result of the election ; though
it is difficult to conjecture, in the absence of any marked contrariety
of political opinion, why the electors of Glengarry should have in-
dulged in the ftMninine luxury of caprice ; why, in short, they were
" off with their old love," or why they were "on with the new."
No doubt their reasons for making the choice were sufficiently satis-
factory. Appa 'cntly they occasioned no twinge at the time, nor
have they since been followed by any audibly expressed scruples of
conscience. Mr. Macdonald "came, saw, and conquered;" and,
with a tendency Avhich we regard as an especial trait of his char-
acter, he has retained without difficulty the fruits of his victory.
As a member of the Assembly, he is now in point of seniority " The
Father of the House."

Doubtless tl\o Glengarry and Cornwall constituencies are
charming political properties; they need no electioneering ad-
dresses, — Mr. ]\I;icdonald has, we believe, never issued one. Such
common form3 arc neither required nor observed by the free and
independent electors of those localities. In committing their
opinions and tlioir interests to his care, they are satisfied that Mr.
Macdonald will truly represent both. Neither are they con-
cerned if his p; litical colors seem to forsake their neutral tints,
and become, for tho occasion, more determinately either " blue " or
" buflf." This sort of party playfulness, they seem to regard rather
as his affair tlmti theirs, which he must settle with his and not their
conscience, for it should not be forgotten that Mr. Macdonald has

HON. JOHN SANDFTELD MACDONALU.

been returned by tbe same county, with equal enthusiasm, no mat-
ter whether lie presented himself as a Conservative or a Reformer.
His delighted countrymen may have listened to his opinions in
Gaelic, and Mr. Macdonald may have expressed theirs in English ;
and making the usual allowance for translation, wo have little doubt
the rendering was ec^ually complimentary to both parties.

The self-reliant disposition of his youth did not forsake Mr. Mac-
donald in his public career, for no one appears to have pursued a
more independent course in Parliament. Elected in the year 1841
as the Conservative member for Glengarry, he found himself, in
alliance with his party, voting with the French Canadian Opposition,
with whom, however, the Hon. Mr. Baldwin then acted, against
the government of the day. In 1843, Mr. Macdonald thought that
unfair and illogical issues had been raised by Lord Metcalfe, in his
quarrel with his administration ; and he, therefore, determined to
vindicate the ex-ministers and their opinions, and rc-assert, on a
question of responsible government, the supremacy of Parliament,
whose rights and privileges have always been his special study and
his special care. Thus, in the elections that followed, by upholding
the principles on which the ministry resigned and vindicating the
arguments that governed their resignation, Mr. Macdonald neces-
sarily separated himself from the political friends with whom he had
tlii then acted, and became thenceforward ostensibly associated
with, though by no means an absolute member of, the Reform party.
In the month of December, 1849, on the resignation of Mr.
Blake, the subject of our sketch was appointed Solicitor General for
Upper Canada, and he thus became ministerially associated with
statesmen whom, in the persons of Mr. Lafontaine and Mr. Bald-
win, he respected and admired. That office he continued to fill
until the 11th of November, 1851. By the retirement of the two
gentlemen last named, the Honorable Mr. Hincka became Premier.
In the administration Avhich was then formed Mr. Macdonald
should, according to ordinary usage, have been preferred to the

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

office of Attorney General for Upper Canada, rendered vacant by
Mr. Baldwin's retirement. That he did not do so was, at the time,
a subject of remark. By his refusal to join the new ministry, as
well as by the appointment of the Honorable Mr. Richards as
Attorney General, it became apparent that some slight had been
shown to Mr. Macdonald ; a slight, moreover, it was conjectured,
that would bo treasured and returned on some future day, ac-
cording to that traditional Highland law which requires that a
personal wrong must be requited with a personal penalty. The
anger of tho Thistle had been aroused ; every thorn was pointed
with retribution. The maple veneer of Mr. Macdonald's actual
nationality could not repress the force of his stronger hereditary
. nature. A slight had been received. It was contrary to Celtic
tradition to tolerate a slight. Redress must be sought for, though
in obtaining it the Canadian should be obliged to assume the garb
of "Old Gaul."

The time, however, had not yet arrived. Mr. Macdonald, like
an expert sportsman, understood the value of reserving his shot, of
not firing too soon. For the loss of one office, the go iment
hoped to make amends by conferring another ; pnd so, whx... ^ arlia-
ment assembled on the 19th of August, 1852, it was resolved, on
the motion of the Honorable Mr. Hincks, that Mr. Sandfield Mac-
donald should take the Chair of the Assembly as Speaker. The
distinguished office was accepted ; but we venture to think the old
affiront was not forgotten in the new honor. In becoming Speaker
of the Commons of Canada, Mr. Macdonald did not surrender his
property in an acquired wrong,— perhaps it was gathering strength
by slumber. It would awake some day to the hurt of the ministry
which recommended, as well as to the annoyance of the governor
who sanctioned, it.

The latter piece of retribution was the first which the subject of
our sketch was permitted to enjoy. Parliament had been pro-
rogued on the 14th of June, 1853. It was not summoned to meet

HON. JOHN 8ANDFIELD MACDONALD.

again until the 13th of Juno, 1864, — tho latest day allowed by law.
The discussions on tho Address, in answer to tho Speech from the
throne, were of a very exciting description ; and, on tho division
being taken, tho ministry found themselves to be a serious minority.
An adverse vote on tho Address, in answer to the Speech from
tho throne, wo need scarcely observe, is C(iuivalcnt to a " want of
confidence vote." Tho Honorable Mr. Hincks accepted t)io issue,
but ho declined to succumb. On tho contrary, ho immediately
advised His Excellency, the Earl of Elgin, to prorogue Parliament,
with a view to its immediate dissolution. This advice His Excel-
lency was pleased to act on. Tho unlooked for proceeding on the
part of the Governor General gave rise to a very grave constitu-
tional question. Tho law provides that a session of Parliament
must be held within periods not later than twelve months of one
another ; and Parliamentary usage has established, that to consti-
tute a session one bill at least must bo passed through all its stages
by both Houses. Tho time limited by law had expired, but the
practice required by usage had not been observed. The then
Speaker, the subject of «»ur sketch, by his keen parliamentary
and constitutional knowledge, at once detected the very serious
oversight, and he determined to avail himself of the relishing op-
portunity of vindicating an important point of British constitutional
practice ; and, at the same time, of administering a grave reproof
to His Excellency the Governor General. Certainly the reprimand
was clothed in language as courteous as it was severe, as guarded
as it was well chosen. It will, wo venture to think, always be credi-
tably mentioned in tho Constitutional History of tho Province, for
it is complimentary to Mr. Macdonald as a statesman, and it was
especially complimentary to him as the Speaker of the Commons of

Canada. It runs thus :

"May it please Youb Exckli,bncy—

" It has been the immemorial custom of the Speaker of the Commons House of
ParUament, to communicate to the throne the general result of the deliberations
of the Assembly upon the principal objects which have employed the attention of

100

EON. JOHN SANDFIELT) MACDONALD.

Parliament during the period of their labors. It is not now part of my duty thus
to address Your Excellency, inasmuch as there has been no act passed or judgment
of Parliament obtained since we were honored by Your Excellency's announce-
ment of the cause of summoning the Parliament by your gracious Speech from the
throne. The passing of an act through its several stages, according to the law and
custom of Parl-ament (solemnly declared applicable to the Parlianieitary proceed-
ings of this Province, by a decision of the Legislative Assembly of 1841), is held to
be necessary to constitute a session of Parliament. This we have been unable to
accomi)lish, owing to the command which Your Excellency has laid upon us to
meet you this day for Ihe purpose of prorogation. At the same time, I feel called
upon to assure Your Exceiiency, on the part of Iler Majesty's faithful Commons,
that it is not from any want of respect to yourself, or to the august personage
whom you represent in these Provinces, that no answer has been returned by
the Legislative Assembly to your gracious Speech from the throne."

Those who were present on the occasion will not easily forget
the deep displeasure and annoyance that marked His Excellency's
countenance when listening to the Speaker's address ; nor will they
fail to remember his Lordship's motion of angry impatience when
he found himself obliged to listen to the repetition in French of the
reproof which had evidently galled him in English. Constitutional
practice was avenged by the Representative of the Commons of
Canada, and in discharging the higher duty, we may easily conjec-
ture that a special gratification was afforded to the Thistle, and
its moral, as exemplified in the character of the Honorable John
Sandfield Macdonald.

One moiety of revenge had been gratified. One of the two
stones had been slung, and with unerring precision too. The
Governor General, who had sanctioned a public slight, had to sub-
mit to a public rebuke from the person whom he had slighted.
The debc, however was only half discharged. The other half
remained as a question to be settled with the minister who had
counselled the slight. The occasion speedily arose when the adjust-
ment should take place. In less than three months Parliament
re-assembled, animated and exciting debates took place on the address
in answer to the speech. On the division being called for, it was
discovered that the government, of which Mr. Hincks was the

III:

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

101

leader, was in a minority of two. The adverse vote of Mr. Mac-
donald, added to a vote or two which he was supposed to influence,
occasioned the catastrophe, and obliged Mr. Hincks to resign.
The second stone was directed with fatal exactness. In the political
overthrow of Mr. Hincks, the difference with Mr. Macdonald was
by the latter regarded as settled. Enmity was buried, and friend-
ship and goodwill seemed to arise from the grave.

There is, however, another side to Mr. Macdonald's character.
He is as persistently cr.reful to reward a service as he is patient to
punish a slight. Later in hfe, when he became Prime Minister,
and had the opportunity, he did not fail to consider the claims of
those to whom in some way or other he may have felt himself bound
by the tie of friendship or the obligations of service. Thus regard-
less of all political considerations, and relinquishing his own right
to the office, he recommended his early friends, Mr. McLean and
Mr. Draper, to the highest situations in the gift of the Crown in
Canada: both were at his instance promoted, one to be the Presiding
Judge of the Court of Error and Appeal, and the other to be
Chief Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench for Upper Canada.

To return. In the year 1859, from various causes, but chiefly
from impaired health, Mr. Macdonald found himself to be unequal
to the representation of the large and populous county of Glengarry.
He therefore relinquished the honor in favor of his brother, the
present member, at the same time offering himself for the town and
township of Cornwall, for which places he has since then sat in
Parliament.

In 1858, on the formation of the Brown-Dorion administration,
Mr. Macdonald accepted the office of Attorney General for Upper
Canada. The ministry was short lived, but it existed long enough
to be brought face to face with difficulties which could neither be
avoided nor overcome. The disquieting perspective induced the
further discovery that there were questions of general administra-
tion and of grave importance, on which Mr. Macdonald could

■Rpi^

S ^

102

HON. JOHN 8ANDFIELD MACDONALD.

« i:'

not occupy common ground with the great Reform party of West-
ern Canada. A political divergence very speedily took place
between him and Mr. Brown, which appeared to result for the time
being, in isolating the former as a public man.

Fortunately, Mr. Macdonald docs not need the emoluments of
office ; and its honors, accompanied by the surrender of an opinion,
would be in the highest degree irksome to him. Freedom of
action and freedom of thought are equally essential to his happi-
ness. He relishes the liberty of going where he likes, and of
saying what he likes. With much respect for established usage,
he has no dis-inclination to create precedents, or, to use his own
phrase, " to make history." Tolerably careless of public opinion,
and responsible only to himself, he has never seemed anxious to make
his political sentiments square with the sentiments of any particular
political school. Thus, though an Upper Canadian by birth, and a
liberal by profession, he has always opposed the reform dogma of
representation by population. Again, though a Roman Catholic
by faith, and one of the religious minority in Upper Canada, he
has with equal earnestness set his face against separate schools.
One opinion separates him from the ruling party of the Western,
and the other from the ruling party of the Eastern, Province.

Political isolation, however, has not been altogether without com-
pensating advantages. Mr. Macdonald's moderation has attracted
both sides of the house, causing his political adhesion to be an
object of desire to both parties in Parliament. Though nominally
attached to the Reform Party, the Conservatives have, we believe,
on more than one occasion coquetvcd for his support. Nor is it
easy to determine why he should not with equal consistency give
his adhesion to either party, or accept office with one government
as well as with another.

It was, we think, in 1862, that Mr. Macdonald playfully de-
scribed himself as the Ishmacl of Parliament, for his political hand
seemed to be against every man. Practically his principles were

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

103

of a negative order. His place seemed to be not only in " the
cold shade of the opposition," but in the very twilight of that
shade ; and though power and office appeared to be far removed
from him, he was nevertheless content with his somewhat cheerless
place, and found no uncomfortable solace in caressing his isolated
opinions.

Neither attached to, nor influencing any political party, it was,
we venture to think, a matter of some surprise to Mr. Macdonald,
when, on the unlooked for defeat of the Cartier-Macdonald govern-
ment, in 1862, he received His Excellency's commands to form an
administration. The duty, though beset with the greatest difficul-
ties, was one he did not feel ab liberty to decline. Separated by
his own opinions from all the political sections, he could scarcely
look for the cordial support of any. Whether under the circum-
stances an administration could be formed irrespective of either of
the governing parties, and including recruits from both, was the
problem Mr. Macdonald was selected to solve. The attempt was
courageously made, but the temper of the Assembly would not
tolerate the experiment .Indeed, in the fevered state of the Par-
liamentary pulse, surprise was occasioned that it was attended with
even a partial success. A vote of want of confidence was taken on
the Dth of May, 1863, when the ministry found itself to be in a
minority of five. Whereupon His Excellency prorogued Parlia-
ment with a view to its immediate dissolution.

Before the elections, and for the purpose of strengthening his
position, Mr. Macdonald determined on the hazardous experiment
of reconstructing the administration. The change indeed was so
sweeping, embracing two-thirds of the Cabinet, as to be almost
equivalent to a new ministry. All the Lower Canada members
of the Cabinet retired. The neutral "purple" which those gen-
tlemen were supposed to represent, was replaced by the more
deterrainately " rouge." The gain, however, was not very ap-
parent. On the contrary, the intermediate tint at once shrank

104

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

.Mfi

■.r>»

away from the " red," and gravitated towards its stronger parent
the unadulterated " blue." Another change, too, which the recon-
struction involved was of an equally damaging description. A
Cabinet may meet Parliament without an Englishman, a Scotsman, or
a Welshman being included among its members, and the inhabitants
of those ancient kingdoms will bear the omission with equinimity and
fortitude ; but let the experiment be made to the prejudice of the
Emerald Isle, the offending minister may discover to his amazement
that Irishmen will spring to their feet. Even the "green" and
the "orange" will unite, and in the sacred name of St. Patrick
enquire " the reason why ?" The reconstructed Cabinet, unfor-
tunately for Mr. Macdonald, did not when Parliament assembled
include any member of Irish origin. The fact was at once re-
garded as a national affront, and from one end of the Province
to the other there arose something more than a mutter about
injustice to that sensitive people.

The appeal to the country did not add materially to the strength
of the government. In the session that followed in the autumn of
1863, three different votes of want of confidence were taken, when
the ministry was saved from defeat by majorities of two and three
votes only. With parties in Parliament so evenly balanced, very
little beneficial legislation could be carried on. The ministers were
almost wholly occupied in the defence of their existence. Politi-
cally it was difficult alike to die or to live. Surrender, after such
efforts to gain success, would be humiliation ; to go on in the face
of such formidable opposition was well nigh impossible. The only
remaining course was to temporize, to gain time, and if possible to
gain friends, to remove prejudice, to abate opposition, to conciliate
confidence. The task was one of almost hopeless difficulty, but it
was precisely one which Mr. Macdonald's persistency of character
prompted him to attempt.

In such straits a minister will possibly seek support from either,
or both, of two classes of Representatives ; from the member with

' y:"^^^.'.'"' .^ ~p^~' 'yiri^'^^ifr "^ --^t"

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

105

an anxious conscience, or from the member with an easy one ;
from the member who is moved by moral, or from the member
who is moved by material considerations. Different people esti-
mate their responsibilities differently. One person, for example,
regards his vote as a trust to be used for the benefit of others ;
another values it as a possession to be invested for his individual
advantage. The tender conscience of the former undoubtedly
is a troublesome quality for a minister to deal with, but the duty
may be performed with a loss only of time and patience. The
latter negotiation may involve him in transactions apparently
necessary for the country, but not quite in harmony with the canon
laws of conscience. The rule of right ought not to be a devious
one ; yet criticism is at fault, and judgment becomes hazy when
applying such rule to the functions of government ; for observation
concurs with history in desiring rather to avoid than to discuss such
stringent tests. It is not easy to draw a straight line over a jagged
and uneven surface ; and what is true in physics may, under certain
circumstances, be true in morals. Exception may be taken to the
casuistry of the sentiment, but not probably to the existence of the
difficulties, for patriotism and conscience frequently play at cross
purposes. A statesman charged with the responsibilities of power
must, as a rule, make the means by which he governs subordinate
to the end of government, and he alone must determine the trying
question whether the end will justify the means. Things evil in
themselves are often tolerated, because they secure communities or
individuals from greater evils. To save its life, a nation sheds its
blood. To save his honor, a man will sacrifice his possessions, and a
statesman, as trustee for the State submits to a public loss to secure
a public gain. The exceptionable means bear no proportion to the
unexceptionable end, and thus the moral excellence of the greater
makes us desirous of not seeing the moral worthlessness of the less.
If it be allowed that means comparatively corrupt may be used to
attain ends absolutely pure, then we reduce to a question of degree

tK'l

"^I

106

HON. JOHN SANDPIBLD MACDONALD.

the practice which Bulwer indicates, when he puts into the mouth of
Richelieu, who, to gain an ally, answers an objector by saying,
" Tush ! tell me not what I have done for him ; tell me what he
wants !"

It should not be forgotten that the more democratic a government
becomes, the more costly it becomes. As it recedes from despotism,
it rises in expense. The multiplication of rulers represents a
multiplication of cost. Freedom and political enfranchisement
being esteemed treasures, while they possess unquestionable value,
represent a serious pecuniary outiay. Public men may be censured,
and Parliaments abused, — it is the popular privilege to do both ; but
the question still remains, whether the evil is not in the system,
since its root springs from the constituencies — in other words, from
the people themselves. Government must be carried on, and the
minister of the day can only fulfil his duty by using the means and
the machinery which are placed at his disposal. This machinery
may, in its moral aspect, be of gold or of pinchbeck, of brass or
miry clay, honorable or base, still it is not of his choosing, it is
especially furnished for the public service. The people, therefore,
should, we think, take blame to themselves, rather than impute it
to their rulers, if the latter are unable, by the severe laws of virtue,
to direct instruments that are not severely virtuous. We must be
content to receive popular government with its drawbacks as well
as with its advantages.

Such reflections apply in a greater or less degree to all foims of
Constitutional or Parliamentary government, but they may be con-
sidered as more directly applicable to cases where tho ministry is
sustained by narrow majorities only. To a high-minded statesman
the position becomes in the last degree insupportable, for he may
have to choose between the abandonment of . oasures of vital im-
portance, and what may be unpleasantly tem_.i the purchase of a
vote. It appears to be one of the hard conditions of power that
mean things should be done, in order that great things should be
accomplished.

( ...

HON. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

107

For nearly two years Mr. Macdonald remained at the head of
the government, and during the whole period he had to struggle
against almost insuperable difficulties. The vote on the second
reading of the Militia Bill, by the rejection of which he succeeded
to office, was an unfortunate vote ; for while it misinterpreted the
sentiment of the Canadian Parliament, it was injurious to the
Province in the British Parliament. Again : at the time when the
sympathies of the mother country were naturally chilled towards
an administration whose existence was attributable to a vote inimical
to her interests, and hurtful to her maternity, an uncomfortable
correspondence sprung up with the sister Provinces, which seemed
to be pointed with grave misconceptions. Thus the impression
abroad was not in a high degree favorable, for the Parent State
regarded the new ministry with suspicion, and the sister Provinces
regarded it with distrust. Neither was it supported with local
enthusiasm. The condition under which it was formed, and which
occasioned the selection of Mr. Macdonald for Premier, had, it is
true, the effect of silencing all the stereotyped " cries." Mr. Mac-
donald is a Roman Catholic, and could not therefore sanction appeals
to " broad Protestant principles." He is an Upper Canadian, and
is opposed to the Roman Catholic counter cry for separate schools.
As a " Central Canadian," he resists the extreme opinions of the
Western and Eastern sections. With respect to the former, he is
opposed to representation by population ; and with respect to the latter
he is equally opposed to the principle of absolute immobility. The
old party " cries" had to be laid aside ; but since " cries" are needed
for electioneering purposes, some new ones had to be improvised.
" Administrative reform" at first seemed to find favor, and the
public servants suddenly became as it were not only t\\? spoit and
by-word of the press, but game, Avhether fair or otherwise, for the
attacks of those who arc commonly regarded as their official defenders.
In Parliament and in the public offices,* politically and socially, at
home and abroad, the administration entered on their Avork in the

108

nOX. JOHN SANDFIELD MACDONALD.

h-^t

ii I

Islnnnclitish stylo, which Mr. Macdonald had onoc dcscrihcd na liis
political condition. Another disability may bo noted. Mr. Mac-
donald's administration re[»resonted a great deal of j)olitieal,
but no administrative, experience. Whatever lessons of govern-
ment had been learned, Avere learned in opposing government,
and consecpiently Executive responsibility had formed no jjart
of the course. Unquestionably the opposition in Parliament has
suffered prejudice from having had little experience of power, and
scarcely any of direct responsibility. Mr. Macdonald was, we be-
lieve, the only member the of re-constructed government who had
held office for any considerable period, and even that office was
subordinate, for he was not a member of the Executive Council-
Under all the circumstances of the case, it seemed to be an act of
great courage on the part of the subject of our sketch, to undertake
the duty, and of great resolution to continue the struggle. The
times wore adverse and " out of joint." The members on either
side of the house were as obstinately immoveable, as they wore dis-
tressingly equal in number. Mr. Macdonald was, numerically, as
strong as his opponents. Could ho win strength from them ? he
negotiated, and failed, and then resigned.

Since that time Mr. Macdonald's position in Parliament has been
passive. He gave no opposition to the principle of Confederation,
though he may have dissented from some of the details of the scheme.
His proceedings were regulated by the patriotic and statesmanlike
desire to promote the interests of Canada. He has the consolation
of knowing that in a very critical and embarrassing period he shrank
from no labor and declined no duty, but did what he could to rule
the Province; and though neither he, nor the country generally, may
regard that period, or the transactions of that period, with unalloyed
satisftiction, still, we venture to think, Mr. Macdonald has few
personal reproaches to embarrass his conscience, and we unfeignedly
believe that no political animosity has survived his official decease.

' '"i.

fm^^fn^f^mmrr'-r^ !^Hr

^■^i" |iu '»p^rr-T-?

."^

illK

HONORABLE r.KORGE MOFFATT.

Citizens of all creeds and iiatioualities, — tlms was the occasion
described, — oF every class and condition, the ohl, tlie vigorous, and
the young, the representatives ol' three generations, attended tho
funeral of the Honorable (Jeorgc Moffatt, paid their last tribute of
respect to his person, saw the (piiet grave enclose its treasin-e, and
turned silently away to reflect, it may have been, on the history of
one, whom most men honored while living and mourned when dead,
— to whom even death had been gentle, for it seems that he, the
common ally of disease, i)ain, and anguish, Avas charged to touch
his victim kindly, and only bid him cease to live.

Mr. Moffatt was not an ordinary man ; had he been so, his death
would have provoked less sorrow, and the class of working men
who followed him in a body to his grave would not have sacrificed
a day's wages that they might attend his funeral. lie Avas
neither a public nor an official man, and yet public and official
men attended publicly and officially with their staffs on the occasion
of this interment. Like the late Sir Louis Lafontaine he was a
representative man, and like him, too, had been for many years one
of the chief exponents of the principles and opinions of a great
political party in Lower Canada. Not however that it was wholly
or even chiefly in his public character that men honored and re-
spected him. The light within his own clear breast was reflected
on those around him, and men were made to feel better l)y reason
of their contact with liim, and with the laws of honor and truth,
the governing laws of his life, that seemed to rise naturally from

110

HON. GEOR<JE MOFFATT.

:^>

, I

tlie depths of his pure conscience. No taint or stain clouded
either his political or commercial history. His policy in one case
like his ventures in the other, may not in all instances have been
ecjualiy wise, or equally successful, hut whatever their issues may
have been, whether publicly or privately advantageous, they were
at all events loyally conceived, and honestly carried out.

Mr. Moffatt was born on the 15th of August, 1787, at Sidehead
in Weredalc, in the County of Durham, England. At an early
age he arrived in Canada, making Montreal, which was then
scarcely more than a trading post, the place of his abode. At-
tracted by that sort of adventurous commerce which was one
especial feature of Canada trade, Mr. Moifatt found himself when
a young man making periodical trading trips to the " Indian
Country." After having been connected in various capacities
with difterent peoj)le, Mr. MoflHitt formed a business co-partner-
ship at Montreal, which from that period, 1811, has continued
under difterent designations and some changes of style to the
present time ; INIr. Moffatt, however, always in this country re-
taining the premier place. ALmong the earlier events of his
public life may be noticed his services to the Crown of England
as a Militia Volunteer in the war of 1812, when he accompanied
the force sent against the American General Wilkinson and was
one of the escort Avhich attended General Scott into Montreal after
that officer had been made prisoner.

In 1881 he entered political life, having been, during the admin-
istration of the Right Honorable the Earl of Aylmer, called by
Royal Mandamus to a seat in the Legislative Council of Lower
Canada.

During the disputes which occurred between the Executive
Governiiient and the House of Assembly, Mr. Moffiitt chose his
part with the British inhabitants of Lower Canada, but as wc
have reason to believe, with no rancorous feeling .c^^ainst those
who thought diflferently from himself. It is true, indeed, that

» %

' n

ipi^filliUlJJI' "liJ. .

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

Ill

■I

party strife Avas embittered not only by the ordinary considera-
tion of opposing principles, but by the more serious question of
opposing races. One race would not own a superior, the other
Avould not brook an equal ; one was sustained by popular support,
the other by Royal favor, while the body which prevented collision
and acted, if we may so express it, as a "buffer" between the
opposing forces, was the very body, the Legislative Council, to
which Mr. Moffiitt had just been appointed. On the death of
th;) Honorable John Richardson, Mr. Moffatt became his successor
as leader of the British party in that House. This particular
mark of honor and confidence was no doubt due to his high char-
acter and his spotless name, as much as to the temper and wisdom
that had marked his career.

The course of events hurried on apace. The angry discussions,
which ere long were to result in acts of anger, could not be stayed.
The Ihie of separation between the rival races became more and
more broadly marked. Dissolutions of Parliament made no chano-e
in the political character of the House of Assembly. In that body
the British party was in point of numbers wholly powerless, and, in
consequence, it sought by extraneous methods to assert an influence
which the Constitution did not confer. Hence arose in the chief
cities of the Provinces those undesirable political organizations
termed " Constitutional Associations," whose influence on public
affairs was, however, at that particular juncture determined rather
by the objects at which they aimed, than by the numbers of which
they were composed. The House of Assembly, had in the year
1835, its paid advocate, in the House of Commons, in the person of
Mr. Roebuck, at that time member for Bath. The Constitutional
Associations during a part of that period, had in like manner,
their agents and representatives in London.

The troubled incidents of the succeeding three years need not
be enlarged upon in this place. It is enough to add that the sub-
ject of our sketch never wavered in the performance of what he

I;:,
I''

i
i

' \i

112

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

, r

l':V

■I,

r ■■j-? f J

believed to be liis duty to the CVowu of England and to Canrda
as a dependency of that Crown.

In tlie autumn of 1887, and in the spring of 1838, wo find Mr.
MofFutt in England the agent and unpaid representative of the British
race in Canada, seeking for and obtaiuing official interviews on
Provincial affairs, with the Prime Minister, with the Secretary of
State for the Colonies, on the political state of the Provinces, and
communicating by correspondence and otherwise with the ]jishop
of Exeter, and others, for the purpose of securing to the Protestants
of Lower Canada permanent endowments for Colleges and Schools.

There is one incident of this period too characteristic and amus-
ing to pass without notice. Mr. JNIoffatt had been reciuested by
a distinguished Prelate of the American Episcopal Church to be the
bearer of a book to the Duke of Wellington. On presenting the
parcel at Apsley House the Duke's servant declined to receive it ;
and to the chagrin of Mr. Moftatt's messenger, and to the subse-
quent sur]iriso of that gentleman himself, the book was returned
by the person who took it. Certainly the army of scriveners,
"fellows in foolscap with ink facings," was not an admiration of
" the Duke's," who thus characterized their work in his answer to
Mr. Mofflitt's letter of expostulation.

" The Duke of "Wellington presents his compliments to Mr. MofFatt, and has
received his letter. The Duke regrets much that a Resolution which he has
been under the necessity of making, to i)revent his house becoming the depot
of all the literary trash of the country, should have given Mr. Moll'att the trouble
of writing to him."

"lie will send for the work in question to ]\Iessrs. Gillespie & Co., Could
Square. He begs to return his thanks to Mr. ^lolfatt."

In the autumn of 1838 Mr. ]\Ioftatt, was by Sir John Colbornc,
appointed to the Special Council ; and on the 4th of May following,
in obedience to the Queen's command, connnunicated by the Kight
Honorable the Marquis of Normandy, he was sworn in a member
of the Executive Council.

Mr. Moffiitt was a strenuous advocate of the act to re-iniite the

i-\

■ ■ - -T^.j^^nT'™'^- ^

iK'JJiiPWW i,wV' -'^'- ^ ."*'

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

113

Provinces of Upper and LoAvcr Canada ; and lie neither spared
time, labor, or expense in carrying out its provisions.

Mr. Mofflitt's opinion of public duty, as well as his sense of
individual conduct, concurred in ruling bis life in one charac-
teristic particular. It seemed to be observed by him as a point
of honor that a public man should never apply for personal dis-
tinctions ; worth and service might attract fovor, but they should
not seek them. As a member of the Legislative Council of Lower
Canada, and an earnest advocate of the measure for re-uniting the
Provinces, Mr. Mofflitt may fairly have supposed that his name
woidd be submitted to Iler Majesty for a seat in the Upper House
of the United Province ; whether or not he so thought, we have no
means of deciding. All we know is that he acted irrespective of
such considerations and that such action received the marked com-
mendation of that very keen observer of character, the late Lord
Sydenham. The truth is, Mr. Moftatt thought he could better
serve the country in the Lower than in the Upper House. There-
fore he sought for and ol)tained from the people among whom he
resided and who knew him best, the honor of representing them in
Parliament.

His Excellency the Governor General felt it to be due alike
to himself and to INIr. Moffatt to lose no time in stating what, as
the Queen's Representative, his hitentions had been.

GOVKUXMENT IIoUSE,

nth March, 1811.
My dear Sir,

I have just 1 'ard that you have yielded to the wishes of the meeting that was
bekl to-day, and have consented to serve in tlie Assembly as Member for Montreal,
if elected.

I believe that you are well aware that it was always my intention to propose to
J on to accept a seat in the Legislative Co(ui<'il ; and in pursuance of it, I had
ali :idy su1)nutted your name for the Queen's approval.

1 cannot, however, but greatly rejoice at your determination of to-day. In
either House your services must be most valuable to the public and the Pro-
vince; but at this juncture they will be far more so in the Assembly than in
the Council, to which there will bo always an oi)portuuity for you to retire when

you find it desirable.

1- . ,r

Believe me, my denr Sir,

Yours very sincerely,

Sydenham.

114

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

i f

i I

Mr. Moffiitt sat for Montreal till October, 1843, when on the
proposal of the Government of the day to transfer the Capital from
Kingston to that city, he felt ho had a divided duty to perform,
a duty Avhich hi? keen sagacity and his high sense of honor en-
abled him most gracefully to discharge. Mr. Mofflitt doubtless
foresaw in the act of the day the germs of those evils which have
since followed in its train, lie knew the question that Parliament
had undertaken to decide was one of prerogative, and he for one
Avould not consent to put that prerogative into commission. Ho
thought moreover to secure for the Union experiment an impartial
trial it was necessary that the Seat of Government should be fixed
in Upper Canada. Thus in what he conceived were the best
interests of the country he declined to vote for the transfer of the
Capital. As however it was a question that essentially aflFected
the material prosperity of his constituents, he declined to vote
against it. He might probably, there are many who would have
done so, have withdrawn from the division, but this was just one
of those test acts that try a man's metal, and discover whether it
has the true royal ring. Bowing to the Speaker, he left the House,
and resigned his seat in Parliament. Mr. Moffatt was no casuist,
when he saw his duty plainly marked, no consideration would cause
him to swerve one hairsbreadth from its performance. His interests
might fluctuate, but his principles were fixed, and the latter Averc
to him both a compass and a chart. It is suggestive to note
how two high-minded men understood and sympathized with one
another. Lord Metcalfe, the then Governor-General, was touched
at the homage paid by Mr. Moffatt at the shrine of public duty,
and caused his sense of it to be communicated to him. Moreover,
he sent for Mr. Moffatt to oflfer him a seat in the Legislative
Council. The proposed honor Avas highly appreciated, but grace-
fully declined.

At the subsequent election in 1844, Mr. Moflfatt was again
returned for Montreal. The single aim of his public life was to

w.w^t^r^^rwvHry^ *TT"^-r'-^!^,'^p»T^"^'-:

when on the
Capital from
' to perform,
of honor en-
itt doubtless
1 Avhich have
t Parliament
d he for one
nission. Ho

an impartial
Duld be fixed
3re the best
ansfer of the
iallj aflFocted
ined to vote
' would have
was just one
)r whether it
ft the House,
s no casuist,

Avould cause
His interests
e latter Avere
tive to note
led with one
was touched
public duty,
Moreover,
! Legislative
1, but grace-

t was again
c life was to

HON. GEORQE MOFFATT.

115

serve the conntrj. He had no personal ambition to gratify, office
had no attraction for him, he was enabled on more than one occa-
sion to decline its honors, and happily for him he did not need its
emoluments.

After the dissolution of Parliament in 1847, Mr. Moffiitt ex-
cused himself from again becoming a candidate for Legislative
honors, and it is probable that but for one event he would have
followed the inclination of his mind and have withdrawn wholly
from public life. The unhappy excitement which followed the
passing of the Rebellion Losses Bill in 1849, again had the effect,
and for the last time of calling him from retirement. It was cer-
tainly a season of uncontrollable madness, and none better than
the venerable President of the "British American League" could
have restrained a large section of the people in their acts of un-
bridled folly. Leagues and Conventions and kindred combina-
tions are as rules to be deprecated as contrivances beside the
Constitution. Still they may have their uses, and one, and that
not the least considerable, is, that they act as valves through which
the heated steam of popular fever finds a safe if not a legitimate
escape.

All the honors which the Crown, through its Representative
in Canada, could confer on one of the foremost of men of the
Province were bestowed on Mr. Moffatt. There were no hi<^hor
political, militia, or social distinctions to grant than those which he
enjoyed ; and yet it is to be observed that he did not seem to
regard them as a personal possession merely, which he was at
liberty to value or depreciate at pleasure, but rather as a trust
which he held from the Crown whose worth was not only estimable
in itself, but was worthy of being held in esteem. Therefore it
was when Lord Melbourne so far forgot his own high position
as to speak sneeringly of the Legislative Council of Lower
Canada, a body of gentlemen who held patents of precedence
and titles of distinction if not of nobility from the Sovereigns of

■t^t :

I :

^..i.

"ll^TKIT"""^!"

116

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

f....

. !

England ; Mr. MofFatt, on behalf of his order, as well as in his
own behalf, reminded the Premier that the objects of his sneer
owed their distinctions to the gracious pleasure of the Queen, the
fountain of honor ; and therefore it was with acute pain he heard
Her Majesty's Prime Minister designate these gentlemen by a
word of derision. Lord Melbourne was too high-minded a gentle-
man to withhold for one day the requisite apology which was
accompanied with expressions of regret. Later in life Mr. Moffatt
thought, as the representative of an order, he had received from a
Governor General a social slight, and, in answer to a proper repre-
sentation an explanation and apology were communicated in a note
from the Private Secretary.

It is not necessary to mention the local honors that waited on
Mr. Moffatt in the course of his residence in Montreal ; for it is
scarcely an exaggeration to say that if there were any such that
cannot be historically associated with his name ; it was because his
sense of loyalty to other obligations constrained him to forego such
favors.

We have said thi-t Mr. Moffatt was a representative man ; nor
was he so in a political sense only ; he belonged to a social type
which, we fear, in Canada is rapidly fading away ; he was one of a
class which seemed pre-eminently to rule their lives and actions by
the laws of right and duty, and by those laws alone ; he was, for
example, a loyal subject of the Queen, because, apart from senti-
ment and feeling, it was right and his duty to be so ; he was in
like manner a loyal son of the Church of England, and as such he
could not do violence to his sense of right and duty by worshipping
elsewhere than within her walls. Nevertheless, he was very char-
itable in his judgment of others. His conscientious mind caused
him to interpret very tenderly the law of conscience as illustrated
by his neighbor. He could judge no further ; it was enough for
him that such laws were illustrated in lives of consistency, honor,
and duty.

HON. GEORGE MOFFATT.

117

11 as in Ills
f his sneer
Queen, the
in ho heard
craen by a
id a gentle-
Avhich was
Mr. Moffatt
ived from a
roper repre-
ed in a note

t waited on
al ; for it is
ly such that
because his
forego such

D man ; nor
social type

^vas one of a

i actions by

he was, for

from senti-

he was in

as such he

worshipping
very char-

aind caused
iUustrated
enough for
ncy, honor,

We cannot close our sketch better than in the truthful words of
the Montreal Gazette : —

" For very many years on occasions of any public meeting being
held, at which Mr. Moffatt happened to be present, he was called
to the chair, the public instinct pointing him out as the foremost
citizen, to whom such honor naturally and of right belonged. The
last occasion of this kind which we remember, was of an informal
kind, but as it affords one trait of his character, it cannot be out of
place here to allude to it. It happened about three weeks ago ;
and as this old and revered man opened the proceedings with a
voice somewhat tremulous (plainly from the hand of time being
upon- him), he still showed how vigorous was his intellect, how
strong his love for British freedom, how strong the wish with him
that this country should continue to maintain its connection with
the dear old flag. He would consent to the Alien Act if the
Imperial Government deemed it for us a necessity, and desired
that we should pass it ; but its provisions were repugnant to his
feelings, and they excited his anger. He was anxious that the
union of the Provinces should take place, because he saw in that
the consolidation of British strength in North America, as he had
done in former years. And he found it a reproach to the man-
hood of this country, that we had given the mother country reasons
to believe that we were lukewarm in aiding in our defence."

" These were, we believe, the last political utterances of an ' old
man-eloquent,' with, as the saying is, one foot in the grave. To
us they came with a solemn and a thrilling force, although there
was to us nothing new in their tefiching. We have used the term
'eloquent' as applied to words spoken on a particular occasion.
Yet Mr. Moffatt was far from being an eloquent man in the com-
mon acceptation. Men listened to him for what he had to say, not
to have tlieir ears tickled."

" Mr. Moffatt was in his office, we believe, till six o'clock on
Friday evening, and died on Saturday morning. Towards seven

118

HON. OEORQE MOFFATT.

he felt unwell, and his physician was sent for. But his constitution
could not rally, and his spirit took its departure without a pang.
He fell asleep in death. He fell asleep at the last as those only
can do who have sustained throughout a long life that highest and
best character of either ancient or modern civilization — a Christian
Gentleman."

" He leaves behind him, as we have said, a stainless name ; and
this is one of the best heritages which a man can bequeath to his
fellows. The Romans gave their heroes ' of the corn land ; ' it is
well that we should give to our moral heroes, at the least, the meed
of public gratitude ; it is well that we should set their example on
high. It is Avell men should see that wealth got by lying and
cheating entitles the possessor to no respect; that place got by
caballing and lying away the characters of others, confers no
honor. It is well that men should see that the respect worth living
for — a respect wiiich all now pay to the memory of him who has
taken his departure from among us, after going in and coming out
among his fellows for two generations, can only be won by such
a life as he has led. The tendency of too keen competition in
America is to make men forget the simple maxims which guided
Mr. MofFatt's life ; and society, therefore, suffers. In speaking of
mercantile credit before Sir Robert Peel's Committee, Lord Over-
stone, whose authority on this point is highest, stated that ' char-
acter is the best form of security.' In as far as the whiteness of
Mr. Moffatt's name and the honor in which he is held, shall lead
our young men to walk in his footsteps, the good that his influence
will yet do when ne is laid in the dust, in this commercial com-
munity, will be beyond calculation.

" Remember all, he spoke among you,

Who never sold the truth to save the hour,
Nor paltered with Eternal God for power,"

1^^

"\VW"

■Lli^RUfVnVfill.lf^l

constitution
lOut a pang,
is those only

highest and
-a Christian

) name ; and
jueath to his
land;' it is
ist, the meed
■ example on
y lying and
)lace got by
, confers no
worth living
him who has
i coming out
won by such
)mpetition in
yhich guided
1 speaking of
, Lord Over-
l that ' char-
whiteness of
Id, shall lead
his influence
mercial com-

^■a

i >l

r .- »

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1 1

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I I

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i !

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lis

ihi

THE

HONORABLE OKORdK KTIKNNK CAUTIKtt,

ATTOUNKV-OKNKUAI. FOR LOWKIl CANADA.

TliK year 1584 sliould bo regarded hy Canadians as possessing
a more than usual share of historic interest. On tlie 20th of April
of tliat year, Jaeijucs Cartier, master mariner, hy eonnnand of
Francis the First, sailed from St. Malo on a voyage of adventure,
and, after coasting the Gulf, he entered the River 8t. Lawrence,
taking possession of the country in the name of his sovereign. On
the loth of August of the same year, Ignatius Tioyola, uith five
others, secretly assembled together in the cliureh of Montmartre
at Paris, and, after receiving the holy sacrament, they assumed
solemn vows, and became the illustrious founders and forerunners
of the famous order of Jesus, whose members have covered the
globe with the evidences of their earnest and self-denying labors.
Thus was the year 1584 the point from which may be said to
spring the civil and christian life of Canada. Jacipies Cartier
introduced the former ; the discii)les of Loyola initiated the latter.
It is true, indeed, that Cartier the courageous mariner, and Loy-
ola the Christian enthusiast, had long passed away ere their
labors began to bear fruit in the more northern parts of America.
Canada had been discovered and abandoned, and settled anew,
before Ijjuropean colonization took permanent root. Throe (puirters
of a century had Avell nigh elapsed from the discovery to the occu-
pation of the country ; for it is only at the beginning of the seven-
teenth century that we arrive at a new era in the history of the

120

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

::;!

h'"!

new Province, -wlien the soldiers of the cross and the servants of
the state worked together, the one to reclaim the moral, and the
other the physical waste of " La NoiiveUc France^'' as Canada was
then called.

One name, however, was likely to survive all the changes through
which the country was about to pass, and that name belonged to
the adventurous mariner of St. Malo. Though neglected by his
sovereign, and it may be but slightly regarded by his nation, his
name was destined to be embalmed in the history of a new world,
and to 1)0 had in honor of those Avho claimed kindred with it in the
old. The land discovered by their adventurous relative undoubt-
edly became the object of sacred admiration to his family. Though
childless himself, there were nephews of his name who had dwelt
beside the English Channel at St. Malo, or who had sniffed the
Atlantic on the southern coast of Brittany or the adjoining prov-
hicc of Normandy, to whom the sea was a spell, and " countries
beyond the sea'' an attraction and a charm. Thus it was that the
childless discoverer of Canada was destined to perpetuate his hon-
ored name by collateral channels ; and thus it is that, after the
lapse of more than three centuries, one of his name and race occu-
pies a chief place in the civilization and statesmanship of the coun-
try with which that name is associated by adventure and dipcovery.

The Honorable George Etienne C<artier, the subject of our pres-
ent sketch, is not only collaterally descended from the family of
Jaecpies Cartier, the discoverer of Canada, but he appeals also to
inherit many of the moral fpialities of his great prototype, and some
of the physical characteristics which arc said to mark the inhabi-
tants of those five north-western Departments of Erance which were
formerly included in the Dukedom of Brittany. Though rather
below than above the medium height, Mr. Cartier possesses a
singularly wiry and compact figure. There is, moreover, evident
harmony and kinship between his body and his mind. In the
former there is no superfluity of flesh, and in the latter there is no

HON. OEOROE ETIEXNE CARTIER.

121

servants of
ral, and the
Canada was

igcs through
belonged to
)cted by his
3 nation, his
I new worhl,
nth it in the
ive undoubt-
ly. Though

had dwelt
i sniffed the
oining jirov-

1 " countries
was that the
late his hon-
at, after the
d race occu-
of the coun-
\ dif'covery.
of our prea-
10 family of
poais also to
pe, and some
k the inhabi-
j which were
loiigh rather

])0ssesses a
)ver, evident
ml. In the
r there is no

superfluity of repose. His sanguine, hopeful temperament appears
to nourish, as with congenial diet, his well-knitted frame. Idleness
is as foreign to his experience as it is to his taste. Occupation is
with him enjoyment, no matter whether it springs from professional
or social, from parliamentary or scientific pursuits ; the more intel-
lectually active, the more physically relishing it seems to be.
Every phase of his character, every feature of his face, is eloquent
with activity, and appears thoroughly to sympathize Avith his habit
of irrepressil)le industry. The very hair of his head seems to be
incapable of repose. It never assumes a recumbent posture. Its
attitude is the soldierly one of attention ; and no matter whether
early or late, whether in rosy morning or in the dewy eve, in
the glowing noontide or the weary midnight, it looks as sleepless
and resolute as its owner. Mr. Cartier's eyebrows are in like
manner very expressive ; they appear to be always on the qui
vivc, as if they belonged to one Avho had determined to sec
his way through the world. They not only appear to fulfil the
common duty of aiding sight by shading the organs of vision,
but they move with such sympathetic celerity that they might
almost be suspected of possessing the sense of sight. In the mas-
sive formation of the lower part of his face may be detected the
evidence of force and determination. The physiognomist may
there see written in fiimiliar characters the qualities of strength
and tenacity, of indomitable resolution and undeniable pluck. What-
ever effect speaking may have on others, it appears to have none
on him. Having, for example, made a speech of six hours length
in Enghsh, he is quite willing, if need be, to speak six hours more
in French ; and this is the more remarkable, as he speaks not only
with his voice, but, it is scarcely an exaggeration to add, with every
feature of his animated and expressive countenance. His manner
is highly vivacious ; he gesticulates a good deal, but such motion is
chiefly confined to the active movements of his head. Ilis voice is
ahrost always pitched to a high key. It is unconscious of inflec-

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122

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

tion. His arguments win their way, not because they are clothed
in speech modulated or musical, but becr^use they possess higher
merit and are strongly put. We have said that Mr. Carticr's
speeches arc remarked for their length. This peculiarity is not
referred to as a merit. A regret, indeed, not unfrcqucntly crosses
the mind of the listener that so much that is worth remembering
should be overlaid and obscured by the weight and redundancy of
words. It is not easy to concentrate thought, neither is it easy to
concentrate speech. Still it should not be forgotten that the vigor
of the former is weakened and its edge blunted by the exuberance
and repetition of the latter. There was truth in the excuse of the
preaclier who apologized for his long sermons by stating that he
had not time to write short ones. It is probable, and for the same
reason, that our public men have not time to make short speeches.
Thought may, in its preparatory process, be compared to jelly, it
recjuircs to be concentrated and "boiled down" if we would pre-
sent it in a form bright and adhesive, clothed in the strength as
Avell as in the attraction of speech.

Observing, as we can hardly fail to do, how largely Mr. Cartier's
mind is controlled by hope, and how strongly his character is stimu-
lated by energy and sustained by courage, wo shall not be sur-
prised to find that at the outset of his political career he not only
keenly felt what he regarded as the wrongs of his race, but ear-
nestly synii»athized with that policy of amclioi-atioii and redress
which the more ardent of his countrymen at that tiuiu proposed to
adopt. Those views, though but remotely related to wisdom, were
not inconsistent with boldness and courage ; and since these (pia-
lities are especially attributable to Mr. Cartier now, it is HUiall
matter of surprise if they carried him to excess then.

The merits of Parliamentary Government need not be dis-
cussed in these pages. Still it should never be forgotten, when
referring to the disputes which were brought to an issue in
the troubled times of 18;)7-8, that " (jrovernment," " according

HON. GEOROE ETIENNE CARTIER.

123

re clothed
CSS higher
. Carticr's
irity is not
lily crosses
mcmbering
imdancy of
3 it easy to
.t the vigor
exuberance
;cusc of the
mg that he
)r the same
•t speeches,
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e, but ear-
ud redress
roposed to
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)tteii, when
II issue in
' according

to the well understood wishes of the people as expressed through
their representatives," Avas, in Lower Canada, as well as in some
of the other colonies, an unrelieved mockery. Parliamentary
Government, as the phrase is now understood, had no exist-
ence. The voice of the people Avas patiently heard and politely
disregarded. The representatives of tlio people were used but not
trusted. They were positively membci's of the Assembly, but were
without any positive power, except indeed the power of stojiping
the supplies. Representing four-fiftlis of the inhabitants of the
Province, the majority were obliged to receive their laws from
the minority, or exercise the negative ]»rivilcge of going without
laws by refusing to pass them. The cliannels of huuor, if not
blockaded as in England by oaths and tests uncomfortable to take
and impossible to avoid, were nevertheless obstruoteil liy shapes of
evil in the forms of religious suspicion and political distrust. These
intangible hindrances were bad enough in themselves. When,
however, they seemed to grow into consistency, wlu-u tlie iuijuMli-
ment to one office seemed to be ruled as a dis(|u<iliileatiou to all
offices, then a conventional disability bceau\t> a eonstitutioiial
affront. The peo})le learned not only that they possessed a Par-
liament to which power was refused, but that they were subjects (if
the crown from whom favors were generally withheld. Nor shouhl it
be lost sight of that this policy of exclusiveness and restriction in
Canada was contemjmraneous with the most violent agitation of
modern times for the extension of popular and parliamentary powers
in Rnglaiid. The discussions in and otit of the House of Couuuojis
were not carried on in whispers, nor in candied words. On the
contrary, men high in station seemed to forget themselves in
the recollection of tlieir real or their imaginary wrongs. Debate
was governed by no conventional rules. Controversy was carried
on by means and in language which had not the excuse of j>rivi-
lege, and scarcely possessed tlie sancti<»n of law. It is probable
thdt the arguments, and the means by which they were enforced,

1!'

124

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

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were studied elsewhere than in England. The reform fever, like
other e])ideinics taking their rise in Europe, floated across the
Atlantic and became contagious in America. The threat of physi-
cal force in England may have suggested a resort to physical force
in Canada, and thus violent means came to be regarded as a ser-
viceable auxiliary by those whose aim however, for the most part,
was political amelioration and personal enfranchisement, and not
national independence or territorial annexation to another State.

That the course pursued, as well as the reasons for that course,
besides being treasonable, wore deficient in wisdom and sagacity, is,
we believe, generally allowed ; but then it should be borne in mind
that communities, like individuals, when beguiled by mischievous
counsel, or when suffering from the j)ressurc of actual pain, not un-
frequently say and do foolish things. For the time being they may
be, and generally arc, sincere in their folly; and men, while they
smile at the foolislmess, are not indisposed to extend respect to the
(puility from which it springs, and especially when that quality is
associated with personal courage and personal sacrifice. These
conditions were not al)sent from the parts taken by the more ardent
spirits in 1837-8, and they received marked illustrations in the
course that was pursued by the subject of our sketch.

Again, while the majority in Lower Canada were taking the
measures they deemed to be requisite to assert their political rights,
the minority of the same Province were, Avith unslumbering activity,
engaged in the revival of a counter project, which, by enacting sec-
tional disabilities, was designed to perpetuate national exclusiveness.
The project of repairing the mistake made by dividing the Province
in 1701 was not lost sight of; the plan of a re-union of Upper and
Lower Canada, which had accidentally miscarried in 1822, was not
abandoned. The statesmen of Canada desired to correct the errors
of the statesmen of P^ngland, and, therefore, the leaders of the
British party in the Eastern Province advocated that measure Avlth
renewed energy, and with increased hopes of success. Nor, while

HON. (3E0IIGK ETIENXE CARTIER.

125

i I]

insisting on the material advantages of sueli union did they affeet
to conceal the prime reason that controlled such advocacy. Tliey
■wished directly to assert the political supremacy of the British
race, and indirectly to secure the political abasement of the French
one. The dividing Imc between the two races -was so strongly
drawn by these ardent advocates for " Union," that the very word
by which they expressed their puvi)Ose was pointed with irony, and
meant, it is no exaggeration to affirm, precisely what it did not say ;
for while it aimed at the legislative incorporation of two Provinces,
it provided for the political ineiiuality of two pco})les. Thus to
one race it represented ascendency, to the other resistance. To
neither did it cx})ross oneness, much less fusion. Such consider-
ations as these very naturally excited an irritating influence on the
minds of the people wh >m the measure itself was designed to pre-
judice, and gave, it is difficult to deny, the color of excuse to those
violent ])roceedings which cast their baneful shtulows on those un-
happy times. The subject of our sketch was then very young, and,
it may be, beset with the intemperate energy of youth, lie was
alike incajjablc of smothering his resentments, or of shrinking from
the consecpienccs of expressing them. As one of a chivalrous stock
menaced with injury, he felt strongly, and, being fettered by no
fears of wliich to take counsel, he acted as strongly as he felt.
Consistency of conduct not unfrc(iiiently i)rovokes res])ect, even
when the conduct itself is the subject of criticism.

Passing over this particular jjcriod of unhaj>py excitement, and
without staying to discuss the wisdom of those who at first sought
to imperil the LTnion Act by opposing its jjrovisions, we may observe
that Mr. Cartier, for the space of eleven years, sought and found
his "post of honor in a private station." Selecting the city of
Montreal as the j)lace of his abode, he conunenced the practice of
the law. His clear intellect, his indomitable energy, and his unim-
peachable integrity, attracted popular favor, and conciliated the res-
pect of the Bench. Thus did Mr. Cartier win the confidence of

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126

HON. UKORUE ETIENNE CAUTIEIl.

» )

fe,; I

many clients, and thus ho never lost the favorable regard of the
jud;^cs. His close application reacted with advanta<j;e on his ener-
getic character, and both conciu'red in attracting and extending a
lucrative and influential practice.

Had Mr. Carticr been content with mci local distinction, and
the pecuniary emoluments which such distinction confers, ho would
(juictly have appropriated the rewards that connnonly Avait upon
professional success. But like his fast friend, the Ilonoralde John
A. Macdonald, he, too, was moved by a higher ambition. It was not
enough for him to fill a chief place in the front ranks of tlie advo-
cates before the local tribunals of his country. Neither was ho
satisfied with tlie multiplication of briefs that rose on his table, or the
accumulation of retainers that sank into his purse. There was
another arena which attracted his ambition, and a higher court for
which his mind was being qualified, and in which he believed his
services would shine, llis intellectual affections w'crc ])ercci)tibly
returning to his earlier love. The fascination of political study, the
allurements of power, the science of government, the patriotic de-
sire to do good, reasserted in his mind their ancient ascendency.
While ])ur.s\rnig the severe studies and laborious practice of his
profession, he discerned the dawn of a brighter day to his race, and
the assurance of a brighter future to his country, lie had had
leisure to examine the principles by which he had been early
moved, to test their j»ractical value, to reject what was worthless,
and to purily what was worthy of being preserved. After the sub-
sidence of ])assion, he aeijuired patience to weigh the inherent
justice of Jiritish rule. Examination, had taught him what he
had deemed to be the wrongs of his race were more attribu-
t;ible to public policy, and the peculiar tone of public thought, than
to local fumities or imperial distrustfulness. lie would learn
that the suspicions of zealous colonists were but the expressions of
the }»rLJu<lices of the age with respect to the Uoman Catholic sulijecta
of the Crown, and that such prejudices exerted the l.ke influences

HON. OEOROE ETIENNE CARTIER.

127

on the Protestant mind of Lower Canada, as on the Pro-
testant mind of the United Kingdom. He would learn, too, that
when the instructions from the Colonial Minister Avcrc attuned to
severity, it was not because the key note had been struck in Canada,
but because it harmonized with the party music then popular at
home. State papers, almost forgotten, now and then crept from
their hiding-places which supplied to the impartial student a new
reading to old records, a now interpretation to old transactions.
By the light which such papers shed on past history Mr. Carticr
would probably discover the evidences of consistency and harmony
in the principles that guided Imperial policy, and that then, as now,
the statesmen of England insisted on the duty of observing some-
thing like a uniform rule in dealing with (piestions of a uniform
character. It consisted apparently with propriety and justice that
the same class of subjects, for example, in Canada and Ireland,
should not be ruled by a different class of laws. It is true indeed
that the Province possessed guarantees Avhich the Kingdom did not
enjoy, still those guarantees related to suljects whose very names
excited alarm, and towards which it was impolitic for English
statesmen to express sentiments of even the coolest sympatliy.
In reviewing such facts, Mr. Carticr would probably discover a
clue to much of the misunderstanding that had taken place, as
well as to most of the exclusiveness that had been practised.
Nor would he overlook the fact, that the Minister in England liad
not unfrecpiently restrained rather than encouraged the intolerance
of the Minister in Canada ; for while the latter had sometimes
counselled suspicion, the former had displayed confidence, lie
would remember also that the representations of the Assem]>ly of
Lower Canada had not fallen unheeded on the British Parliament.
English statesmen did not treat with indifterence the petition of
■some 87,000 inhabitants of French Canada. Without attaching
special weight to the reasons of the petition, the House of Com-
mons did not turn with unconcern from the petition itself. Indeed,

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128

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CAKTIEll.

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in the instance in question, tlic conclusion was arrived at that all
was not n«5ht. The difficulty lay in discovering the exact wrongs
that needed to be redressed, and the Avay to redress them. Nor
was the discovery withoiit difficulty, for it should be remembered
that almost every avenue of official information in Canada was
guarded by officers and civil servants of the state, representatives
of the past policy of the Empire, Avhose habit of thought, whose
social surroundings, whose national instincts and political opin-
ions, were, if not hiimical to, at least not in a high degree
favorable to the class which complained of disabilities. Govern-
ment wanted light direct and not light colored by the chemistry
of colonial o})inion. It wanted information, it wanted know-
ledge which could scarcely be arrived at through the ordinary
channels of communication ; therefore it was that unusual means
were adopted to obtain what could not apparently be arrived
at by the usual means. Commissioners of high repute were
appointed to enquire hito tlie alleged grievances, with a view to
their redress. Without canvassing the merits of their report, Mr.
Carticr would probably recognize in the appointment of such Com-
missioners an evidence of the earnest desire of the English Govern-
ment to learn what was wrong and to do what was right. So also
in the subsequent commissioning of the Earl of Durham for similar
duties, Mr. Cartier would recognize additional evidence of the anxiety
of England to act fairly by all classes in Canada. The report of the
last-named Commission, though severely criticised by many, afforded
a very uncomfortable insight into some points of Canadian misrule.
It admitted the existence of irritating grievances ; and, though it
could not excuse, it suggested palliations for those who by violent
means had sought to redress those grievances. It said enough,
wc may conjecture, to impress the home authorities with the ophiion
that their mode of administering the Government of Canada was
far from blameless. Therefore, we may presume, it was that the
statesmen of England lost no time and missed no opportunity in

HON. OEOnOE etienne cautieu.

120

efFacing by every means at tlieir command, directly and indirectly,
every mark and sign in their policy to which irritation coiild with any
truth he attributed, to secure for the past, oblivion ; for the future,
imi)artial justice : in short, to inaugurate throughout the Colonial
Empire a new and more liberal system of Colonial Government.
Keen observers, like the subject of our sketch, would note this Avish,
and appreciate the magnanimity w hich prompted it. Moreover, the
majesty of England having been sufficiently asserted in the sum-
mary vindication of law, it was inconsistent with the generosity of
England that there should remain in the bitter cup of justice any
dregs of vengeance. Pardon su})plemented peace, and restitution
and indemnity followed in the train ; restitution of imperilled })oliti-
cal privileges ; restitution of forfeited personal rights ; indemnity
for personal losses : indemnity for property losses ; were continuously
counselled and were subsccpiently granted by the high-minded
ministers, .and representatives of that large-hearted parent, whom
Canadians are wont to call the " Mother Country."

If we may presume that such reflections occurred to Mr. Cartier,
we must also bear in mind that contemporaneously with, and as if
for the purpose of illustrating their truth, events of the greatest
interests were iri progress, whose successful issue would give shape
and stability to the new system. Sir Louis Lafontainc, in con-
junction with Mr. Baldwin, had determined to accept the Union
Act as the charter of Canada, and, if practicable, to carry on the
Government under the sanction of its provisions. Parliamentary
Government was secured in fact as well as in form, and Resjion-
sible Government followed as a necessary corollary, but neither the
specific grant or involved consequence included the inconvenient,
and, we think, impracticable principle of ruling by sectional majori-
ties in the same Legislature, which appeared to find (pialified favor
with Sir Louis Ljifontaine. Perhaps this idea was enunciated as a
temporary expedient only, to be used and laid aside when the
governing privileges of the two races should be fairly adjusted and

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130

HON. (iKOlUlK KTIKNNK CAIITIKU.

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the patronage of the Crown hestowed according to some rule of
proportion not at tliat time observed. No doubt Sir Louis, who
evinced ahnost an Englishman's taste for practical legislation, was
anxious to interest his countrymen in the action of Government, by
giving them a just share in the direction of its aft'uirs, and perhaps
it was, so to speak, to educate both sections of Canada to the duties
of CJovernment, that the Province, which had been united by
statute, was divided for the pm-poses of administration. Each part,
like a distinct school, though separately instructed, received the
same lessons, and thus, through the ordeal of education, each might
become adai)ted to the other, and both move in harmony towards
the formation of one perfect and united Avhole.

Thus it may have been that historical facts and political specula-
tions exerted in the mind of Mr. Cartier a conservative control, and
added strength to his hope of making his own beloved Canada the
nucleus and centre of monarchical power in America ; for it should
never be lost sight of that the blandishments of republicanism, though
frccpiently exerted, have left no more abiding impression on tho
minds of the majority of his countrymen than they have done on his
own.

At the general election which followed the resignation of the
Government in 1848, Mr. Cartier emerged from retirement and
offered himself as a candidate for his native County of Vcrcheres,
a county in which he was personally known, and with which his
family from time immemorial had been connected by residence, and
which, we may add, was at one time represented by his grandfather.
He was not, as the result showed, without honor in his own county..
Where he was best known, there he was most liked, for he was tri-
umphantly returned as a member of the Assem])ly. It was complimen-
tary to his capacity, as well as to the discernment of Government,
that shortly after he became a member of the Assembly he was
invited to accept office, and with it a seat in the Executive Council,
and it was an early mark of his straightforward character that he

iiLnii

HON. OEORdK ETIEXNE CAUTIER.

declined the proffered honor, ;^ivin;^ as his reason tiuit he coidd
not then uff"ord to servo the State. The enioiiunents of office were
at that time too inconsiderable to justity him in relin(iuishin^ the
necessary and at the same tinio the more lucrative attractions of his
profession. lie had the manliness to exi)ress what many felt, and
it is probable that his giving this as the reason for declining to
serve the State very materially inffuenccd the action of Tarlia-
ment whon it passed the Act to augment the salaries of the Advi-
sers of the (/rown in Canada.

In 1854, on motion of the Ilonoraldo Mr. Spencc, seconded by
the IIonoral)le Mr. Lemieux, Mr. Cartier was proposed as Si)eaker
of the Legislative Assembly, but on a division being called for, the
resolution was negatived by a majority of three. The i)ersonal
defeat of Mr. Cartier was a political gain to the MeNab-
Tachd Administration, for four months afterwards, in the
month of January, 1855, the subject of our sketch accepted the
office of Provincial Secretary with a seat in the Executive Council.
lie thus became a member of the coalition Government and a col-
league of his friend the Honorable John A. Macdonald.

With the exception of two intervals, the one of six days, and the
other of about twenty months, Mr. Cartier has continued in office
from then till now. The first intcrru})tion was brought about by
the adverse vote arrived at in the year 1858 on the Seat of
Government question, folloAved by the succession to poAver for two
days of the Brown-Dorion Administration. The sudden retirement
of those gentlemen from office occasioned no surprise. The pro-
ceedings, however, which followed their retirement are, wc are
inclined to think, more regretted than forgotten. Uncomfor-
table subjects, like the transactions of the Ministerial Crisis
in 1858, possess an awkward knack of fastening themselves on
the memory. The very effort to dismiss them is attended with
results the reverse of those for Avhich the eff'ort is made. A
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the character, possesses a sort of mischievous fascination ; it will
stand out, and the more effectually by reason of the contrasted
whiteness on whif'h " the spot" rests, or of the otherwise unchal-
lenged purity which has been sullied with a stain. There are
transactions in history and governmep*-, and the occasion in ques-
tion is one of them, which we are unwilling to remember and unable
to forget.

The second interruption to Mr. Cartier's continuance in
oflBce arose on the defeat of the Militia Bill on the 20th of May,
1862, when the Sandfield Macdonald-Sicotte, and afterwards the
Sandfield Macdonald-Dorion Administration succeeded to office.
The history of those events is fresh in the recollection of all. Suffice
it to say that within a period of twenty-one n\pnths the subject of
our sketch again found himself called upon to form an Administra-
tion. This duty Mr. Cartier, for sufficient reasons, declined, adding
the expression of his hope, as well as his strong recommendation
that Sir E. P. Tach(3 should be earnestly invited to undertake the
task. Sir Etienne consented, and Mr. Cartier resumed his former
post under the new Government, known as the Tach^-Macdonald
Administration, as Attorney-General for Lower Canada.

An expert athlete not only knows how to throw his antagonist, but
he also knows, when occasion requires, how to control his own fall.
Mr. Cartier, and the Government Avith Avhich he was associated,
seemed to be penetrated with a knowledge of this secret, for they
displayed no inconsiderable sagacity in electing the occasions as
well as in directing the manner of their defeat. The questions on
which they fell were necessary, and of course questions of great
Provincial interest. It, hoAvever, seemed either by a favoring acci-
dent or a clever design, that they should abo be questions of serious
gravity from an Imperial point of view. Thus in 1858, had not
the Macdonald-Cartier Administration immediately recovered their
places as His Excellency's Advisers, it is probable that the press
and people of England would have Avithheld all sympathy from their

HON. OEOROE ETIENNE CAllTIER.

133

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sucoessors in office, because the manner of their succeeding would
have been inseparably associated witht a slight officially offered to
the Queen in a matter of her prerogative. So also in 1862 the vote
which negatived the second reading of the Militia Bill was very
fairly construed as a proof of indifference to the claims of the
Mother Country on the question of defence ; and consequently the
opinion of the Government and people of England was warmly
expressed on the side of the defeated Government of Canada.
The current of influence which thus set in from the European side
of the Atlantic told with serious effect on the Administration that
succeeded the Cartier-Macdonald Government. The science of
politics, like the science of Avar, may, and perhaps docs, include
the consideration of the difficult question, how a battle should be
lost, as well as the more easy one how a battle should be won.
In the instance under review, with the exception of the tempo-
rary enjoyment of the spoils, the advantages of victory seemed to
belong to the vanquished party.

We have said that Mr. Cartier joined the MacNab-Tachd
Government in January, 1855, as Provincial Secretary. On
the retirement of the Hon. Mr. Drummond, in May, 1856,
he succeeded to the office of Attorney-General fcr Lower
Canada. This appointment, with the interruptions only which we
have already noticed, Mr. Cartier has continued to fill from that
period to the present day. From August, 1858, to May, 1862, he was
also the First Minister of the Crown, the Government being desig-
nated as the Cartier-Macdonald Administration. On his assuming
the post of leader of the Assembly , there Avas on the part of some of the
members of that House a disposition to underrate Mr. Oartier's
great abilities, and to treat him as the nominal rather than the actual
chief of the Administration. This course was unquestionably a double
mistake : it Avas an error of taste, and an «')rror of fact, Avhich the
Hon. John A. Macdonald, who kncAV Avell the intellectual qualities
of his friend and chief, spared no pains to rebuke. Parliament

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HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CAllTIER.

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had not at that time the opportunity of observing the character
and qualities of Mr. Cartier's statesmanship, the extent of his
learning, or the breadth of his view. It did not know with
what philosophical patience he had ransacked the treasure-house of
history ; with what severe justice he had examined past events,
and examined them too, not only by the light of the present age,
but also by the fairer light of contemporary times. It did not know
with Avhat patience he had studied constitutional laAV, or with
what address he could direct constitutional practice. Time " the
avenger" furnished unlooked for lessons. The flippant sneer
gave place to thoughtful silence. Men ceased to laugh, and
learned to praise. Surprise succeeded to levity as the courageous
and self-reliant statesman, rising step by step to the height of the
occasion and the argument, was found to be at all times equal to
the most difficult duties as well as the most trying emergencies of
Government.

There are, we venture to think, few public men, perhaps none
other in Canada, Avho, within a period of scarcely more than nine
years, can shew a similar service roll of duty done. We cannot
pause to enumerate the measures of importance common to the
whole Province, in the enactment of which Mr. Cartier took his
proper share ; nor shall we attempt to do more than glance at a
few of those with which his name is directly associated, whose
statutory operation is confined to Lower Canada, but whose benefi-
cial influences extend far beyond the mere geographical boundaries
of that section of the Province. Indeed they suffice for his fame.
And here it may not be out of place to mention what, indeed, has
been apparent to the whole Province, namely, that from first to
last Mr. Cartier has been perhaps the most earnest, as he has been
the most energetic, advocate of the railway policy of the country.
Before he entered Parliament, many may recollect with what fer-
vour, in the Champ de Mars and elsewhere at Montreal, he advocat-
ed the cause of Railway extension ; with what indomitable persever-

--«Ham

HON. OEORGB ETIENNE CARTIER.

135

ance, on the floor of Parliament, he pressed the passage of the Bill
■which authorized the erection of " The Victoria Bridge" ; a wonder
alike of science and of art. How steadily ho has combated the
prejudices of his countrymen, and how boldly ho ever proclaimed
it to be his wish, as it is his pride, intimately to associate his name
and fame with the extension of railways in Canada. The iron
bands which bind the two Provinces together, and which may
shortly receive further extension, he regards, wc venture to think,
with statesmanlike approbation, not only as the means of material
progress, but as the means of social and political progress, directly
tending to the greater intercourse of two peoples, and the ultimate
fusion of two races.

When Mr. Cartier joined the MacNab-Tache Administration it
' very soon became apparent that he intended to give the State the
advantage of his industry. Possessing great persistency of char-
acter, we may conjecture that he looked about incpiiringly to
discover in Avhat way he could best gratify his appetite for work. The
subject of Education appeared for the moment to be in need of
a guardian, and though it was probably not a question with Avhich
Mr. Cartier was practically familiar, it seemed nevertheless to
attract him, and ho determined to master it. He did so, and on
the strength of his newly ac(|uired information, he brought in a
Bill to make important changes in the school laws, to promote
superior education, and to provide for the establishment of Normal
Schools in Lower Canada. At the same time Ave find Mr. Cartier
earnestly supporting Mr. Drummond in advocating that grand
measure of amelioration, the Seigniorial Tenure Act, tlius sharing
with the latter gentleman the honor of pa&sing that important
measure. At a later period, after the retirement of Mr. Drum-
mond, he supplemented it Avith laws necessary to its successful and
final operation. When the subject of our sketch succeeded to the
office of Attorney-General, the quality and extent of his industry

were subjects of surprise and admiration. It Avas not enough for

136

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

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Mr. Carticr to deal with questions of law as they arose. LaAvs to
promote the bettor administration of criminal justice ; to diminish
costs ; to prevent delay ; to secure the better treatment of juvenile
oiFendcrs ; to settle the law with respect to lands held in free and
common soccage ; to amend the judicature acts ; to shorten and
reduce the expenses of the sessions of Parliament ; to prevent
violence at elections in the large cities, and with this view to
amend the election laws, as they applied to Quebec, Montreal, and
Toronto ; and to regulate matters of appeal and procedure. We
repeat it was not enough for Mr. Cartier to attend to matters of social
amelioration and legal repair as they arose. His comprehensive mind
was not satisfied with mere isolated improvements. He was anxious
to gather what was scattered, and systematize what he gathered ;
to preserve what was valuable, and to simplify what Avas preserved.
With this object he collected in one act and amended the scattered
municipal laws. He reconsidered the registration laAvs, and not
only improved what were extant, but gave to Lower Canada the
advantages of a system which, we venture to think, will be found
to be replete with untold benefits. There was moreover one act
of incalculable advantage, especially to the rural districts of this
Province, — an act Avhich had been for years importunately and
vainly prayed for. The title, " An act to amend the judicature acts
of Lower Canada," very imperfectly conveys the idea of the
sweeping change in the system which it introduced in the decen-
tralization of the administration of justice and the re-division of
Lower Canada into new districts for judicial purposes. Neither
was it enough that he should simplify subjects by consolidating
them, he desired in the public interests to divest the statute books
of some of their difficulties by taking away what was redundant
and supcifluous, and collecting in one view all that remained in
force. To this end he advised the appointment of a commission
which has given to the public the advantage of its labors in the
consolidation of the Provincial Statutes. Furthermore he took

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

137

I i

measures to secure the nomination of another and even more im-
portant commission for the codification of the laws of Lower Canada
in civil matters and procedure. The results of both commissions
are now in the possession of the public, Avho, we think, will not fail
to associate them with Mr. Cartier's name as works initiated by
him. commenced, we believe, at his instance and concluded, we
have reason to think, to his great satisfaction.

In the year 1864 Mr. Carticr took a prominent part as a dele-
gate on the subject of the Confederation of the Provinces, and
advocated his views with great ability in the subsequent session of
1865. Twice he has crossed the Atlantic to attend to the interests
of Canada in England, and on both occasions he has been received
with marked consideration by Iler Majesty the Queen and His
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, as well as by the prominent
statesmen of the empire.

In reviewing his character we may adventure the opinion that
Mr. Cartier has a righteous man's faith in the ultimate triumph
of right. Though Justice is allowed to be mythologically blind as
well as incontinently slow in her movements, it occasionally happens
that the impartial goddess wholly forgets the vigilance due to her
character, and failing to go forward, she sinks, without apparent
provocation, into a state of perplexing oblivion —

" It often falls in course of common life
That right long time is overborne by wrong."

Still, though the moment of awakening may linger, it will assuredly
arrive, and with its arrival will come a time of vindication and adjust-
ment. The policy, for example, of re-uniting the Provinces, as well as
the act of re union covered a design with respect to one of them which
certainly had not the merit of being generous nor the advantage of
seeming wise. The inhabitants of LoAver Canada had, unhappily,
put themselves out of court, and therefore had no voice in discus-
ing that measure. Upper Canada being required and having the
apportunity to offer advice, appeared to be chiefly anxious to

188

HON. GEORGE ETIEXNE CAUTIER.

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burden licr counsel with sectional conditions and selfish advantages ;
to be more rapacious than just ; to dictate terms after the manner
of a superior rather than suggest them in the stylo of an e(iual.
The Nemesis, however, was near at hand to watch and per-
chance to smile at the awkward contrivances of those who sought
to outwit tunc and subvert right. Englisli Canada rc(piired for
her security that, what may be compared to a bolt of steel, massive
and immovable, and rivetted for further safety in the Parliament
of England, should be drawn across the Union Act for the purpose
of unalterably fixing the number of representatives to be
returned from cither Province in the Canadian Legislature.
The bolt had lost none of its brightness . when the mistake
was discovered by the craftsmen who contrived it. The popu-
lation of English Canada, which at the time of the Union was
one third less than the population of French Canada, suddenly
preponderated. Representation in accordance with such prepond-
erance was selfishly longed for and impatiently demanded. The
bolt, which had been forged at the instance of, and for the advantage
of the English race, became the protection and safeguard of the
French race. English Canada had thus overreached herself. She
had stipulated for too much, and had thus multij)lied, to her apparent
disadvantage, those checks and guarantees which were suggested
by sectional prejudice and adopted for national ascendency.
French Canada, addressing English Canada, might have said : " 'J'he
condition of which you complain was at your instance inserted to
our detriment ; it was contrived for your advantage, and it shall be
continued for ours." Now, though the legal argument was wholly
on the side of those who appealed to the security of the Union Act,
still there was a moral argument, springing rather from justice than
from law, which received a favorable hearing in Mr. Cartier's OAvn
court of conscience ; and the result of the hearing was that the dif-
ficulty became one of the many reasons which induced him, on the
formation of his administration in 1858, to announce among the

HON. GEORGE ETIENNE CARTIER.

139

objects to bb arrived at " tho expediency of a Federal Union
of tho British North American Provinces." In furtherance of
this policy, Mv. Cartier, in conjunction with the Honorable Messrs.
G.ilt and Ross, a few months later, very earnestly pressed tho
subject on the attention of the Imperial Government. Though it
seems paradoxical, it is nevertheless true, that for the period of
seven years Mr. Cartier has on the question of Represen-
tation seduously sought to relieve the British population from
disabilities which had been imposed at their own recpiest, and from
the conseipiences of which they could not peaceably escape except
by an act of generosity on the part of the French i)0[)ulation whom
they had striven to abase. The Ilonble. Mr. Brown, the earnest
and eloquent advocate of representation according to population,
on the Sth of February, 1805, very forcibly as well as somewhat
amusingly stated the case as it then presented itself to his mind.
" The scene," remarked Mr. Brown, " presented by this chamber at
this moment I venture to affirm has few parallels in iiistory. One
hundred years have passed away since these Provinces became by
conquest j)art of the British empire. I speak in no boastful sf irit.
I desire not for a moment to excite a painful thought. What was
then the fortune of even the brave French nation, might have been
ours on that well fought field. I recall those olden times merely
to mark the fact that here sit to-day the descendants of the victors
and the van( pushed in the fight of 1759, with all the difterences of
language, religion, and law and social habit, nearly as distinctly
marked as they were a century ago. Here wo sit to-day seeking
amicably to find a remedy for constitutional evils, and injustice
complained of — by the vanquished ? No, Sir, but complained of
by the con(iuerors ! Here sit the representatives of the British
population claiming justice, only justice ; and here sit the represen-
tatives of the French population, discussing in the French tongue,
whether we shall have it."

Mr. Cartier has not only faith in justice as an abstract

140

HON. oEonaE etienne cartier.

;i!

principle, — ho has faith in it as a quality of universal appli-
cation. Ho beliovea it to bo tho especial patrimony of no race,
no class, and no creed. On tho contrary, it is not only a sacred
heritage but a common right, which it is the duty of a states-
man to incorporate ■vvith his practice of government. Tho desire
to be just gives tone to Mr. Cartier's thoughts, brightness to his
speech, and consistency to his action. There is, avc feel, an
underlying strength in equity and right, which gives stability to
character and adds audacity to courage. Hence it is Mr. Cartier
affects no concealment, and deprecates all reserve in tho higher
objects of his policy. His style of government is alike a proclama-
tion and a challenge, for his aim is, and it eonsists with true
greatness, to rule for a people and not for a tribe, for a community
and not for a sect, for a nation and not for a race. He fills, we
think, a foremost place in the front ranks of Canadian statesmen — ho
has assiduously co-operated to secure equal rights t) all parties, and
having attained these blessings in a separated form, his desire now is,
and it seems to be the aim of an increasing party in Canada, of which
Mr. Cartier may bo regarded as the type and representative, to
fuse and conciliate all races as well as all sections in one per-
fect and harmonious whole. Justice to each includes justice to
all. Having secured justice to every one, Mr. C<articr now
strives to secure safety to every one, and for this object to
cement and perfect the union of all. The vision of a "fraternal era,"
which rose before the mind of Sir E. P. Tach^, which is the
cherished figure in the Honorable D'Arcy McGee's fervid fancy,
appears to be ever present to the thoughts of Mr. Cartier. It is, we
think, his habit to take a philosophical and patriotic view of the one-
ness of the human race, to recognise the identity of its origin, the
continuity of its progress, and the unity of its end. His religious
faith has taught him that while the earth is peopled Avith many
families, those families arc nevertheless of one blood. Diversity of
type, like difference of expression, does not destroy the family

HON. (IKOIUiE ETIKNNK CAKTIKU.

141

I ' J

relationship) nor the responsibilities which that relationship entails.
There are worth and excellence in all orif^ins, and sorao truth in all
systems. It should, therefore, he the business and duty of enli;^ht-
ened statesmanship, a duty which wo think Mr. Carticr strives to
fulfd, to collect and garner such (puditics, and make them available
to the strength, happiness and well-being of ihc State.

A modern French writer, with the ingenuity that characterizes
French thought, has suggestively advanced the somewhat curious
theory that nations, like individuals, may be divitled according to
sexual laws, and that these laws are as applicable to communities
as they are to persons. Ily way of illustration, we select two
of his examples — one from ancient and one from modern history.
The (1 reeks and Romans in the earlier age, and the French and
English in more recent times, are characterized as representative
pairs. Ancient Greece and modern Franco represent the feminine,
and ancient Rome and modern England the masculine types. The
Greeks, the writer observes, were conspicuous for the elegance of
their taste and the refinement and luxury of their manners, while
the Romans were remarkable for the more severe and less attrac-
tive virtues. In like manner, the writer observes, is the French nation
conspicuous for its refinement, its polish, its elegance, its sensitive-
ness, its study of effect, its love of display, its passion for glory,
and for all the pomp and circumstance, the dazzle and glare, the
trap})ings and tinsel that usually wait on the gratification of that
passion. The English, on the other hand, are remarkable for their
indifference to other pcoi)le's opinions, for their insensibility to
ridicule, and generally for the absence of those peculiarities that
especially belong to the French race, as well as for the presence of
some of those sterner qualities that marked the character of the
ancient Romans. Without discussing the merits of an ingenious,
and to us original, theory, we may perhaps, by way of convenience,
be allowed to assume the accuracy of the view, and appropriate it
to our present U33. The writer in question, if wo recollect aright,

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142

IIOX. (IMOIUIE KTIENNE CAKTIKll.

8()u;j;lit to cstiililish tho fact that holli nations jtossesjitMl cliaractors
separately attractive, l)iit separately incomplete ; that cacli rc([uirc(l
tho qualifyin;^ conditions of tho other, and tiiat without niich con-
ditions neither couUl approach to perfection. If there ho merit
in tho theory, it is not necessary for tho inhahitants of Canada to
travel beyond their own borders to discover the huid wherein its
worth may be fairly tried. '1.. .-o are, we incline to think, statesmen
from both sections of Canada, including the subject of our sketch, who
might fairly claim the advantage of such a political parentage, and
who are patriotically seeking, in the judicious interchange of national
thought,^ and the mutiial cultivation of national virtues, to found a
state which shall not be deficient in national character. It is not
possible to read recent debates in the Canadian Parliament without
observing how industriously the statesmen of both races arc con-
sulting the records of both nations, and bringing the results of their
search to bear on passing events witli a view to influence present
as well as future times. We hear, for example, the subject of
our sketch, from his })lace in Parliament, eloquently asserting tho
mirivalled cxccllenco of tho Criminal Law of England, and with
equal warmth insisting o)i the unsurpassed value of the Civil Law
of France ; and no Member of that Assembly, whether Anglo-
Saxon or Anglo-Norman, expressed any doubt on tho accuracy of
the opinion.

Thus the literature and the laws of both countries have become
Canadian possession, the special objects of pride and study to the
descendants of both peoples. The great streams of English and
French thought, the traditional lore as well as the written history
of both nations, continue to flow into Canada. There may be a
point, perchance it is now attained, Avhen, like the rivers Ottawa
and St. Lawrence at Montreal, these imaginary streams shall meet
and melt into one another, and from whence, gathering strength in
their united progress, they shall flow evermore onwards, in har-
mony and peace.

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J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.,

rniXCIPAL AXD VICE-CHANCELLOR OF THE UXIVKRSITY OK M'GILL COLLEGE, MONTRKAI.

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On the sixth of September, 1843, the Governorg, the Principal,
the Vice-principal, the Professors, the Lecturers, the Tutors, the
Doctors, the Students, and many others, assembled in the newly
erected building, and witli imposing state and becoming ceremony,
opened, for the serious business of education, the University of
IkfcGill College, Montreal.

Thirty years had elapsed since the Honorable James McGill, the
benevolent founder of that University, had entered into his rest,
and the like period had passed away since the friends and neighbors
of that true-hearted gentleman, people who had observed his
industry, praised his perseverance, and envied his success, learned
from the revelations of his last will and testament, on what rock
his ambition rested; how sedulously the upright merchant had
striven to purify his gold by cleansing it of its dross, and to dignify
commerce by making it the handmaid cf philanthropy. They
learned, too, how fair a monument may bo built from the honest
profits of honest trade, and with what undying verdure the memory
of a good name may be preserved by associating it for ever with a
good work.

Merchants dream dreams as well as poets, and see visions that
are not necessarily colored with the hues of the counting-house.
The advantage of such dreamers to a community is that their dream

1," > ■

144

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

thoughts arc not, as a matter of course, of a vagrant type, the
naked offspring of penury, idle children of active brains,

"Ucgot of nothing l)iit vain fantasy."

On the contrary, they are dreams which the dreamer has the

power to clothe in purple and fine linen, Avhich move majestically

between acquired wealth and elevated thought, which rise from the

bank-book to the brain, taking, perhaps, in their miserable forms,

the shape of quenchless avarice, chilling the heart and making the

way of life weariness, and its end misery ; or taking, in their

joyous ones, the shapes of shining charity, warming the soul, raising

each low and selfish wish, and prompting the dreamer in his tender

waking to rule his life, and if he be wise, to rule his death hi

conformity with some clear and well defined system of benevolence.

Many merchants in the city of Montreal have gathered greater

wealth than was accumulated by the founder of McGill College, but

none, we believe, have left a better or less perishable monument.

With respect to the most of them, their names are forgotten, and

their possessions are vanished away. If wc are curious, and would

learn who they were, we must

'Co to the dull clmrch-yanl, and sec
Their landmarks of mortality ;
See where their name is only found,
Hy a small hillock on the ground."

With respect to him, his monument will, we hope, become a joy
for ever, active in its usefulness, and eloquent in its youth.

They were, however, trying times in which the University
commenced its useful career. Few men were found willing to
contribute to its success, while many were disposed to quarrel over
the property. The spirit of charity was asleep, but the spirit of
contention Avas awake. The clenched fist took the place of the
open hand. Those who did not love their country well enough to
** build for it a synagogue," loved themselves sufiiciently to aim
at acquiring an interest in what another had built. They were

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

145

greedy of gain and careless about right ; more ready to disturb a
possession than to create a possession ; more willing to enter on
another's labors, than to sacrifice their own labors for others' weal.

The history of McGill College endo\Ynient must be regarded
as a somewhat uncomfortable story. The aim of a Avill was, it
is alleged, embarrassed by ingcMiious rather than honest doubts,
while the intentions of the testator, there is reason to believe, were
very questionably frustrated.

By those who knew him, and were supposed to represent his
opinions, it was assumed, and not without reason, that Mr. McGill,
in making provision for the foundation of a College, was moved by
no original or exceptionable motives. lie was a Christian gentleman
of the old school, a devout member of the Anglican Church, and
one who, by habit and inclination, was disposed to respect what
custom and usage had established. Education in his day, Avas
inseparably associated with religion, and it is fair, tberefore, to
presume that, had Mr. McGill intended to put asunder what was
then always joined together, such intention would have found
distinct, unequivocal expression in the words of his will. That
will is not blemished by any such words. If, therefore, such
intention existed in his mind, it must, we think, be sought for
elsewhere than in the language of tlie instrument in which that
mind found expression. Can it be found ? The <[uestion will be
deemed to be an idle one, but then the human mind will sometimes
ask idle (piestions. This, however, is not the place to make the
investigation. We have no wish to exhume the buried bones of the
controversy. Indeed, the subject is merely referred to by way of
suggestion, and to explain the reason why the authorities of the
Anglican Chui'ch sought to administer the aftairs of Met} ill College
in the departments of divinity, and arts by means of an educational
staff selected chiefly, if not wholly, from members of the united
Church of England and Ireland.

That the duty undertaken by the Church dignitaries of that day

* . I

146

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, .LL.D.

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was discharged with wisdom and prudence may very fairly be
doubted. It is not possible to recall those times, or the discussions
of those times, with any sentiment of satisfaction. The demon of
strife seemed not only to invest but to possess the College. If it be
true that " like attracts like," then perhaps there was reason why
the contentions within and without should act and react on each
other, suggesting as well as provoking hostility. Argus-eyed non-
conformity saw its advantage, and thus denominational combina-
tions were brought to boar on the disputes. Reason disported
herself in a raiment of loose logic. Men appeared to content
themselves with the convenient conclusions which exactly fitted the
result at which they wished to arrive: It was consolingly assumed
that because certain intentions were not expressed in a certain
instrument, that, therefore, those intentions were reprobated by
that instrument. That such instrument must except what it did not
include, and since religion was not expressly included, therefore
religion was silently excepted. No doubt the whole question became
tangled and blemished Avith strife and temper. Men wished to
got rid of it and somewhat impatiently sought to cut the knot,
the operation of cutting being much easier than the more trouble-
some one of unravelling. Of course it followed that the authorities
of the Anglican Church became unpopular. In resisting what they
deemed to be an effort to alienate property, they opposed the tide of
public opinion, and for a season brought about the suspension of
college work. Indeed the quiet duties of education could not be
carried on in the presence of such contentions, and therefore many
well-meaning persons were Avilling to accept peace at any price.
Of the two evils which were probably present to their minds, those
perplexed persons deemed it expedient to choose the least. Accept-
ing issues of their own, they thought it wiser, that the Protes-
tant Episcopal Church should forfeit a doubtful endowment, than
that Protestants generally should lose the advantage of a Univer-
sity. Assuming then that there was reason for substituting the

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

147

convenient law of expediency for the severer law of riglit, it was in
the interests of the College, nnclcr the new formation, a matter for
congratulation that the subject of our sketch was appointed to the
office of Principal.

The new Principal, it may he observed, possessed the negative
advantage of belonging to neither of the national churches, and his
selection, therefore, provoked no enmity on the part of either of
them. His negative quahfication of " No Church," became a posi-
tive advantage, for it disarmed ecclesiastical opposition and con-
ciliated denominational favor; it secured peace to the Principal and
rest to the College.

Dismissing the question whether or not the intentions of a bene-
volent man have been righteously regarded, as well as the question
involved in it whether the great Protestant Church of Christendom
has or has not been fairly dealt with, Ave rejoice to believe that a
University which, whether rightly or wrongly, was shorn of its
"■uarantees as a seminarv for the diflFusion of Christian education,
does, for the present at least, enjoy the advantages of possessing in
its Principal a Christian gentleman of earnest and sincere piety.
The real value of all schemes of education depends more on the
teacher than the system ; and could we always be sure that the
former would be well chosen, avc might perhaps bo content to be
careless about the latter. Still it is difficult to forget that while
the teacher must necessarily be changed, the system is intended to
be permanent. The former is only a tenancy, while the latter is an
entail. One depends on the righteousness of individual character,
the other on the character of a righteous system. Happily for the
University of McGill College, she enjoys, we venture to believe, in
the person of Doctor Dawson, a Principal whose religious, moral,
and intellectual qualifications are of a very high order, and these
excellences add the purity of their charms to one who, in old
English phrase, possesses " a goodly presence," as well as a con-
ciliatory and pleasing manner. To-day McGill College may be

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148

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

congratulated ;" to-morro\Y " — the words arc written in no spirit
of irreverence — must take thouglit for itself, " for sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof."

The rrinuii)al of a University is necessarily a power in a State,
unobtrusive it may bo, but nevertheless a power in spite of its still-
ness. Many characters arc formed by his teaching, many minds
are moulded by his opinions : while the shape and quality of his
thoughts, not unfrequontly, give inclination and consistency to
contemporary events, and go far towards making or destroying a
State. It is almost impossible to exaggerate the influonce of those
who control the education of the country ; and of course the higher
the education the greater the iuHiicnce of the teacher.

Filling the chief place in the chief Protestant University, in the
chief commercial city of British America, Principal DaAvson's posi-
tion and influence cannot very well be overrated, and it may
therefore be excused if wo indulge some laudable curiosity, and
enquire who ho is, whence ho came, and what he has done ?

We learn from a mass of printed pamphlets, as well as from works
of more pretension, that Principal Dawson is by birth a Nova Scotian,
for he was born at Pictou, and wo arc permitted to add on the 13th
October, 1820. Ilis parents, however, were of Scottish birth, and
of good fiimilics ; they possessed cultivated tastes, and had received
a liberal education. Having resolved to relinquish his farm, and
seek his fortune in the Colonics, it was natural, that Mr. DaAvson's
father, in leaving old Scotland, should be attracted to Nova Scotia.
Names sometimes mean things, and it is therefore possible that the
loyal Scotsman derived solace in the reflection that in separating
himself from the land of his birth, he did not separate himself from
the cherished name by which that land was called. There seems
to have been a vein of poetry running through, and inseparable
from, his habit of thought ; his daily calling, for example, did not
interrupt his literary tastes, or interfere with his enthusiastic love
for nature, to the appreciation and study of which he directed the
mind of his son, the subject of our sketch.

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.U.

140

Principal Dawson received his early instruction at the Grammar
School and Colle<^e of Picton, the latter being then considered
second to no institution of the time in the Lower Provinces. lie
finished his education at the University of Edinburgh, Avherc, as
if ho were the heir to his father's tastes as well as to his name, he
directed his attention chiefly to the study of natural history and
practical chemistry.

The tastes thus acquired, Mr. Dawson was enabled to gratify
when ho returned to Nova Scotia. I lis father, who, besides being
a person of some property, was engaged in a lucrative business,
was natit.ally anxious to keep his only son at home. Nor was
the latter disinclined to adopt the plan of life which had been
prepared for him by his f\ithor. It possessed the double attrac-
tion of some occupation and a good deal of leisure, and thus time
and opportunity Avero afforded for the pursuit of those natural
history studies which had so thoroughly possessed his mind.

In 1842 a circumstance occurred that not only disturbed but
changed the even tenor of Mr. Dawson's life. Sir Charles Lyell
arrived in Nova Scotia. At his reipiest young Mr. Dawson ac-
companied him on his geological explorations. Heading the book
of nature in its sterner characters was no uncongenial duty to one
whose passion had previously led him to read it in its lighter ones.
The new study seemed to bear early fruit, for we find that on the
departure of Sir Charles Lyell, the subject of our sketch followed up
the investigations of that distinguished geologist ; and, by way of
result, he forwarded to the Geological Society of London a pajjcr
on the lower carboniferous formations of Nova Scotia, which we
believe, with the exception of some trifles during his college resi-
dence at Edinburgh, was his earliest scientific contribution to any
literary society.

The fascinations of geological investigation excited on the mind
of Mr. Dawson their usual influence. Several papers were from time

150

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

to time i)rcpnrc(l nnd iniltlished in the last-mcntionctl journal. The
Govorninent of his native Province about this time availed itself of
Iiis services, by instructing him to execute a geological survey of
some of the coal fields of Nova Scotia. The report of this survey
will be found in the journals of the Assembly. This official notice
was not without its advantages. The explorer who is selected by
a Government, is likely to receive attention from bodies less dis-
tinguished ; and thus it was the authorities of Dalhousie College,
Halifax, re(iucsted Mr. Dawson to give a course of lectures on
natural history. JJeing delivered at the Ca]iital, and being more-
over well attended, they necessarily brought the lecturer into
personal intercourse with the literary and scientific residents, as
well as the official circle of that j)leasant city. The charming
gravity which characterises Princii)al Dawson's manner now, very
probably pervaded his manner then. It is not fanciful to sup-
pose that it was then, as now, accompanied with the most perfect
fluency of language, adding force to his speeches and grace
to his conversation. lie does not merely talk, he converses. It is
a social gift of, comparatively speaking, rare excellence, which most
men desire, but to which few attain. It is as much superior to mere
chattering as music is to noise. Language with him seems to wait
upon thought ; and no matter whether the occasion be trivial or
important, the right Avord always appears to be ready to fill the
right place. Possessing ac(|uircd knowledge and the natural habit
of clothing it aright, it occasioned no surprise that the Government
officials of Nova Scotia at once recognized the person of whom
they were a*^^ that time in special need. They, therefore, lost no
time in prevailing on Mr. Dawson to accept the newly created
office of Superintendent of Education. The duties were, it is true,
foreign to his experience, and, moreover, he had no wish then to
enter into public life. That he did not insist on his disinclination
to undertake the duty, must in part be ascribed to his natural
desire to be useful, and, if possible, to promote what is good.

■ill

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

161

The offer was uiKiucstionably flattering, ami it became more so hy rea-
son of the political prominency of the gentlemen by whom it was
made. lie did accept it, and with it the task of putting in operation
tho new school act of that Province. The duty became a study,
and its prosecution made him familiar with tho educational systems
of some of tho adjoining States of tho American Union, as well as
with the more comprehensive school system of Upper Canada.

During the three years he was thus employed, he not only pre-
sented to Parliament as many annual reports, traversed the Pro-
vince and delivered lectures innumerable, but ho prepared many
pamphlets, and especially published a work of marked merit and
great utility on the improvement of agriculture in his native Pro-
vince. Having fairly set tho machinery of the new system in
motion, and having, moreover, by tho establishment of a Normal
School, supplied what was lacking, he resigned the office in favor
of his successor, the present incumbent. In the midst of these
duties he collected the materials for his work on " Acadian
Geology," which was published in 1855. We may mention, too,
that on a second visit of Sir Charles Lyell, Mr. Dawson explored
with that eminent geologist the " South Joggins " section of Nova
Scotia ; and was solaced by discovering therein the first reptilian
remains found in the live freestone of America. This semi-official
connection Avith Sir Charles Lyell led to other and important con-
sequences, lie was introduced to Sir Edmund Head, the then
Lieut. Governor of New Brunswick. The appreciative powers of
that gifted gentleman enabled him to discover Mr. Dawson's liter-
ary and scientific value. This introduction must be regarded as
the first link in the chain of events which connected Mr. Dawson
with the appointment he now fills. The truth is, Sir Edmund
had made a personal discovery of great value, and he lost no time
in turning it to account. King's College, Fredericton, was out of
condition. Preliminary investigation was necessary to its present

152

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

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repair nnd future nuumgcniont. A commission was ajipointcd ; and
Mr. Dawson found liimself associated tlicrein Avith the Uevercnd
Dr. Kyerson and the Honorable Messrs. (Irey, Saunders, and
Brown. Of tlie rejiort itself it is not neeessaiy for ns to speak.

Mis Kxeelleney Sir Edmund Head was pnnnoted to the office of
Governor (ieneral of British North America, and his residence was
conrfecjuently transferred from Kredericton to the Canadian Seat of
(lovernmcnt. To one so capable of ^ivin;; advice, the (Jovernors
of McGill College ajijiealed for counsel, A>hen the duty devolved on
them of selecting a Principal for that University, and the occasion
afforded an opjjortunity io Sir Ednnuid o^ naming the subject of
our sketch for that importai-t office. The communication was, wo
believe, made by the Honorable Mr. Justice Day, and it was
received by jNIr. Dawson at Halifax, as he was about to embark for
England. The letter was acknowledged, but the offer was not, wo
believe, accepted nntil after his arrival in the " old country."

In these seasons of intercolonial courtesy, and with the prospect
of more intercolonial intercourse, it is })leasing to note that the
rrincii)al of one of our prominent Universities represents a contri-
bution made, so to speak, by Nova Scotia to Canada, the property
of the former Province by birth, and of the latter by adoi)tion.
How thoroughly Princijjal Dawson has adapted himself to his new
home and his new duties are matters of knowledge to many and of
observation to all. Shunning notoriety for its own sake, ho has
found his pleasures in his duty, — to the fulfilment of which duty,
all uis energies, intellectual and physical, have, wo believe, been
unceasingly devoted. College work all day, and work enough too,
such work as wayward youth may not intermit, such work as mature
manhood must not leave undone ; close, exacting, continuous work,
such as a hurrying, progressive age requires to be done, and done
speedily. The picture of a College master is not only a picture of
continuous toil, but it is an illustration of 'strong contrasts. The
gravity of authority and the levity of obedience meet together, the

^iW't

J. WILLIAM DAWriON, LL.D.

15JJ

HonoiiHiicss of a^o atul the tli(»u;^litlc'ssn(>s.H of yi)utli ; comh'mod
work Jiiid S(»litiii'y study arc eontiminlly l»r<»u;i;Iit into juxtajKwitioii,
The cariu'st toachcr must ho an anhious teacher. His real eon-
8C'ioucc ami tlie nietaphorical raek will .sonietiujes exiierieneo
stran^^o t'l'llowship. Caro and thou;^ht must in his miiul keep fami-
liar company. Fiducation. as intori>reted hy him, must insoparahly
bo associated with all instruction, whether physical or intellectual,
moral or religious. It represents the business of a life, f )r it
begins, or should begin, at the cradle, and ends (»nly at the grave.
Tho most perilous portion of these extreme periods is precisely that
portion in which youth, wearing " its light and careless livery,"
capricious as spring time, and bright as a May morning, becomes
the charge and property of collegiate rule, the s\ibjt'ct of C'cjllege
discipline, and we may add the plague and aflliction of College
masters. Tho sul)ject of our sketch could not if he would, and
would not if he coidd, treat lightly such grave resiHUi.sibilities.
The Principal, the tutors and tho scholars, represent the three
parts of ono whole, the treble lines which converge to one thought,
meet in one hope, and melt in one })raycr that the University with
which they are associated may bo really, what it is descri))ed to
bo boastfully, a school of discipline, an abode of morals, a home
of learning, a source of pride, not only to the English comnnniity
of Lower Canada, but to all the inhabitants of British America.

The subject of natural history is, as wc have already stated, a
special attraction to Professor Dawson, and it is not, therefore, a
matter of much surprise that he shoidd have fonnd himself sympa-
thetically drawn towards those persons in the Montreal comnnniity
who share alike his studies and his tastes. The wonder is that
amidst such various and exacting duties he should have found lei-
sure to attend to the aftairs of the Natural History Society of
Montreal, and to contribute interesting papers to its Journal, inclu-
ding ono entitled, " the Air Breathers of the Coal Period in Nova
Scotia." And, as if it were not enough to minister pleasure and

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154

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

instruction to a locality, we find the Principal, we had almost said,
stealing time to contribute papers of considerable length on geolo-
gical, zoological, and botanical subjects to various scientific societies
in London and elsewhere ; and these papers, we iiay add, generally
contain a large amount of original research, while one of them may
be regarded, especially by Canadian geologists, as a kind of " Gold
Medal " contribution, for it illustrates for the first time the exist-
ence of animal remains in the Laurentian rocks of Canada. This
remarkable fossil, which is the subject of the pamphlet, has, by Sir
William Logan, been named " Eozoon Canadense." Such papers
to the general reader will probably appear dry and unattractive.
It is, however, a point in their favor that they are written in lan-
guage so simple, and yet so exact as to fascinate ignorance, and
go far to advance a mere neophyte into a scientific enthusiast.

In his earlier history, and for the advantage of his fellow-coun-
trymen in Nova Scotia, Principal Dawson published a work on
" Elementary Agriculture." More recently he has issued another
work on the same subject, but of a more advanced character, enti-
tled " Scientific Agriculture." The latter work has been adopted
by the authorities, and has taken a place in the official series of
Canadian School books. If it be true that he is a public
bjnefactor who succeeds in teaching his countrymen how to grow
two blades of grass where only one grew before, then a pedestal in
reversion, and something else in possession, should, we think, be set
apart for the author of these two works. Were their valuo ex-
perimentally tested and fairly applied ; then vjould the heart of
the husbandman have more reason to rejoice as he garnered the
rewards of his labor, and " filled his barns with all manner of plea-
sant stores."

But other and higher studies had engaged the attention of Prin-
cipal Dawson. Lesc in the deep sea of science faith should lose
her anchorage and drift hopelessly amidst unfathomable waters, or
helplessly towards the shoals and quicksands of infidelity — lest

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

155

-lest

the Book of Nature should usurp undue authority and acquire the
mastery of the Book of God, we find the subject of our sketch with
earnest lowliness of mind calling back his thoughts, analysing princi-
ples, comparing and examining theories, and baptizing his conclusions
afresh at the fountain of his faith. " There must" — we can ima^ne
the Christian scholar to exclaim — "there must be aflSnity and
relationship between Divine Philosophy and Natural Science. The
literature of the depths beneath must articulate the language of the
heavens above. There must be unison in the ascending and de-
scending voices. Man may fail to hear aught, or falter in applying
their speech, nevertheless the language of the sanctuary must not
be silenced by the language of the rocks. The Revelation which
informs him of " the beginning" must not be set aside by the dis-
coveries which instruct him of the progress of time. The chronicle
of creation must not be made void by the story of decay. The
wisdom of God as revealed in his word must not be challenged by
the power of God as disclosed in his works. Science must illustrate,
and not subvert truth. Man may at present lack the ability to
harmonize and reconcile facts which nevertheless are susceptible of
harmony and reconciliation. He may see " only in part" through
" a glass," and as yet but " darkly," yet the fervor of his faith
should rise, and if he be instructed aright, will rise superior to the
frailty of his reason. He may discern by the light of that indwell-
ing spirit which the Creator has implanted, that knowledge was not
given to extinguish faith. The messages of science are designed to
establish aud not to destroy the message of truth. The light which
illumines the train of modern discovery would indeed be darkness
if it should extinguish His revelation who is the source of light. The
realms of nature would be peopled with evil if their study should
disqualify the inquirer from investigating higher mysteries in the
realms of grace. Such considerations as these may have prompted
Principal Dawson to publish, in our estimation at all events, the most
interesting of all his works. The subject of that work is unques-

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tionably an old fashioned one, and perhaps tliis fact occurred to the
author when he chose for its name an obsolete word. The Book
is entitled "Archaia" or " Studies of tlie Cosmogony avid Natural
History of the Hebrew Scriptures." It is dedicated to the Right
Honorable Sir Edmund Walker Head in testimony, the writer adds,
of " the most sincere respect and of gratitude for personal kindness."
The author, as we understand him, does not seek dogmatically
to establish a scheme of reconciliation between Geology and the
Scriptures. He has not allowed himself to be betrayed into an
error in Avhich we think he fell in an earlier pamphlet on the
" Testimony of the Holy Scriptures respecting wine and strong
drink," of attempting to prove too much ; on the contrary, his argu-
ments are put suggestively, but with such force and satisfi.ction as
enables him to deduce from the whole subject the critical summary
" that the Bible has nothing to dread from the revelations of Geo-
logy, but much to hop? in the way of elucidation of its meaning and
confirmation of its truth." On the contrary, it fears no investiga-
tion and declines no discussion. Indeed it courts both. " While sci-
ence" says a modern Divine, the Iloyal preacher Hamilton, " is
fatal to superstition, it is fortification to a Scriptural faith. The
Bib^e is the bravest of books. Coming from God, and conscious of
nothing but God's truth, it awaits the progress of knowledge with
calm serenity. It Avatches the anti(juary ransacking among classic
ruins, and rejoices in every model he discovers, and every inscription
he deciphers, for from that rusty coin, or corroded marble, it expects
nothing but confirmation of its own veracity. In the unlocking of
an Egyptian hieroglyphic, or the unearthing of some ancient imple-
ment, it hails the resurrection of so many Avitnesses. With spark-
lins elation it follows the botanist as he scales Mount Lebanon, or the
zoologist as he makes acquaintance with the beasts of the Syrian
desert, or the traveller as he stumbles on a long lost Petra, or Nine-
veh, or Babylon. And from the march of time it fears no evil, but
calmly abides the fulfilment of those prophecies and the forthcoming

J. WILLIAM DAWSON, LL.D.

167

81'

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of tlioso events with whose predicted story inspiration has already
inscribed its page. It is not light hut darkness which the Bible
deprecates ; and if men of piety were also men of science, and if
men of science were to search the Scriptures, there would be more
faith on the earth and also more philosophy."

The subjects associated with Principal Dawson's duties and history
are alike interesting and instructive. We could willingly blot many
a page with the crude ill-shapen thoughts which arise to our mind
and grow about our sketch with a kind of ivy like verdure. But
alas ! in a very humble way we too have to deal with space, and
being moved by the obligations which lie on us, our notings must
be brought to a close. Before doing so, however, we must add that
the name and fame of Principal Dawson are by no means con-
fined to the British American Provinces. Besides being a gra-
duate of Edinburgh, he is a Fellow of the Royal Society, of the
Geological Society, of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and of the American Philosophical Society. He is also an Hono-
rary Member of the Botanical Society of Canada, and of the Natu-
ral History Society of New Brunswick ; and as if these did not suffice,
he is Corresponding Member of the Academy of Natural Sciences
of Philadelphia, as well as of the Natural History Society of
Portland. The alphabet might almost consider itself aggrieved at
the duty of supplying so many initial letters in the shape of tribute
to one person's name. There is still another honor which cannot
be indicated by an initial, but which, as we happen to be acquainted
with the fact, we may mention for the special benefit of our fair and
curious readers. Principal Dawson is not a bachelor ! During an
eventful Avinter spent at Edinburgh he found time — it is his habit to
find time for everything — to fall into captivity, and to marry IMarga-
rct, the daughter of G. Mercer, Esq., a resident of that famous city.

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THE

HONORABLE JAMES FERRIER

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When wisdom and energy meet in the same person, we may fairly
look for a career marked with sagacity, if not croAvncd witli success.
The truth is that those great qualities do not commonly dAvell
together. Not because they are foreign to one another in prin-
ciple, but because they seem to be somewhat alien in their habits,
and show little willingness to abide quietly in the same breast.
Doubtless there is room, and the presence of both need not have
the effect of making either uncomfortable. Keflection, which is the
parent of wisdom, should precede action, just as science, which is
the " perfection of genius," should precede art. One enquires, the
other applies. They are equally the necessary as well as the natu-
ral progenitors of great results. It is, however, to be observed in
common life that prudence and enterprise, thrift and speculation,
which are other names for the above mentioned properties, do not
usually go hand in hand. Indeed they not unfrequently counteract
and oppose one another. Sometimes, too, the mere reputation of
possessing a certain quality is accepted for the quality itself. A
man, for example, who has acquired a repute for wisdom will not
unfrequently be content to sacrifice the quality rather than lose
the reputation of possessing it. Such a person must necessarily be
tattooed all over with caution. Rather than make a false step, such
an one would persistently perform the " goose step." Rather than
go forward, he would contentedly " mark time," and any advance
on compulsion would speedily be arrested by the nervous connuand

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nON. JAMES FERRIER.

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" as you were !" But on the other liand energy, without wisdom,
must ho rogardod as an unquiet macliino, which imffs and palpitates
in a dati^crous way, all rattle and no rest, excruciating in its pro-
gress, and exjtlosivo in its end. Tiie inherent power which iinpela
a person, and which wo call energy, will bo apt to expend itself
in mischief, unless it bo united to wisdom, and bo made subject
to its control. Thus, then, we may moralize that wisdom without
action is little better than folly in disguise, and that action without
wisdom is little better than mischief run mad.

The judicious combination of these qualities in tho same person
goes far towards tho formation of the character, which in all the
relations of life we seek for, and seek more often than we find.
The master seeks for it in the servant. Tho bishop seeks for it in
the priest. The prince seeks for it in the general. The nation
seeks for it in tho ruler ; and the capitalist seeks for it in the
trader. It is the type of that appreciated class which, in our Eng-
lish system, find congenial employment, and render good service ;
and whom, for the want of a better name, we designate " practical
men," — men who do not act in utter disregard of reason, or reason
so closely tliat all action is reduced to a condition of paralysis.

The Honorable Mr. Fcrrier is a representative of this serviceable
class, and we think it will be found that he has, by private indivi-
duals and by public companies, by municipal corporations and by
successive governments, been regarded as the repository of safe
opinions and sound judi^.nent. He has often been selected for the
management of grave duties, under the full assurance that ho
would attempt nothing which overreached the measure of his abil-
lity to perform. Tho heathen maxim, " Know thyself!" is a
maxim which Mr. Ferrier has studied elsewhere than in heathen
temples. He has studied it, not only for his own advantage, but
also for the advantage of the community in which he has lived.
Therefore it his come to pass that his private ventures and public
services have provoked few other feelings than those of respect
and approval.

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HON. JAMES FERRIER.

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With tlio (lisadvautagos of comparatively humble l)irth and only
a common school education, Mr. Fcrricr had the great good luck to
be born on the north side of the Tweed, and wo have the authority
of Dr. Johnson for the opinion that much can bo made of a Scots-
man if " ho is only caught young !" Mr. Ferrier paid the century
the neat compliment of entering into tic world in the first year of its
history, on the 22nd October, 1800. Having been educated and
brought up in one of the rural parishes of Fifeshiro, he was sent
at an early age to Perth, where he served his ai)prentiecship to
commerce. On completing his indentures he sagaciously determined
that new countries offered more inducements than old ones to those
who, like himself, possessed little besides their youth, their charac-
ter, and their talents. In 1821 he left Scotland for Canada. On
arriving at Quebec, " that ancient capital" did not attract him, for
he lost no time in pushing his way to Montreal, where, accepting
suitable emiAoyment, ho addressed himself to the business of prac-
tically studying the mysteries of Canadian trade. Eighteen months
sufficed for this duty, for at the expiration of that time he felt him-
self strong enough to commence busi'.icss on his own responsibility.
At the very outset of his career we detect the evidence of sound
judgment as well as of a self reliant character. To the surprise
of his friends, he turned aside from the ordinary thoroughfares
" where traffickers did congregate," and rented a private house in
Notre Dame Street, which he converted into a store. He not
only saw his own way, but ho also saw the direction which trade
would take in the city. He was thus the first to commence busi-
ness in a street in which, in that day, every house was a private
dwelling, and at this day every house is a public store, lie suc-
ceeded so well, that at the expiration of twelve years he was ena-
bled to retire into private life, the possessor of a very enviable
competency.

While he had been diligently engaged in making a fortune for
himself, other people had been occupied in forming their opinion of

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162

JION. JAMES FKRHILU.

hini, mid tliua it was tliat tlio shrowtl company of proprietors who were
e.stal)li.sliin<^ the Bank of British North America in Canada, lost no
time in re(ivieHting Mr. Ferrier to accept tlio office of director to
that ^roat moneyed histitution, an appointment ho still continncs
t<» till. For the same reason, on the incorporation of the Montreal
Assurance Company, ho was elected president, an office he held
for the space of six years.

Thon;^h conciliatory iji his disposition and disposed naturally to
live peaceably with all men, his ])rinciples of loyalty and duty were
and are, immutably fixed. When the unhappy troubles of 18i:]7-8
arose ho had no hesitancy in choosing hid part. There was no
halting between two opinions, for he had but one. lie shouldered
his nuisket, and stood firmly then, as now, for his Queen and country,
and consequently for British rule in Canada. Though wo are some-
what anticii)ating the course of events, wo may mention another
illustration of this particular point of his character. Several years
afterwards, when a Bill Avas introduced by his political leader and
carried through the Legislative Assembly, for abolishing the right
of appeal, in civil matters, to the Queen in Council, Mr. Ferrier
did not hesitate to oppose it in the Upper House of Parliament,
and with such success as to cause its defeat. He regarded the
measure as inimicable to British usage, and destructive of one of
the cherished rights of a British subject. In utter disregard of
the ci[uarter whence it proceeded, he judged it on its merits, and on
his motiini the Legislative Council rejected the Bill.

lii 1 841 Mr. Ferrier was appointed one of the members of the
Municipal Council of the city of Montreal, where ho found conge-
nial occupation in promoting the improvements of the city. As
Chairman of the Fire Committee he was enabled to initiate measures
for the ])etter security of the persons and property of the inhabitants.
In 1844 when the Council became elective he was returned as
Alderman for the East Ward, which is noteworthy, as it shewed the
esteem in which he was held by the inhabitants of that section of

HON. JAMES FKRRIKH.

1G3

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the city, who were almost cxchisivoly of French Canniliau origin.
In 1h4') ho was elected Mayor of ^Fontreal.

Wlien fiHinj^ the ofticoof Mayor lie had occasion to visit Quebec,
and tims it clianced that he was present when tho terrihle firo
occurred which laid in ashes tho whole of the jiopidous suburb
of St. Koch. Such a calamity was enou«;h to touch any heart.
It stirred Mr. Ferrier's to its utmost depths. He returne(l to
Montreal occupied only with one thou>fht. lie hail no difHculty
in determinin;j; what ought to bo done. He was onb pc/nlcxed
as to the mode of doing it. lie waited on tho thou (Juvernor
General, tho liberal and large-hearted Lord Metcalfe. It was
not difficult for two generous men to understand one another. Ono
had witnessed tho homeless misery of toil thousand peoi»le, the
other could feel for tho wretchedness though he had been S])arcd
the sight of it. With Lord Metcalfe sympathy did not evaporate
in words or waste itself away in unavailing tears. The Governor
and the Mayor agreed that something should be done, and at once.
One of the mos*^^ remarkable relief funds of modern times was com-
menced then, and there, Lord Metcalfe heading the subscription
list with a contribution of 'ii(2000. Thus encouraged, the Mayor,
in his own energetic way, immediately took the course of wisdom.
Having obtained the use of the Commons House of Assembly for
the pur[iose, ho convened a public meeting. Ho there made a simi)le,
straightforward statement of the miseries he had seen. No fiction
colored his representation, — fancy painting was unnecessary, — the
calamity was of too stern a character to need decorative art.
Suffice it to say, that he managed his own duties and the people
present so admirably, as to secure before he left the Chair, subscrip-
tions to the amount of f 40,000.

In 1840 during the discussion of the Oregon question, Mr.
Ferrier received his commission of Licut.-Colonel in the Militia.
Recognizing the fact that the gracious favor of the Sovereign should
be acknowledged by the active fealty of the subject, he immediately

164

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

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set to work to recover an influence which, as it turned out, ho had
never lost. Having received authority to that effect, Mr. Ferrier
called a meeting of the Firemen of Montreal, who, at his request,
enrolled themselves under his command as a volunteer regiment of
700 strong. For many yeara this regiment continued to be in a
highly effective state of discipline, satisfied with themselves, which
is not surprising, but, what was more to the point, satisfied with
their Commander also.

In 1847 Mr. Ferrier was called by royal mandamus to a seat in
the Honorable the Legislative Council, in the proceedings of which
body he has always taken a very active part. His value as a
member of select or standing Committees has, we believe, passed
into a proverb ; in such cases and on such occasions his manifold
experiences are said to be of great practical value.

In the year 1845 Mr. Ferrier was appointed a member of the
Board of the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning.
It was about this time that from various untoward causes the affairs
of McGill College, as well as the College itself, entered upon a
phase of serious embarrassment. Education was suspended, and
we hope we do not state what is incorrect by adding that payment
was suspended too. Matters were seriously complicated from the
absence of harmony among the teachers and the absence of money
in the chest. In fact, there was an educational and financial crisis.
Clamor in the College, clamor in the newspapers, clamor in the
streets, ubiquitous clamor and illusive cash. To silence the one
and provide the other the Government of the day issued a commis-
sion under the Great Seal, and appointed the subject of our sketch
to the office of Chairman. They imposed no restriction, for they
felt persuaded that the object of their choice would avoid the theo-
logical and academical, and only deal with the financial and pro-
perty difficulties into which the College had drifted. Acting
on the maxim that to make an institution healthy you must
first make it prosperous, and to make it prosperous you must

nON. JAME3 FERRIER.

165

secure for it a revenue, Mr. Ferrier and the gentlemen who
were associated with him went heartily to work, and, by husband-
ing the resources and profitably disposing of the property, they
managed to pay the debts of the College and help it materially
towards its present useful and efficient state. In aiding the College
they had the opportunity of selling the " Burnside property,"
which had been comparatively an unremunerative burden to the
institution, as well as an obstinate barrier to the extension of the
city. When the inhabitants of Montreal talk complacently of
the westerly progress of the " commercial capital," they would do
well to supplement their observations with the question. " to whose
sagacity are we chiefly indebted for this beneficial result ?" They
need not, we incline to think, enquire far to find a personal answer
to the general question.

Mr. Ferrier appears not only to know what duty to accept,
but — and it is a greater evidence of self-knowledge — he knows
also what duty to decline. He has the gift so idly prayed for by
his countryman —

" Of seeing himself as others see him 1 "

and consequently he escapes the discomfort of being seen to disad-
vantage. Subjects, for instance, of finance and property manage-
ment, are subjects with which he is experimentally as well as
theoretically acquainted. There is, therefore, no presumption in
his undertaking, to use his own masculine figure of speech, to
" grapple with them." Having, by good management and great
industry, overcome the financial and property difficulties of McGill
College, and raised the institution from a very depressed condition,
to a condition sufficiently prosperous to justify a vigorous prose-
cution of the work of education, Mr. Ferrier found himself sud-
denly required to deal with a new question, which, Avith great
honesty of mind, he declined to approach. The new college work
required for its performance new college masters. These masters

166

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

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■vvero to be chosen by the board of which Mr. Forrier was the
chairman. From the responsibility of this duty Mr. Fcrrier sought
to be relieved; the natural frankness of his disposition prompt-
ing him to plead inexperience as a reason for declining respon-
sibility. As, however, he did not desire to separate himself
from the interests of the College, Mr. Fcrrier suggested to Gov-
ernment the expediency of appointing the Honorable Mr. Jus-
tice Day to the position he desired to vacate, and allow him—
Mr. Fervicr — to assume a subordinate, and, at the same time,
more laborious as well as a less distinguished, position, his sole wish
being "to serve." High principle possesses a fixed value of its
own, irrespective of rank and station. History has marked, with
especial approval, occasions where individuals have sacrificed pri-
vilege to service, or have made thci)- owi' interests subordinate to
those of the commonwealth. The ro^ai jyj)lier, " Ich Dion," is
the text of a narrative which avc would on no account lose. Yet it
cannot be doubted that the history it preserves is chiefly instruc-
tive because it shews in what way rank was exalted by abasement,
and how it is that the highest distinctions may consist with the
lowliest service ; for in the words of the wise king, " Before honor
is humility."

Humility and its opposite, pride ; though not always transparent
qualities, are frequently found to exist in great purity where they
are least expected. In their higher types they c'oosc a condition
of retirement, and only permit themselves to be oL-in }d on s})ecial
occasions. The former is a virtue which is constitut; . ally averse
to exposure. The latter is a weapon which courts privacy, and is
only to be discovered on provocation. With the travesties of these
qualities we have nothing to do. Tiio humility, for example, which
is happy to be a worm, and to prove it by a text, is only a loath-
some form of moral degradation which has vonity for its root.
And the vanity which sprouts out of and sprea<"'b over the charac-
ters of weak men like a fungus, is as foreign to pride as it is to

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

167

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virtue. There are swarms of sickening satires on all excellencies ;
our business is only to appropriate -what is pure.

Mr. Ferrier may, in all probability, possess a fair share of pride.
Ill-bred persons may discover its existence, just as curious ones
may find out whether a bee has a sting. We have had occasion
to refer to Mr. Ferrier's humility of mind, which is instructively
graceful, since it informs us how men may acquire honor by declin-
ing honors.

But neither pride nor humility are the conspicuous traits of Mr.
Ferrier's character. Both would, as one did, appear should occa-
sion call for them ; but they are not the marks by which he is
best recognized. The casual observer would note his activity and
energy of character, the raciness of his disposition and the quick-
ness of his thought ; for Mr. Ferrier is as sharp and as bright as a
surgeon's lancet. But it must be remarked that his quickness is
the quickness of knowledge, and not the quickness of rashness.
He is only sharp when he thinks he is sure. He is only bold when
he believes himself to be right. He neither affects knowledge nor
ignorance ; for he is alike candid in either case. He lioncstly
declines to express opinions on subjects he does not affect to un-
derstand ; and, with the like honesty, he refuses to act when he
is not instructed in the principles which should govern action.
Thus in his connection with McGill College, he heartily undertook
duties which he understood, and as heartily declined duties of which
he had no experience.

Bright and cheerful in temperament, Mr. Ferrier is frank and
outspoken by habit and inclination. His political friends and his
political opponents know exactly where they will find him. Generous
himself, his conduct is marked by generosity to others. Successful
in his own career, ho is Avithout jealousy at the success of others ;
and appears always willing to stretch a helping hand to the strug-
gler. Hopeful and sanguine, he never desponds when other people
despair. He prefers the telescope to the microscope ; for it is more

168

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

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congenial to his mind to behold glories in the distance than to see
difficulties on the spot. Therefore it is, that through good report
and through evil report, through storm and shine, he has been an
earnest, ardent advocate of what is called the railway policy of the
country. Before the great lines of communication were under-
taken as matters of national concern, hd initiated a small line as a
matter of local interest. The Montreal and Lachine Railway was,
wo believe, projected by him ; and, we may add, that it was carried
out under liis direction with such energy and success, that within
seven months after its commencement it Avas reported to be ready
for use. Again, at the most critical perio'd in the history of the
Grand Trunk llailway Company, he was elected to be one of the
directors. If in his new position he found congenial employment,
he also discovered occupation of a most exacting and responsible
kind. Were it proper to pry into the history of his management
of the affairs of that Company, we are inclined to think that our
impression of tlic importance of his services would bo abundantly
confirmed. That the Company set a high value on them, may be
inferred from the fact, that Mr. Ferrier is now the chairman of
the Canada board. Tact and management arc best seen in emer-
gencies. Steadiness and ability are better tested in the crisis of
difficulty than during the current of success.

No doubt Mr. Ferrier has certain fixed views on public policy —
still we incline to think those views are more general than precise.
He would, Ave suppose, be accounted a party man, and yet he is
not so, in the extreme sense of the term. It would be distasteful
to him to vote from the " cross benches " because he would not
like to censure his political friends by his act. Still, if the ques-
tion clearly lay between the claims of his conscience and the claims
of his party, the former, at all events, would not be stained by his
default. Mr. Ferrier, like most of the members of the Legislative
Council, has, we think, no personal ambition to gratify. He is indif-
ferent to office, and only cares about power as a means to an end.

' ii

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

169

[cisc.
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the end being the advancement of the Province in virtue, wealth,
and fame. Ho believes v'lat these great objects can be arrived at
by union among ourselves, by union with our fellow-colonists of the
Lower Provinces, and above all, by indissoluble union with the
Mother Country. Loyalty to the British Crown is with Mr. Fer-
rier not only a pleasing sentiment but a fixed opinion, an opinion
deliberately and thoughtfully arrived at — the result alike of obser-
vation and comparison. Li the debate in the Legislative Council on
Confederation, Mr. Ferricr is reported touchingly and eloquently
to have said, that when he came of age he choose Canada for his
country, — we quote his words : " I have now lived in it, (Canada)
for forty-four years. I have been identified with the progress ot its
institutions, of those, at any rate, of Lower Canada, and particu-
larly of Montreal « * * I have, during those years, also
travelled over a large part of Europe. I have travelled, too, over
parts of Asia and Africa. I bave seen people under monarchical
governments, some of them tolerably prosperous, otliers of them
less so. I have seen people under despotic governments, some of
them pretty comfortable, others crushed down to the lowest depths
of slavery. I have seen republican governments in Europe, and
of course I have seen the great republic on this Continent. I have
seen people, too, living under the government of the Church. But
I have seen no people like those living under the government of
Great Britain, or enjoying such perfect freedom and such complete
prr.t, ion for life and property, as those living under the Flag of
Old England." No wonder the members of that high minded Council
are reported to have cried in this place " hear, hear." There is a
hearty crispness about the words which made them relishing, and
they were spoken too, by one who "knew whereof he affirmed."
Mr. Ferrier clenched his confession of experience with the manly
avowal, — we again quote his words: " Had I my choice to make
to-day after an experience of forty-four years, I should still choose
Canada as my home."

170

HON. JAMES FEBRIER.

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If Mr. Forrier has not exactly

" With expansive view
Survey'd mankind, from China to Peru,"

he appears to have missed no opportunity of seeing a good deal of
the world and its inhabitants. Nor does it appear that he travelled
merely for personal gratification. He saw much, and made notes
of Avhat he saw, and having stamped those notes in the mint of his
own mind, he gave them circulation among his friends in his return
to Canada. He enjoyed as well as saw, for constitutionally he has
no disposition to be miserable. But new scenes and fresh delights
did not, apparently, disturb the direction of his thoughts. Attracted
by the magnetic influence of Canada, they always pointed to Mon-
treal. Like Goldsmith's traveller, he might have said —

" Where'er I roam, wliatcver reahiis to see,
My heart untravoll'd fondly turns to thee."

His homeward bound thoughts took a practical as well as a poet-
ical turn. As a tourist in the East, he remembered amidst his
festival of observation his friends in the West, and he determined
with characteristic generosity to carry back Avith him souvenirs of
the lands he had seen. The list of relics from Egypt, given by Mr.
Ferricr to the Natural History Society of Montreal, would fill
several pages of our work, and cannot be inserted here. Among
those gifts are mummies and portions of mummies, as well as fossilized
crocodiles. We wonder wiietlier the latter long-headed things sagely
considered the Sphinx when it was young, or winked with Avanton
familiarity at the workmen on the Pyramids ! We are afraid that
in his zeal for Montreal, Mv. Ferrier must have practiced a little
contraband business in Egypt. If our impression be correct, mum-
mies, like gunpowder in disturbed times, are prohibited by the
Pasha as articles of exportation. But notwithstanding the
prohibition, Mr. Ferrier did, we suppose, not only bring his
western energy' ^o bear on eastern taciturnity, but he must also,
with much sagacity, have found a member of the Egyptian oppo_

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

171

sition in the person of a Custom House officer, who did not approve
of the Pasha's policy of protection. This Janizary free-trader,
through whose intervention the little transaction was arranged,
must have been judiciously managed, for the interdicted exports
arrived safely at Montreal, much to the satisfaction of the giver
and the Society which received the gift.

One who is always thinking kindly of his friends and neigh-
bors, will be apt to be remembered kindly by them ; therefore, as
well as for his personal fitness, Mr. Ferricr has on different occasions
been elected President of the St. Andrew's Society of ^lontreal.
He has also, but for higher reasons, been elected President of
several of the religious societies of Montreal, Avhich arc connected
with various denominations of Protestants.

Wo have expressed the opinion, that Mr. Ferricr is a very fair
representative of that large claas of quiet people whose evenly
balanced minds, and lives of steady useful service, have won for
them the designation of " practical men." Such persons being
moved by high considerations as well as ordinary laws, — by the
desire to do good moral work as well as good material work, — by
the hope to promote tlie higher objects of our creation as well as
the e very-day interests of life, will scarcely be able to carry on
their good deeds by stealth. They will miss the retirement they
court ; for we shall assuredly catch glimpses of them in the by-
ways of benevolence. We shall see how deftly they suit action
to need, with what felicity of touch they not only do well, but
do good. The person who may not possess the " gift of tongues,"
by which man is moved, may, nevertheless, be endowed with the
grace of charity by which children are attracted. And this endow-
ment is a double blessing : it is wealth alike to the owner and the
object. To the former it is fruitful in happiness ; to the latter it is
fruitful in benefit. It peoples the path of one with bright,
white-winged thoughts, born of innocence and youth, — thoughts
which take note of the lives, and devise plans for the happiness of

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172

HON. JAMES FERRIER.

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children. It moves from the path of the other the stones and
stumbling blocks that might otherwise hurt the youthful traveller.
Mr. Ferrier has, we believe, from the period of his first arrival in
Canada, assiduously labored for the happiness of youth. What
was commenced from a sense of duty, has been continued from
feelings of delight. For forty-five years he has been the earnest
advocate of Sunday-schools, as well as a diligent teacher of
Sunday-school children, and we may add that for thirty of those
years ho has been a Sunday-school Superintendent. It might be
interesting, were this work the place for such details, to give some
information on the progress of Sunday-schools in Montreal, but
such statistics must be sought for elsewhere. The subject,
however, is so intimately associated with Mr. Ferricr's career,
that we cease to wonder, that, on festivals and anniversaries, he
speaks with authority, and is listened to with attention. On this
subject he might with truth say, in the language of Shakespeare :

*' I have labored,
And with no little study, that my teaching.
And the strong course of my authority,
May go one way." '

In early life Mr. Ferrier was, we believe, connected with the
Church of Scotland, but many years since he joined the Wcsleyan
Methodist body, of which he is a zealous as Avell as a prominent
member. lie was, in 1846, selected to lay the corner stone of the
large Wesleyan Church at Montreal. Here again his zeal and
energy Avcre alike valuable and conspicuous. Many persons ob-
served the time and trouble he ungrudgingly gave to that work,
but none were informed of the amount of his private offerings.
Could " the stone out of the Avail speak," or could " the beam out
of the timber answer it," they would probably explain how largely
that fine structure is indebted for its existence to the gifts, the con-
tributions, and the sacrifices of the generous subject of our sketch.

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THE

RIGHT REVEREND JEAN JACQUES LARTIdUE,

yinST BOMA» CATIIOMO BIMIIOP OV MUNTllEAL.

Monsieur Jacques Lartioue, doctor of medicine, and a resi-
dent of Montreal, Avliispcrcd his love vows to Mdlc. Marguerite
Chcrrier, a maiden of that city who was not averse to matrimony.
It is a long time ago, probahly little less than one hundred years,
since the moon heard, and repeated to the listening earth, the new,
the old, the ever- recurring story of human love. Church and k^tate
unite with one another in keeping registers of marriage, but
neither Church nor State deem it to be their duty to kce}) registers
of courtship. No note is taken of the phases of that gentle condi-
tion which precedes the critical and indissoluble period when young
men and maidens, like Juno's swans, take the tide together, and,
" coupled and inseparable," glide down the stream of time. How
long this period of conventional bliss in the instance before us was
permitted to last wo cannot tell ; but we hope we do the maidens of
those critical times no wrong in surmising that brevity in such matters
was as popular then as now, and that she, the gentle Marguerite
Chcrrier, was quite as willing as arc her rcpresentaiives of the pro-
sent day to qualify herself by marriage to share the solitude she
thought " so strange," and towards which, in the person of the young
doctor, she " felt so pitiful." They married. Ho pursued, we have
no doubt, with diligence, the duties of his profession, and she, we may
presume, attended with industry to the cares of the house. The
times were stirring times, and the subjects whereon people con-

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174

RIGHT REV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIGUE.

versed were sufficiently exciting. In the minds of some, memory
was embittered with the recollections of the past ; in the minds of
others, hope was clouded by the uncertainties of the future. The
old flag of the Bourbons was folded up and put away, like sacred
tears, among the treasured relics of humiliation. The ne v flag had
not yet lost its blood stains, or the marks of the battle-field where-
on those stains were won.

There were many subjects of France then resident in Canada who
had not adapted themselves to the new political condition, whose
lips had pronounced no words of fealty to England, whose hands
liad subscribed no new oath of allegiance. The rose to them Avas
obnoxious, and its fragrance distasteful, for it symbolized wounds
and suffering. The white lilies, on the contrary, though broken
and death-stained, -were still perfumed with the breath of France.
Two years before the period at which our sketch opens, the Revo-
lutionary war had commenced which ended in the independence of
the United States. Past and passing events furnished subjects
enough of conversation, for there was plenty of news abroad. The
young doctor must have gathered much gossip in his round of pro-
fessional duty, and no doubt the domestic and foreign chit-chat
with which he enlivened his home went far to reconcile him and his
wife to the childless lot which appeared to be theirs. Years had
passed away since their marriage. Those years were rife with
interest to the country, but they were laden with loneliness to
them. The world and their home were strangely contrasted : one
was full of strife, the other was painfully still. The doctor and his
wife had well nigh ceased to think that little feet would ever patter
in their passages, that child voices would ever break the silence of
their house, or that any human lips would fashion for them the
endearing words " Father," " Mother." Years had elapsed, years
of hope deferred, and one of the purposes of marriage remained
unfulfilled, for their coronet of love was only " an emj ty crown."

The year 1770 had passed its autumn tide when there arose in

RIGHT REV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIGUE.

175

thc heart of the childless wife that sense of deep, mysterious syni.
pathy which is said to possess the soul when hope melts into joy.
At such a moment it would probably be as difficult to conceal,
as to express emotion. The dawn of the holiest love of which our
nature is capable, the love of a mother for her child, had just
broken, and she on whom the new li^ht fell welcomed it as a bcni-
son from on high. Her humble piety and christian knowledge had
taught her how women of old time, in the church of the first Testa-
ment, had received blessing for faith, and therefore it was that she
accounted herself divinely favored, when, on the 20th Juno, 1777,
a son was born to her, whom, with reverent humility of mind, she
rcirarded as a " child from the Lord."

Jean Jacques — for such were the names which the infant
Lartiguc received at his baptism — was nurtured with much c:\rc,
and educated with great circumspection. Evidences of more than
ordinary intelligence developed themselves in his tender age. llis
sayings were treasured like sacred lore, and tenderly kept in his
mother's heart. When he entered the Seminary of St. Sul})ice,
Montreal, he was remarked as a boy of more than common promise.
Nor were those high expectations doomed to disappointment. lie
passed his class examinations with such satisfaction, that his parents
were enabled, when he was yet very young, to send him to the
College at Quebec, where in due time his education was fini.'<hod.
In the midst of those higher studies which occupied him there, young
Lartigue had the misfortune to lose his father by death. This grief
not only aftccted him deeply at the time, but it is thouglit it also had
the eifect of giving a serious inclination to his life. At the age of
sixteen he left the College, and was articled as a student at law. As a
youth, it was remarked that he possessed a fticulty of speaking
amounting, even at that age, to oratorical power. As at school, so
now in his profession, he studied with rare diligence, and the knowlege
of the civil law which rewarded his industry was, it moy be here re-
marked, turned to noteworthy account in that higher profession for

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176

RiailT REV. JEAN JACQUES LAllTIGUE.

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Avhich his mind was visibly adapting itself. At the time •when an
honorable career was open to him ; in the dawn of his manhood ;
when hope beckoned and pleasure allured him, he averted his
face, and suddenly turned his back on the world. He cast his lot
in the lap of self-denial, and, avoiding the forum, he found refuge
in the Church. It was less difficult for him to do so, than
it would have been for many others, for the religious inclina-
tion of his character predisposed him to assume those vows
which belong to the higher vocation to which he aspired. He
presented himself to Mgr. Pierre Denaut, the then Iloman
CathoUc Bishop of Quebec, who conferred on him the first of
the lesser orders of that Ministry of which, at some future day,
he was destined to be a distinguished ornament. He now
entered the Theological College, where, under the guidance of
learned professors, he renewed in a fresli direction the ardor of
his ;:tudious habits. Bishop Denaut, who ajipears to have possessed
in a high degree that clear appreciation of character tliat so gen-
erally belongs to his order, very early discovered marked ijualities
of mind and character in tlic young catechumen. He lost no time
in appropriating to sacred uses the gifts and attainments which
came under his official notice. In 1798 M. Lartigue was ordained
sub-deacon ; in 1799, deacon ; and in 1800 he was raised to the
order of the priesthood. About this time he received tlie appoint-
ment of Secretary to the Bishop. The latter office he continued to
fill, with singular ability, until the death of the latter, in the year
180G. Before his decease, indeed it was, we believe, among the
latest acts of his expiring life. Bishop Denaut recommended
M. Lartigue to Bishop Plessis, his successor in office, as one
eminently (pialified to undertake higher duties, should the oppor-
tunities offer of extending the Episcopate in Canada. Such
however, did not then appear to be the desire of the subject of our
sketch. His more modest inclination prompted him to gratity a long-
cherished plan, and enter the Seminary of St. Sulpice. The new

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RIGHT REV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIGUE.

177

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Bishop did not oppose the okl wish ; on the contrary, it received his
approval. Thus the gentlemen of the Seminary had the opportunity
of welcoming Avith more than common fervor, the new and gifted
member of their order. M. Lartiguc entered on the 22nd February,
180G ; and on the first day of the same month, in the following year,
he was admitted to the office of director. For fifteen years he was an
ornament of that community, being remarked for his indefiitigable
zeal, his elo([Ucnce as a preacher, and his charity to the jujor. lie was,
moreover, by habit a man of exact method, possessing an orderly
and well balanced, as well as a highly-gifted, mhid. Thus it
was he found time for the fulfilment of all his manifold duties,
as well as leisure for systematic polemical study, combined with a
vigilant observance of contemporary events. He knew how inti-
mately the Church and the world reflected one another, and how-
necessary a knowlege of both Avas to one who would wish success-
fully to rule either.

Bishop Plessis remembered and observed too. He had not
forgotten his predecessor's opinion of M. Lartigue. His own
observation only confirmed that opinion. Therefore it was, the
Bishop sought to withdraw the subject of our sketch from his
retirement of St. Sulpice, and, by giving him prominent duty in the
diocese, to prepare him, and it, for those changes which he had then
in his mind, and which he desired to bring about. jNI. Lartigue
was, therefore, and by way of preparatory discipline, associated
with the venerable coadjutor, Mgr. Panet, in his episcopal visita-
tions. In this Avay he became personally and intimately acrpiainted
with those parts of the district of Montreal, which were subsorpiently
set apart as the diocese, of which he was one day to l)e the first
Bishop.

In 1819 Bishop Plessis, accompanied by the Rcvd. Messieurs
Lartigue and Turgeon, embarked for England in the " George
Symes," a brig of two hundred and sixty-four tons. Tlic visit is
noteworthy amoh^ other reasons for the fact that an arrangement

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178

RIGHT REV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIGUE.

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approved of by tho Prince Regent, and communicated by Earl
Batluu'st, authorized the quasi erection of the Roman Catholic
Dioccs'j of Montreal. A3, however, the Government of England
did not, at that time, recognize the Roman Catholic Hierarchy
as titularies, it was stijiulated that episcopal functions might bo exer-
cised, but that ecclesiastical titles should not bo assumed. This
stipulation appeared to bo consistent with the interpretation put on
the fourth article of tho Treaty of Capitulation, which, we believe,
provided that the Canadians Avere to be secured in the enjoyment
of their religion, " subject to British laws." Negociations with the
Cabinet of St. James, and the Cjurk of Rome progressed simul-
taneously, and ended, for the time being, very satisfactorily. The
Rov. M. Lartiguc Avas appointed suffragant, under the title of
" Bishop of Telmessc " to Bishop Plcssis, with the district of Mont-
real for a diocese. For some reason with which we arc unacquainted
he was not consecrated until 21st July, 1821, when the solemn
and imposing ceremony was performed in the Parish Church of
Montreal, in the presence of a dense crowd of worshippers.
AYc know not whether, among the very aged women of that con-
gregation, the Marguerite Cherrier of a former generation, the
young mother of forty-four years since, was present, but if she
Avere there, Avho shall imagine how deeply moved must liavc
been her heart and mind, as the emblems of sacred authority
Avere delivered to her son ; the croAvn of the church ! and the
crozier of the episcopate ! On tho 30th February, 1822, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Montreal Avas officially set apart, and
the clergy Avere notified to pay all honor and obedience to the new
Bishop. This mandate met, avc believe, Avith some resistance at
first, nor Avas the opposition Avholly tranciuillized until 1835, when,
during tho administration of the Earl of Gosford, the city and
district of Montreal Avere united as one diocese, under the supervi-
sion of the Bishop, Avho Avas, Ave think, officially designated by
that nobleman as the Roman Catholic Bishop of Montreal.

RIGHT llEV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIGUE.

179

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Our space will not permit us to dwell on the history of the strug-
gles and triumplis, the advantages and tlio drawbacks, tlie encour-
agements and the hindrances that brightened and beset the Bishop's
path, in his work of establishing his diocese, and of organizing the
method by which its machinery should bo controlled. There were
difficulties to bo surmounted, and obstacles to be overcome ; but
intrepidity and courage were parts of the Bishop's character. In
undertaking the work of ruling a diocese, he did not decline the toil
of founding it. Ilis mind was energetic, and, besides, he possessed
the faculty of concentrating thought and directing it with precision
to a given point. Thus Avas he enabled, with skill and vigor, to
drive home, like obdurate nails, the purposes he had at heart. He
well knew how to bring people together, to unite them when they
were brought together, to guide them by his reason, and inflame
them with his zeal. With intuitive sagacity he selected as his Secre-
tary the Rev. M. Bourget, the present Roman Catholic Bishop of
Montreal, and no doubt he found in him a wise counsellor and a
safe friend. He possessed great intellectual and moral excellences
of character, and these charms were enhanced by the graces of
modesty, humility and charity. lie was accomplished, and yet
he w\as humble. Encompassed with some infirmity of temper,
he was unable to combine qualities seemingly opposite. He found
it difficult to express strong opinions in weak language. When
he felt w^armly, he expressed himself with warmth. True to
his Church, he was also loyal to his temporal sovereign. In
the disturbed times of 1837-8 he took a firm and determined part
in advocating the supremacy of the British Crown in Canada.
He issued a stirring pastoral to warn the credulous people of his
diocese that they were about to bring ruin and dishonor on their
heads, as well as to fill their land with violence and bloodshed.
Not only did the earnest Prelate " deliver his own soul," but he
saved the lives of some misguided persons, and covered, as Avith a
shield, the honor of others. No doubt he did much to prevent an

■'I

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180

RIGHT REV. JEAN JACQUES LARTIOUE.

insurrection from becoming a rebellion, for ho solaced authority by
his opinion and example, that the Church of which he was a ruler
was loyally effected towards the State of which he was a subject.

A life fevered by exertion, but calmed with charity, was hasten-
ing towards its close ; his last days were neither I'lmiuous with ex-
ultation or clouded with fear. They were marked rather with the
serenity and courage of a bravo Christian gentleman, who could
with reverent submission put off mortahty, and be content to leave
it without a pang, in the solitude of a new tomb. With calmness
and fortitude ho gave religious counsel to all, receiving at the same
time the consolations of religion. lie bestowed on those about him
a good man's blessing, and entered into rest on Easter-day, the
19th April, 1840. Thus, on the blessed festival of the Resurrec-
tion died the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese of Montreal.
It seemed fitting that the city which had held his cradle, should
also hold his liiave.

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Were wo to read our Immigration Tables, with the aid of mar-
ginal notes furnished hy contemporary history, Ave shouM probably
learn that when the human tide sets in strongly from Europe it is
impelled by forces whose strength is derived from one or other of
the many forms of misery with which the earth continues to be
afflicted. Sometimes the evil has taken the shape of persecution for
conscience sake, sometimes of political oppression, sometimes it pro-
ceeds from the fear of agricultural distress, and sometimes from the
experience of commercial failure ; sometimes from weariness of a
state of Avarftire, and sometimes from alarm at the consequence of
peace ; sometimes because the population is redundant, and some-
times because it is unhappy. Yet experience has, we think, very
fairly established that what is the banc of one land may, and docs,
become the blessing of another. Thus seasons of material depres-
sion in Europe have been coeval with seasons of material pros-
perity in America. The misery of England has become a source
of wealth to Canada, for the crowded-out consumers of the old Avorld
arc transmuted into the contented producers of the new. But
besides the disappointment that impels, there is the hope that
attracts — the hope of peace, of competence, of plenty ; the hope
of brighter days and better times, when the steadiness of youth,
and the industry of manhood, shall certainly be requited with an
age of ease.

182

HON. WILLIAM MOllUIS.

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Britisli cmi<];ratioii to this Province coininonccd almost immc-
(liati'ly after tlio close of the Anicricau Jlevoliitionaiy War. The
war with {''ranee, which followed speedily on the Treaty of Peace with
America, interrupted the regularity of the movement. The stream
was cheeked, and hecuino fitful and irregular in its flow. Tiie
desire to " j)eople countries new " was not extinguished, hut the
means of gratifying that desire became dillicnlt of attainment.
There were sentinels on the seas in the shape of hostile cruisers,
whose ohjects were to prey 0!» British commerce, and impound IJritish
prisoners, and these facts were sulficient to reconcile most men to hear
the ills they had rather than " to fly to others that they knew not of."
Intervals of peace were, we may conjecture, eagei'ly longed for.
They were esiiecially desired by those who wished to use them as
avenues for escaping from present evils, as well as from those frown-
ing miseries that Avere rising rapidly and gloomily on the tro\ihled
face of ]'hiro})e.

The domestic condition of the United Kingdom was as much
distur))ed as were its foreign relations. There were fears witl.in
as well as witliout. One kingdom was blotted with rebellion, and
invaded by a foreign army. The others were blemished with con-
spiracies and afflicted with disaffection. The reign of the sword
was inaugurated, the reign of liberty was annulled. Justice took
counsel of violence ; and the alliance, it must be confessed, had the
sanction of wisdom, for treason lurked in the land. The lliibeas
Corpus Act was four times suspended in four years. Special com-
missions for trying offenders were multiplied, and capital convictions
might be counted by the score. The gallows held its carnival.
The public executioner was ubiriuitous, and his office an institution
of the state. The last century closed, and the present one opened
in anguish. It was one of the darkest periods in the modern
history of England, the " very winter of her discontent," and ren-
dered more miserable by the approach of that mental eclipse
which was destined ere long to shroud the King's mind in hopeless
night.

HON. WILLIAM MOIlRia.

1S:{

rho

Wo read, and sometimes licur people talk, of tljo " good old
times," and wo fool attracted by the pleasant fiction. Nei-
ther are avo disinclined to repeat the poptdnr cry, or circiilato
with facilo Huency, the sontiinent exi)rcsscd in the phrase. If,
however, the times to which wo have l)riefly referred wore " old
times," they certainly were not " ;^ood times." Ais,o and ;^oodnes3
do not always keep company. If tli(>y did so, experience woidd
bo less apt to breathe sighs of [lerplexity, and history woidd be
loss bnrdened with records of miserable snlV(>rin;^ and a))ominable
crime.

On the conclusion of peace with the United States of America,
a disposition arose on the part of many i)eople in the L'nited King-
dom to seek their fortunes in America. Those whose minds \voro
inoculated with democratic doctrines flocked to the United States,
the model nursery of freedom, where, in the opinion of such purists,
the twin creatures " ecjuality and fraternity " may rock to;;;ctlK'r in
tho painted cradle of liberty. Those, on the contrary, uho prized the
institutions of their ancestors, who thought as their fathers thought,
respected what they revered, believed as they believed, Avhose
hearts and affections wore thoroughly imbued with reverence for the
Hime and glory, tho ancient monarchy and ancient faith of England,
sought neithct* to separate themselves from the '' old flag," nor to
learn any other national hynui than the old familiar one of " God
save the King." While men were electing in which direction the
spirit of adventure should carry them, tho war with the French
republic Avas opened, and tho gates of English emigration were
closed. Tho inhabitants of the British Islands Averc shut in as Avith
a liquid Avail, a Avail Avhich they could only cross Avith safety Avhen
convoyed by tho fleets of England. The earliest act of the
French consulate Avas a proposal for peace, but though that pro-
posal Avas for the moment rejected by England, it seemed to pave
the Avay to the treaty of Amiens, Avhich Avas ratified in the followmg
year. Tho spirit of adventure at once revived. Emigrants immc-

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184

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

diately left the old world for the new. The exodus, however, was
of but short duration. The bakLo-flags of Europe were a<Tain un-
furled, and men, for the .nost part, had no alternative but to remain
at home until after the general pacification took place in 1815.

It was in the closing year of the last and the opening one of the
present century, when the new government of France and the old
government of England were hesitating on the attitudes they should
wear towards one another, that two youths of Scottish birth, humble
and undistinguished in their own land, but who have since become
famous ia this Provuice, were at the same time moved, one by the
attraction of teaching, and the other by the attraction of trade, to
leave their native country for the then newly acquired, or newly
created, colony of Canada. One left Aberdeen in 1799; the
other left Paisley in 1801. Unknown to each other at tliat time,
their jiolitical paths have often crossed since. They were men
of tenacious purpose, indomital)le resolution, and opposite views.
The first is the present Bishop of Toronto, and the second was the
iluncrable William Morris, the subject of our sketch.

Mr. Morris was born at Paisley, on the 31st October, 178G ; his
parents were in comfortable circumstances when they, accompanied
by theii* children, left their Scottish home and made Canada the
land of their adoption. On arriving at Montreal, flic elder Mr.
Morris determined to remain in that city. lie engaged in business
of ihe general kind which at that early day constituted the trade
of Canadian merchants. This business included, among other
hazards, the responsibility of owning sliips. We mention the latter
circumstance because it directly became the occasion of his own
misfortune and indirectly of his son's distinction. So little is
man permitted to know of tliose governing accidents which not
unfrcfpicntly give a new colour as well as a new direction to a
life. ]\Ir. Morris the elder Avas occupied in the quiet pursuit of
his calling when intelligence arrived tliat a ship owned by him,
homeward bound and richly laden, was lost in the Straits of Belle

HON. WILLIAM MOTIRIS.

185

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Isle. The loss provoked the discovery that no part of the cargo
was insured. The owner's prudence had not extended to the agent,
Avho, from carelessness or crime, had left undone the duty he was
instructed to perform. This serious loss Avas supplemented by
other losses, for troubles rarely come alone • the consequence was
that Mr. Morris was obliged to withdraw from the pursuits of com-
merce and betake himself to those of agriculture. He loft Montreal,
and settled on a farm near Brockville. In 1800 he departed
this life, leaving to his children his blessing and his good
name, and to his creditors a legacy of unpaid debts. jMr. William
Morris having missed the advantages, secins to have undertaken
very cheerfully the duties that commonly belong to the heir.
Having inherited the care of a ftimily he did his best to keep
the younger members together, and by his exertions mainly con-
tributed to their support and subsequent advancement. Though we
are somewhat anticipating the course of events, we may mention
that eleven years afterwards he and his late brother, iNIr. Alexander
Morris, Iiaving voluntarily and without solicitation paid all the debts
of their father, received from the creditors as a mark of regard
and gratitude two handsome pieces of plate. The double incident
marks the existence of sterling qualities in the family character,
and shows how thoroughly the subject of our sketch revered the
memory and honored the name of his father.

In 1812, Avhen war with the United States was declared, Mr.
Morris left his business to serve his country. Ilaving received his
commission of Ensign from General Brock, he joined the militia
flank companies. In October of that year, he volunteered with
a British force under Lieut. Col. Lethbridge in the attack on
Ogdensburg, and had the honor of commanding the only militia
gunboat that was under fire and sustained injury. One of his
crew was killed, and another was wounded at his side by a cannon
shot. In the following year he took an active part in the cap-
ture of Ogdensburg. His soldierly bearing on that occasion was

■ ■.;<

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186

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

remarked at the time, and it is admiringly remembered still by
some of the few survivors of that eventful period. Mr. Morris
continued to serve till 1814, when a large reinforcement of British
troojis having arrived in the Province from the Peninsula, )n was
permitted to leave the service and return to the managemei + '^his
own aifairs at Brockvillc. After the close of the v.ar, in tuo year
1810, he proceeded with the military and immigrant settlers
to the lands allotted to them, near the Rideau, and ho there
commenced business in what was then a wilderness, but is now the
substantial town of Perth. Commerce at that day, and in that
settlement, must, wc incline to think, have been of a very crude
and elementary kind. " Roughing it in the bush" was then a very
real process, and no fanciful figure of speech.

An incident, the growth of that early period, may be noted here,
for while the fact to which it relates may have given a direction to
his public career, it at the same time shewed that the thoughts and
studies of the subject of our sketch moved in a higher and more
bracing atmosi)here than that which usually pervades the
level of a country store. A gentleman, who had occasion to call on
Mr. Morris, found him, where, in all the phases of his varied life, he
was ever found, at the post of duty. His intellectual occupation,
however, at that particular moment, seemed scarcely to harmonize
with his ordinary pursuits, for the visitor, on glancing at the title of
the book which the storekeeper was studying, found it to be
" Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England." The
occasion and the book shewed the quality of Mr. Morris' mind, ;'s
well as the direction of his ambition. The coarse duties of a country
store were not only lightened and purified by association, but
they were made subservient to more severe, and at the same time
to more ennobling pursuits. The mind of the trader was being
schooled to a higher calling, for the incipient statesman might be
recognized in the exact merchant.

Such a picture of elevated study amidst homely pursuits should

HON. WlLLIAxM MORRIS.

187

1 1 I

not be lost si;^ht of. Men who boast of their services, and sing
songs of triumph over tlieir performances, not inifre(iuently forget
the minstrel Avho struck the key note. The lusty politicians, for
example, Avho laud and magnify the parts they took in " seculariz-
ing " the Clergy Reserves, and the -weaker politicians who whisper
their fame in " settling" these Reserves, may do well to remember,
that one party might have had no cause for glory, and the other
no occasion for trouble, had the storekeeper of Perth confined his
attention to ledgers and day-books, and not have given space in
his counting-house to " Blackstonc's Commentaries," or occupied
his mind with the consideration of constitutional tpiestions, such
the comparative rights which two United Kingdoms should enjoy
in a colony, which is equally the offspring of both.

Mr. Morris, through the medium of commerce, accpurcd wealth
and a very extensive local influence, while the peculiar studies to
which his mind was inclined gradually qualified him to turn that
influence to praiseworthy account. It was about this time his
friends and neighbors entrusted their political interests to his care,
by selecting him to represent them in the Provincial Parliament.
Nor was it long after he had taken his seat in the House of
Assembly that he initiated the discussion of that great Clergy
Reserve question, which, for good or evil, is inseparably associated
W"itli his name. In the year 1820, he moved and carried an
address to the King, asserting the claim of the Church of Scot-
land to a share of the Clergy Reserves, under the Act 31,
George III, cap. 31. But though the claim was made under
the last mentioned Act, the argument was, we believe, based on
the Act of Union between England and Scotland.

The (piestion, as presented from this point, requires examination,
though it certainly is not without ingenuity. The United Kingdom
of England and Scotland passed the Constitutional Act by which
Upper Canada, a colony of both Kingdoms, was to be governed.
The two governing Kingdoms had two established Churches, alike

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188

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

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only In the fact that both were Protestant. The Constitutional Act
did not in terms provide for the establishment of a Church, though
it did make exact provision for the maintenance of a " Protestant
Clergy." Who were they ? The question was a fair one, and after
years of controversy it was fairly answered. The Judges of Eng-
land, in 1840, stated it to be their opinion, that the words did
include the Clergy of the Church of England, and that they might
include ministers of the Church of Scotland. Their opinion con-
firmed the opinion of Mr. Morris, and of those who thought as he
thought ; and with its confirmation the secular provision on which
the Anglican Church rested was swept away, every vestige of
argument for the existence of a State Church in Upper Canada
being scattered to the winds.

Many will ask, and few will answer, the question : Whether it
was greed or justice ; envy or right, that moved the Scottish lay-
man to the attack. On the other hand : Whether it was wisdom
or superciliousness ; religious principle, or secular policy, that in-
fluenced the English dignitary in the defence ? The result arrived
at, was not, it may be presumed, the result at which either dispu-
tant aimed. It is true that the state pretensions of the Anglican
Church were humbled ; but it is, we think, also true, that those of
the Scottish Church Avere not exalted. Both arrived at the same
level, but it was a level for which neither struggled. With status
reduced, and property secularized, they equally found themselves
side by side, seated in the dust, neither better nor worse than the
various bodies of nonconformists by whom they were alike opposed,
because they were alike established. Rome seemed to be the only
gainer. If, in the spirit of mockery, she did not smile " at the
divisions of Reuben" ; neither was she, in the spirit of sympathy,
troubled " with great scarchings of heart."

Mr. Morris was, we incline to think, in early life a Presbyterian
of a somewhat severe type, whose form of Christian faith was not
only highly flavored Avith the astringent properties of the covenant,

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

180

tcrian

Ls not
jnant,

but it was also strongly marked with the enmities of a generation
which is passing away. With no particular hostility to the Church
of England as such, he possessed, we think, a traditional and here-
ditary aversion to " Prelacy." It was not agreeable to him to
sui)pose that the Church of a portion of the United Kingdom,
even though it was the Church of his sovereign, was established
in Upper Canada. He disliked the idea, and he doubted the fact.
Sometimes a man does, if we may so express it, feel a truth more
easily than ho can find a reason for it. The impression, taking
the force of conviction, became rooted in his mind that the Ang-
lican Church was giving herself airs lo the prejudice of her Scot-
tish sister. Mr. Morris failed, however, in common with many
others, to detect the correct reason of that conviction. Indeed,
it has only transpired lately. The judgment of the Privy Council,
in the case of the Bishop of Natal, if we understand it aright,
has laid down the rule that the Anglican Church can only be
established in a colony Avhich possesses a Parliament, by the
action of the Sovereign, expressed by and Avith the advice and
consent of that Parliament. This discovery Avould, partially at
least, have solaced the mind of JNIr. jNIorris had he made it
at the time when his feelings Avcre at white heat on the Clergy
Reserve controversy. Later in life, after the disrui)tion of the
Church of Scotland, and during the frenzy of the Free Church
movement, when men seemed to be driven by passion, or drifting
in ignorance, in some cases spiritually homeless, in others spiri-
tually destitute, oblivious of the old lights and doubtful of the
noAv ; at such a time and under such circumstances, his joy Avould
probably have been qualified by the doubt whether in the general
interests of Protestantism it were not wiser and safer to possess
something like a recognized central power, some visible point of
union, even though that point centred in his Sovereign as the
temporal head of the Church. There Avas, moreover, a circum-
stance that touched English Churchmen very sensibly, and Avliich,

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190

HON. WILLIAM MOIIRIS.

ill the calm of thouglit, may not have been without its influence on
the earnest mind of Mr. Morris. It was, Ave think, an incident
eloquent in sadness to the representatives of the Reformation, that
one of two Protestant Churches should have found herself con-
strained to appeal to Roman Catholics for protection against the
ap;i»;rcssions of the other. These observations are necessarily mere
conjectures, which may or may not have occurred to Mr. Morris.
They are sufj^^ested by the fact, that hi his later life, when the
hand of time was on him, his words were softened towards the
Anj^lican Church. Tiie Scotch establishment was sinritually his
" mother dear." Yet, who knows but in some cloister of his soul
was shrined a feeling, akin to love, towards his sjjiritual sister,
whom in his younger days ho had assailed and injured ? Pro-
testants, we Icnow, yearn for union, they strive for association, and
pray for oneness. Mr. Morris' logical mind would see that visible
I nion depends on a visible centre, and he would liave no difficulty
in choosing between established authority and evanescent opinion —
between what is objective and fixed, and what is subjective and
dependent on the variableness of thought.

The end of his policy was not yet accom[)lislied, and we must
go back in the narrative in order to connect the broken threads
of the chain of events, which has for a moment been interrupted.
In 183G, INIr. Morris was summoned by Royal mandamus to the
Legislative Council. The instrument was signed by the then
Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Sir John Colborne. It
was one of the latest acts of his administration ; for five days after-
wards, on the 27th January, 1830, the Government was assumed
by Sir F. 13. Head. The session is chiefly memorable from the
circumstance, that the House of Assembly for the first time in the
history of the Province, resorted to the extreme measure of stop-
ping the sui)plics. The Parliament was consequently dissolved,
and the elections which followed shewed that a very considerable
change had taken place in public opinion. In the succeeding ses-

t i

HON. WILLIAM MOUllIS.

101

aioii, in which the Conservative vote very larf^cly preponderated, an
Act was passed to amend the charter of the University of Kin^^'s
College. This, like the Clergy Reserves, was a (question on which
Mr. Morris took strong ground. It is difficult to say that he wished
to place a fatal obstruction in the way of the College, or to pre-
vent it absolutely from going into operation. lie was a skilful
strategist, and knew how to economise his strength. lie was not in
the habit of bringing up his titled pieces until he had made a good
disposition of his pawns. Thus, hi his protest on the occasion,
the statement is made, that the University endowment took its rise
from an address of the Legislative Council and Assembly, in which
it was represented that such endowment was reijuircd, firstly for
establishing Free Grammar Schools, and secondly for establishing a
Seminary of Learning of a higher character. The jioint of the
protest was, that as the chief object of the endowment, the estab-
lishment of Free Clrammar Schools had not been complied with, the
establishment of a University ought not to be attempted, such irre-
gular attempt being equivalent to a misapplication of School Lands.
The aim of the protest Jippeared to be, to obstruct operations
with a view to gain time. The reason of such obstruction was not
gufficiently apparent, nor* have we a right to suggest that which was
not avowed. It was, however, remarked at the time, that while
Mr. iSIorris was earnestly opposing the Church of England Univer-
sity of King's College, he was even more earnestly promoting the
establishment of the Church of Scotland L^niversity of Queen's
College, the difference being that the former took its rise from Pro-
vincial endowment, and the latter from private subscriptions.

This (piestion, added to the question of the Clergy llcservcs, had
the effect of placing the two emigrant youths of 1700 and 1801 in
direct antagonism. Both had been marked for honor by their
Sovereign, and bath enjoyed the title of " Honorable" ; one, more-
over, was a high dignitary of the Church, as well as a power in

the State, for he was then Archdeacon of York, and is now

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192

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

Bishop of Toronto. It was amusin;; to note the unyielding and
resolute determination of these rival Scots. Each might have said of
the other what the Churchman frequently said of himself, " I never
give up."

In 1837 there was a very important gathering in Cobourg of
members of the Scotch Church from all parts of Canada. The object
was to take counsel, to address the Throne, and, as it was ingeniously
stated, to assert, on the part of the Scotch inhabitants, an equal
claim with their fellow-subjects of English origin to a fair share of
the lands set apart for the maintenance of a Protestant clergy. The
mere hope of honey would not have attracted so many of the working
bees of the Scotch Church as were then collected together at Cobourg.
If however they were attracted by distant sweets, they were impell-
ed by a present sting. Unfortunately the Attorney-general of that
day, Mr. llergerman, had answered an argument with a sneer ; and
the sneer was directed against the Scotch Church. The Attorney-
general said — the words arc repeated from memory : " That the
Church of Rome is an established Church, the Church of England is
the established Church ; but that the Church of Scotland is no more
an established Church than is any other body of Protestant dis-
senters." This manner of referring to the Church of Scotland was
inL^^scly offensive, and naturally so, to the members of that Church.
They met, therefore, in conference at Cobourg, under the sense of
an official affront offered to their national establishment. This affront
they determined to answer at the Colonial Office, or, if need be, at
the foot of the Throne ; and therefore it was that the subject of our
sketch, and the Rev. Alexander Mathieson, of Montreal, Avere ap-
pointed to be the bearers of petitions to the Queen and Parliament
of the United Kingdom, setting forth the particular grievances of
the Scottish race in Canada, in the matter of their status as mem-
bers of the Church of Scotland, as well as their claims to a share of
the Clergy Reserves. We may add, that Mr. Morris' successful
conduct of the negotiation was so satisfactory, that his country-

HON. WILLIAM MORRIS.

193

men in Canada marked their sense of his services by presenting him
with a handsome piece of plate.

If, however, the views of Mr. Morris on ecclesiastical ([nestions
were — as wo thhik they wore — severely narrow in their religious
gauge, and of questionable rigidity in their christian application, still
\m opinions on matters of state i)olicy discovered a breadth of view
which show favorably in the records of the old Legislative Council
of Upper Canada. Thus, on the 20th of February, 18:58, we find
him i)rotesting, singly and alone, against the adoption of the report
of that House on the state of the Province, "because of the three
remedial measures to which that report makes allusion, it tails to
countenance the most feasible, namely, the union of this Province
with Lower Canada." Then and afterwards, whenever the occa-
sion offered, Mr. ^Morris missed no opportunity of enforcing his
opinions on this important point, — opinions which, we may add,
have been inherited by his son, the honorable and learned member
for the South Riding of Lanark, who, in and out of Parliament,
whenever the occasion offers, takes delight in illustrating the
advantages of even a larger political and territorial union than the
one which his father advocated and used all diligence to bring
about.

In 1887-8 Mr. Morris exerted his great influence in or-
ganizing the militia of his county and in repeating the part he
had filled as a soldier twenty-five years before. Time had not
changed his opinions. The controversies of Parliament, the strife
of politics, even the fact that the Clergy Reserve question con-
tinued obstinate and immovable, had not taught his eye to wander
towards another form of political existence, or his heart to throb
with a weakened pulse towards his Queen and country. The gal-
lant young ensign of 1812 had become the grave senior colonel of
his county in 1837 ; but the gallantry of his youth was not for-
gotten in the gravity of his age. Always grave, he never quailed
with fear nor smoothed his way with smiles. The courage which

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19-4

HON. MILLIAM MOUllIS.

liiul becMi influenced 1>y reason, was controlled hy reason : none
woidd doubt it who saw that S(juarc, iniiJertin-hahle lace, unyield-
in.u; in its expression; — who saw that (|uiet and innnovahle manner,
for passion was subject to the higher law, and rarely revealed
itself; who saw that massive head crowned with brown an<l silver
hair, whieh sprang resolutely upwards like a brush ; and those
calm, penetrating eyes, neither blue nt)r grey, l)ut having the tint
of steel when it is purest, as cold, and sometimes as terrible. His
duty required him to send militia regiments to the front. This
done, his inclination promjjted him to show, by his cxam])lo, that
ho was prepared to midertako any hazard whieh ho called on
others to j)erform ; and therefore it was that ho choso to occupy,
with the militia of his county, an advanced })03ition on the frontier.
To nso a phrase from the ranks, ho was not only a " Colonel go
on," but a " Colonel corao on ! "

In . S41, at the union of the Provinces, Mr. Morris was called
to the Legislative Council of Canada ; and in the same year he
was appointed by the Crown to bo the Warden of the Johnstown
District. In September, 1844, he was hivited to accept the office
of Receiver-General, and a seat in the Executive Council. This
office he continued to fill till May, 1847, Avlien he succeeded to
the Presidency of the Council, which he held until the resigna-
tion of the Government in March, 1848. During a portion of
that period, from October, 1844, to June, 1840, he was also a
member of the Jioard of AVorks. Mr. ^Morris was considered to be
an efficient departmental officer, and we have the testimony of
Lord jNIetcalfe to the fact that he was a " valuable public servant."
After the retirement of the administration, of which he had been a
memlier, Mv. ^Torris thought he had some right to the privilege of
seclusion. There was, besides, another monitor at hand to warn
him to court repose and avail himself of the rest his mind, as well
as his body needed. The disease, which eventually terminated his
life, now made its first appearance; and though that life was pro-
longed for ten years, we believe that suffering, more or loss acute,

HON. WILLIAM MOIlIUf'.

IIC)

\ •

was Ills insoparalilo companion. He died on the 29tli Juno, l^oB,
in the seventy -second year of his age.

The suhjeet of our sketch was a man of cautious wisdom, whose
brow was the ahiding-iilace of gravity, hut never the seat of sliame.
The warp and tlio weft, the connnon coating, the (hiily livery of liis
nature was crossed and re-crossed witli tissues of sombre hue ; but
tlie nature itself was white and kindly as a child's. His asjiect
was stern, and harmonized with his manner, which was calm and
cold ; — not indeed that untroubled calm which is said to '• glide
away like happiness,'* but that aging calm Avhich clings about
those who too early in life have been overladen with anxious toil.
Mirth seemed in him to be expelled by thought, jjleasure by busi-
ness, and joy by carking care. If his youth was familiar with
diversions, the memory of those diversions remained among the
liidden, if not the forgotten, things of his life. There were many
objects, for example, he would struggle to win, and few ho would
struggle to enjoy — for he did not live for enjoyment. He gave his
country the greatest portion of his labors, and could alTord his
countrymen but a limited portion of his smiles. Work was his nor-
mal condition ; and it was in the continuous and unchan":ini2; '• li^ht
of high endeavor" that he seemed to live, lie was not a brilliant
man, but he was a man of persistent in<lustry, indomitable per-
severance, and scrupulous truth. Thought had of course enlarged
the channels of his mind, and observation had refined his judgment :
but thought and observation were not mere idlers of the brain —
they were ever actively working towards some given object. Of
him it might have been written :

" Busy brain! tliy work is ever

On ! on ! on !
Wliiit liast tliou with rest to do ?
Rest sliiill still thy throbbings never ;

On ! on ! on !
Yet thy ceaseless work imrsue ;

And tliy reign,
For evil or for good, shall last
Till the dream of lifb is past,

Husv brain !'

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196

HON. WILLIAM MOIUIIS.

As a member of the Lcj^islativc Coimcil, Mr. Morris paid scrupu-
lous respect to ceremonies and observances. Usage and custom
were to him law and authority ; not because mere show and state
Avere in themselves attractive, but because ho reverenced the spirit
that dwelt in the form, and he feared in the absence of the latter
the former might be looked for in vain. Therefore it was, that the
rules and practice of Parliament were congenial studies, and the
customs, and privileges of its members subjects of jealous regard.
As a speaker Mr. Morris was clear, logical, and vigorous; and the
moral force of his character no doubt gave impetus to the intel-
lectual force of his opinions. Passionless himself, he could excite
the passion of other men. His look, his manner, his earnest words
had about them a telling power less easily described than felt. lie
Avas not elo({ucnt, for in his nature there was little poetry. lie was
not impassioned, for in his habit there was little warmth, lie was
not commanding, for in his style there was little grace ; and yet
for the absence of these attractions, there were compensating
forces which, by comparison, left but few superior to him among
the fearless as well as effective speakers of that Council.

One, who knew him well and revered him much, thus closed a
loving sketch of his life : " Few public men pass through life and
carry with them more of public confidence and more general
respect than did Mr. Morris. lie has left a bright example to us
in these troublous times. In private and in public life he showed
himself to be that noblest of the works of God — an honest man !
And now that full of years and of honors he has, after five years
of patient suffering and Christian resignation, entered upon his
rest, he has left the fragrant memories of his busy, active career
as an example and incentive to men in public and private positions
to follow his footsteps."

scrupu-
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Hid state
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10 latter
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ami the
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and the
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3st words
felt. He
He was
lie was
and yet
pensating

m among

closed a
li life and
Q general
iple to us
le showed
icst man !
five years

upon his
ivc career
c positions

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LIEUTENANT OOVEBNOU OP NOVA SCOTIA.

The history of tLe most attractive lives is, we think, in one respect
uniformly incomjjlete. The boyhood of our heroic men is very
partially disclosed, Avhile the girl life of our " wonderful women "
is almost wholly hidden from view. It is true that some, who as
men arc famous in storv, are referred to as self-willed and unmanajie
able boys, from whom their parents sought deliverance by shipping
them oft' to sea, or by transporting them to India or a Colony,
to find in either a career or a grave. The lives of such
persons being commonly ruled by violent impulses, are generally
marked by stirring action, and, principle apart, it will chiefly
depend on circumstances apparently accidental whether such
action be praiseworthy or the reverse. Action, however, which
takes its rise in reflection should, we think, be regarded as of a
higher quality, for it possesses the calm strength which is akin to
majesty, which no excitement can bewilder, no danger appal.

In the absence of positive information, we arc sometimes obliged
to sketch in a speculative rather than in a precise manner ; yet
there are occasionally in such cases a few well authenticated
incidents in the boyhood and youth of the individual which throw
unexpected light upon his future career, and supply us with a key

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198

sill RICHARD GRAVES MACDOXNELL, C.B.

to Ills true charaetc Possessed of this key, the observer will be
enabled to determii , if not Avith accuracy, at least with some
approach to truth, how such a person would be likely to act in
certain emergencies, and especially how he would act on tlie
great test occasions of life. The glimj)scs we have obtahied, as
well as the facts we have been enabled to gather, of the subject of
our present sketch, will, avc think, enable the reader to arrive at
conclusions of his own on the merits of those portions of a career
of which we can sup})ly no exact information, but which, read by
the lights Ave do possess, must, Ave are prepared to believe, have
been marked with chivalrous courage, conspicuous Avisdora, and a
sagacity alike curious and amusing.

]}urke informs us that Sir Richard Graves Macdonnell, C.B.,
the present Lieut.-Governor of Nova Scotia, is the eldest surviving
son of the Reverend Doctor Macdonnell, Provost of Trinity College,
Dublin, by Jane, daughter of the Very Reverend Richard Graves,
Dean of Ardagh, so Avell known tj the Biblical student by his able
and comprehensive commentary on the Pentateuch. Sir Richard's
family, as his name suggests, Avas originally of Scottish origin.
He is descended from the Antrim branch of that highland clan
Avhieh acknowledges as its chieftain the " Lord of the Isles." His
ancestors settled more than two centuries ago, in the northern
part of Ireland where their descendants have continued to reside.
His mother's ftimily is descended from an ancient and still extant
English stock, one of whose progenitors a Colonel in Cronnvell's
army, settled in Ireland in 1G50. From this soldier of the comraon-
Avealth has sprung numerous and distinguished ornaments of the
church, the array, and the learned professions.

Sir Richard Avas born at the close of 1815. In 1830 he entered
Trinity College, Dublin, obtahiing a higli place at entrance.
During his undergraduate course he won many honors, and in
1835 he became a Sch(»Iar of the House. In 183(3 he received
his B.A. Degree, in 1838 his M.A. Degree, and in 3841 the

SIR IIICIIARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.ll.

190

?r will 1)0
'ith some
to act in
t on the
tuincd, as
subject of
arrive at
f a career
I, read by
eve, have
am, and a

nell, C.B.,
: surviving
:y College,
L-d Graves,
)y his able

llicliard's
isli origin,
bland clan

cs." His
northern
o reside.

till extant
ronnvell's

' conimon-

nts of the

le entered

entrance.

trs, and in

le received

1844 the

Special Honorary Degree of LL.D. As a graduate, His Excel-
lency distinguished himself not a little as a speaker in the University
Historical Society, a Society -which has made itself famous from
the crowd of illustrious orators, such as Grattan, Flood, Plunkct,
Burke and Burrowes, who there displayed the first evidence of
their magical powers, and received the first training in that
rare art, of which they afterwards became such perfect masters,
and such splendid examples. In 1839 he was called to
the Irish bar, but having subsequently taken up his residence
in London, ho kept his stated Terms, or, more correctly, he ate
the stated number of dinners, and was in 1841 admitted as a
member of the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn.

^Ve arc inclined to think the narrative of Sir Richard's
life at this period would bo found fruitful in incidents alike
suggestive and amusing. Some men arc said to live every day of
their lives ; others again, of more mercurial and exhaustive
resources, may be said to live several lives in living their own.
Some are beset with a desire to go everywhere, to sec everything,
and to know everybody. This spirit of irrepressible curiosity
would lure the subject of it to strange places, and among people
strangely dissimilar in rank, station, and taste, where human
nature would be seen in the rough as well as in the more polished
stages of its progress. Not perhaps for any scientific object, but
for the sake of occupation, or for the fun of the thing, or by way
of experiencing a new sensation, would such an one, for example,
sacrifice somctbing to the opportunity of personally inspecting the
sunny side of the clouds, or of examining the jtavcment of the
sea. To ascertain the former a balloon ascent would be irresistibly
charming ; and to discover the latter a lesson with the divers,
and accoutercd as they are, Avould be welcomed with zest.
Inconvenience as well as hazard would of course attend both
experiments, but these objections would be overlooked in the desire
to see Avhat other people had not seen, and go where other people

■!■:

200

SIR IlICIIARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

'I 1

V] ' ,'

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had not been. Tho facts of Sir Richard's career are so
riclily veined ■with curious passages of experimental research in
out of the way pUiccs as to justify the supposition that his per-
sonal history must be crossed and recrosscd with experiences alike
startliu"^ and histructive. Indeed there is a jaecc of unique adven-
ture in his earlier Ufe which will illustrate tho point. A fete was
to be celebrated in the neighborhood of London, the profits of
which were to be api)liod to some philanthropic or benevolent
purpose. One of the attractions of the festival was a balloon
ascension l)y the then celebrated a}ronaut, Mr. Green. The day fixed
turned out to be unfavorable in the extreme. Wind and storm pre-
vailed to such a degree that the balloon adventure was deemed to be
hazardous. However a large crowd had gathered, and jNIr. Green
possessed experience, and did not lack courage. He only stipu-
lated for a companion. The subject of our sketch immediately
answered the condition ; and, having borrowed a greatcoat from a
spectator, took his seat in the car. That bit of experience, in one
of the most violent wind storms on record, must have been note-
worthy as well as exciting ; that it was tho former there can be no
doubt, f(jr the account of the adventure, written by the amateur
reronaut, was so interesting and attractive that wo believe we are
not exaggerating when wo say that it was translated and repro-
duced in every language of Europe.

In 1841, as we have stated, Sir Richard Macdonncll was
admitted as a Barrister at Lincoln's Inn, and on tho 1st April,
181:J, lie sailed for the West coast of Africa, having been
appointed by the Queen Chief Justice of the British possessions
at the Gambia. Why it was that Mr. Macdonncll was selected for
this particular office we have no means of knowing. lie had
indeed during his sojourn in London made his mark on more than
one page of life. As an accomi)lished gentleman of courage and
address, he would necessarily and of course win his way in society.
But beyond tho attraction of a polished manner, he was known for

11 ii

Ill

SIR IlIClIAllD (illAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

201

his cultivated tastes and liis literary talents. Contributions of
marked ability had been made by him to several of the leading
periodicals of the day, and tliese had attracted a more than usual
share of notice. In this Avay, and in his caijacity of Honorary
Secretary of the Polish Association, -where among other literary men
he found in Thomas Campbell, the poet, an enthusiastic fellow
laborer and warm personal friend, he became acquainted with many
of the leading statesmen of England. Beyond the (lualifications wo
have mentioned, Government probably recognized the presence of
two reconmiendations, youth and capacity, the physical vitality
necessary to encounter the climate, and the intellectual al/ility
necessary to perf a-m the work.

With a light heart and a strong constitution, a clear
head on his si julders, and the Royal Commission in his
pocket, the new Chief Justice sailed to the scene of his
allotted labor; and we are (luitc sure the determination
of his mind "was that the ebony subjects of the Crown in Africa
should receive at his hands justice in colour the reverse of their
com})lexions. It is probable that the duties of the new office were
insufficient for the occupation of one who at the time, and ever since
then, has been beset with an inordinate appetite for work. It was
not enough for him to administer justice, for with characteristic
earnestness ho addressed himself to the task of consolidating the
laws. Moreover, the duties of a Judge did not weaken his taste
as a traveller, for we find him instructing himself while he bene-
fitted' others by systematically pushing his Avay to the interior of
Africa, to points and places theretofore deemed to be almost inac-
cessible to the white man. On one occasion, in the year 1845, the
Chief Justice, attended only by a suite of native servants, pene-
trated as far as the dominions of the " Sultan of Bondou," to
reach whom he had to ascend the Gambia four hundred miles and
then to cross several Provinces lying between that river and the
Senegal. In the course of this adventurous trip, the Chief Justice

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sill IIICIIAUD GRAVES MACDONNELL, CMJ.

encoiintci-oil tho common (l!in<;or,s from tTnujito iind tlio not uncom-
mon ones from l)an(litti, but contrived to extricate himself from uU
and to return alive, being one of the very few who had safely
accomplished that perilous jonrney. One incident of travel may
be mentioned ; for since the episode missed a fatal termination, it
may be recalled as a somewhat amusing cxamiile of intellectual
consciousness accompanied by physical immobility. Death seems
to have been kept at l)ay ai)i)arently awed and intimidated by tho
strong and indomitable will of the man with whoso body he grappled
but by whose spirit ho was foiled. Dnring the journey, the Chief
Justice was seized with malignant tropical fever. Being his own
physician, he met tho assailant with the best remedies at his com-
mand. Tho attack, however, ai»peared to be too strong for tho
defence. The human citadel was ap])arently taken, for the Chief
Justice was to all a})pearance dead. Preparations were made by
his sable servants for his decent interment, and these preparations
the Chief Justice was quite aware Avere being hurried forward with
a haste which the climate might, l)ut Avhich he could not, excuse.
Happily ibr his fame, and for our work, the proceedings were sus-
pended by reason of an altercation on a knotty property <|uestion.
Each member of the suite desired to constitute himself the resi-
duary legatee of the deceased Chief Justice. The heated contro-
versy acted like a cordial on the subject of it, and seemed to sup])ly
the physical animation which the case required. Unable to utter
a syllable, the sup])osed corpse had strength to raise his hand.
Unlike the sea captain, who in answer to the dying sailor's objec-
tion to be thrown over board before he was dead ; angrily observed,
" You need not be so jolly jiarticular for a few minutes " tho
suite sus[)ended their unseemly chattering. The silent hand suthced
to convince them that the white man was some sort of semi Divinity
in whose presence speech should be hushed and to whose person
homage should be rendered. Partial recovery speedily took place,
and the suite having naturally jumped to the conclusion that

Bill UrciIAUD GRAVES MACDONNKIJ., C.H.

203

rnm all

safely
'el may
itiou, it
Ucctual
li seems
i by the
;rap|)lc(l
le Chief
his own
liis com-

for tho
he Chief
made by
narations
(I with

excuse.

ere siis-

uc'stion.

he resi-
coiitro-

supply .

to utter
IS hand.

s objec-
hsei'vcd,

es" tho

1 sulliced
Divinity
c person
)k place,
lion that

art

tho Chi<'f Justice woidd return at once to the coast, were
beyond measure suqirised when on the very next day they were
directed to go forward, bein;^ at tlie same time j^iven to inulerstand
that as the journey was undertaken to see tho " Sultan of J>«>n-
dou," to that lN)tentate it was the intention of their master to go.
Nor was the journey witlujut material advantages, for a Treaty of
Commerco was entered into with tho Sultan which has i)roved to
bo highly beneficial to the nation.

Having accomplished at the Gambia even more thin he had
proi)osod to himself or than he was commissioned to iierform, Mr.
Macdonncll resigned his olficc and returned to his native country.
While ho held his appointment at the Gambia, Mr. Macdounell
availed himself of his leave of absence during tho sickly season
to make visits in two successive years to tho British possessions in
America, travelling through the Canadas, Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, as well as over a largo
part of the United States. Curious adventures, and adventures
more uncomfortable than curious, seem to follow some men Avith
most jterplexing constancy. The subject of our sketch might per-
haps be cited l)y way of example. On one of these North Ameri-
can excursions, Mr. Macdonnell, Avhen attempting to reach tho
Island of Prince Edward from the main land of Nova Scotia, Avas
obliged to embark in a small, ill found boat. This boat Avas Avreckcd
in mid-channel near the island of Pictou, and our traveller, after
bufteting Avith the Avaves as best he could, found himself on shore
more dead than alive, but kindly cared for by the fishermen of the
Island. With tho heartiness Avhich characterises his lu'oceedings,
Mr. Macdonnell enquired into the manner of life of his humble
hosts, and naturally desired to do something for the people Avho
had saved his life. Thus it Avas ho learned that proceedhigs
at law Averc on foot to dispossess those people of their holdings,
and that they Averc too poor and too Aveak to resist the authority
Avhic|i could pay tho lawyers and employ tho Sheriff. Fortunately

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SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

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for the poor fishermen, the "waif* which had been washed on
their shores, or which they had fished out of the sea, was by pro-
fession a lawyer and by habit a man of generous instincts. He
heard enough of their story to discover in the narrative a strong
ingredient of hardship, and he therefore sent the facts of the case
with the necessary retaining fee to a lawyer of Halifax, whom he
requested to take up their cause, leaving to the constituted Tiibu-
nals the responsibility of determining whether the Islanders had or
had not the claims they advanced. We may state that the fisher-
men were not disturbed in their holdings, and we may add further
that they did not know their deliverer until, to their great amaze-
ment, he appeared recently among them as the Queen's Represen-
tative in Nova Scotia.

Having seen much and travelled far, Mr. Macdonnell
in 1847 returned home, previously determining to settle in
London and practice at the English bar. This plan of life was not
destined to be carried out. Earl Grey was made aware of Mr.
Macdonnell's arrival in England. HisLordship had formed a very
favourable opinion of his capacity in the comparatively subordinate
office Avhich he had filled at the Gambia. The office of Governor
of those settlements was then vacant, and it was offered to and
accepted by the subject of our sketch. Thus it was that for the
next three years Mr. Macdonnell found himself possessed of almost
irresponsible power and engaged in the duty of governing as a
paternal despot about one million of people. The commercial policy
he had sought to introduce in 1844-5 was the poHcy he endeavored
to foster and promote in 1847-8. The difficulty however was to
check the marauding propensities of numerous Avarlike tribes, Avhose
only idea of commerce seemed to be to possess themselves of other
persons' gains. Thus it chanced that the cultivators of the soil, as
well as the peaceful traders of the settlements, found themselves
harassed and plundered by tribas to whom tillage and trading were
alike distasteful. The new Governor, with instinctive courage,

I !

SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

205

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acdonnell
settle in
'e was not
re of Mr.
ed a very
ibordinate
Governor
3d to and
lat for the
d of almost
rning as a
rcial policy
endeavored
)ver was to
ibes, whose
k^es of other
' the soil, as
themselves
rading were
re courage,

and in a summary way determined if possible to put a stop to this
state of things, and with this end in view he undertook to visit
in person the " King of Keenung" who resided in a strongly
fortified native town, and whose subjects had committed several
robberies. This act of temerity very nearly cost the Governor
his life, for he fell into an ambush treacherously laid for him, and
with the two friends by whom ho was accompanied only just
missed assassination ; for his clothes were literally pierced and cut
in a dozen places with spears and swords. Experience and an apt
address on his part and the part of his friends, added to the
gallantry of some local allies, saved him from being murdered.
Should the natives with their increased knowledge of manufac-
tures become acquainted with the qualities of Sheffield cutlery it
is probable that some future act of treachery will be IcoS cheer-
fully remembered than the one under notice.

Such an affront to the Queen's Representative could not be borne.
Retribution, sharp and peremptory, was at once decided on ; and thus
a new character came to be added to those already acquired by one
who had successively been a Chief Justice, a Plenipotentiary and
a Governor. The military was added to the civil character, or
rather the latter was for the t'me merged in the former. His
Excellency forthwith commenced warlike operations, and by great
exertion and with the cordial cooperation of the then commandant
Major Hill of the 2nd West India Regiment, an efficient force was
soon organized and ready for service. Government House under
circumstances was wholly foreign to the Governor's taste for
he had no disposition '* to live at home at case." Therefore
it was His Excellency caused himself to be Gazetted as captain
of a company of volunteers to act under the orders of the Comman-
dant. The fortified town of Barnbak lying directly in the route was
besieged and taken, and afterwards the town of Keenung was
assaulted. The fighting on both sides appears to have been
creditable for gallantry and conspicuous for pluck. The king

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however -was not satisfied with the state of affairs, for liis compa-
ratively si^eaking largo army, which had rushed confidently to the
attack was foiled and driven back by the small British force.
Thereupon His Majesty added discretion to valour, and having
made restitution of all plunder, humbly sued for peace. This
contest which cost the British thirty soldiers in killed and
wounded resulted in measures of increased security to trade
and commerce, and at the same time produced such a whole-
some impression on the minds of the native chiefs with respect to the
capacity of the new Governor, that no further disturbance arose in
that part of the country during His Excellency's administration. We
may mention that in his work on Colonial Policy, Earl Groy has
warmly eulogized the conduct of His Excellency for his rule at the
Gambia. Before returning to England Mr. Macdonnell determined
to gratify afresh that relish for adventure which seemed to be
inherent in his nature. He took two excursions into the interior
of the Continent in one of Avhich we believe he penetrated fur-
ther than any white traveller had previously accomplished, for
he found himself in iho region of those monstrous animal and
vegetable productions for which equatorial Africa is famous.
These explorations, while they yielded personal gratification to
the explorer, were turned to beneficial account for the nation. The
commerce of the Gambia was developed and so much increased that
it recently employed inwards and outwards no less than seventy
thousand tons of shipping. In 1851 Mr. Macdonnell returned to
England on leave of absence, and in 1852 he was created a Com-
panion of the Bath. In the latter year, at the request of Gov-
ernment, he revisited the Gambia where he remained for a few
months to perfect certain local arrangements and complete various
commercial treaties with native chiefs.

While thus engaged he was gazetted to the Government of St.
Lucia, and almost immediately afterwards to what in point of
climate may be regarded as the more desirable one of St. Vincent.

SIR mCHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

207

Ill's compa-
sntly to the
itish force,
and having
!ace. This
killed and
f to trade
1 a Avhole-
spect to the
ice arose in
;ration. We
•1 Groy has
rule at the
determined
(med to be
the interior
Dtrated fur-
iplished, for
animal and
is famous,
tification to
lation. The
creased that
lian seventy
returned to
ited a Com-
lest of Gov-
l for a few
plete various

iment of St.

in point of

St. Vincent.

Disappointment met him on the threshold of his new Government,
for St. Vincent, the most picturesque and ordinarily the most
healthly of the West India Islands, was then ravaged with yellow
fever, to which disease his predecessor in the Government, Sir John
Campbell, had fallen a victim. In the second year of Mr. Mac-
donnell's administration the more terrible scourge of cholera visifed
the Island, and in a form so dreadful as to appal the stoutest
hearts. The writer has in his possession a letter written by a
gentleman, at that time a resident clergyman of St. Vincent, but
now settled in Canada, which contains the maturely formed opinions
of one thoroughly competent to judge of the qualities of the man
who then represented the Queen at St. Vincent.

" The Governor gained great credi'; for the active part he took in endeavoring
to prevent, as far as human means conld, the introduction of cholera into St. Yin-
cert at tlie time when it was raging around us, but far more for his great personal
kindness, and for the fearlessness Avith which he encountered danger and assumed
responsibility when it was necessary that some one should take the lead.

" I had the best opportunity of knowing that while the deaths within two miles
of his residence amounted to from 50 to 80 per day, and while not a few held back
in the face of such danger, the sick in the immediate neighborhood of Government
House were frequently visited and provided for by Sir Richard himself. Here
such conduct Avould perhaps be akin to rashness, but with such a population and
under such circumstances the example was of incalculable value.

" The earnest part he took in the deliberations of the Board of Health, and the
suggestions he himself made proved of the greatest use in inducing energy of
action and keeping within bounds the petty jealousies which always arise in such
Boards. It was chiefly if not entirely owing to his exertions and on his responsi-
bility that Medical OfUcers were appointed to the outlying districts which would
otherwise have been entirely neglected, and where but for this the mortality
(which in the whole Island exceded sevun per cent.) would have been far greater."

The same writer adds that :

" The great characteristic of Sir Richard's administration was firmness and
thorough impartiality — for these qualities every one gave him full credit, but the
very largeness of his views and his own conscious strength made him at times
rather intolerant and inclined to be arbitrary in dealing with the insular prejudices
and little-mindedness of a variegated House of Assembly, which certainly was far
more tenacious of its dignity than deserving of respect. To use their own dialect
he was regarded by the itegroes as a " strong man," and they had reason to say so,

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for by measures of forethought and promptitude he prevented outrages, which, had
they been permitted to occur, would have beeu followed by such scenes as have
lately disgraced the Island."

In fact the Colony was sadly out of condition when Mr. Mac-
donnell assumed the Government. The political and social state of
the Island was disorganized ; the finances were deranged, and the
treasury exhausted. Plague and pestilence followed, causing the
planters and others to ahandon the place, adding, by their flight,
to the fear and trembling of those who were obliged to remain. The
advantage of having a " strong man " at the head of affairs was
then apparent. His Excellency's brave heart and bright example were
of incalculable benefit. He wished to restore tone, to inspire trust, and
prevent if possible the sympathetic spread of the disorder. Nor
was there any better way of fulfilling duty, and at the same time of
provoking courage than to pass among those who had been stricken
with cholera, and, by touching the patients, to convince the people
generally that the disease was not contagious.

After administering the Government of St. Vincent for about
two years, Mr. Macdonnell returned to England, when he received
from Her Majesty the honor of Knighthood. It so happened that
he was in London, in the spring of the year, when on the interven-
tion of the House of Commons, the nomination of a gentleman to
the Government of South Australia was revoked. The vacant
office, was, by the Queen's command, without any solicitation on
his part, offered to Sir Richard Macdonnell, accompanied with
the intimation that he would be invested with the superior title
of " Captain General and Governor in Chief." The offer was
accepted and obeyed with such alacrity that on the 7th of June
following we read of the arrival of Sir Richard and Lady Mac-
donnell at Adelaide, the se?t of his new Government.

The Colony seemed to have reached a critical point in its history.
The questions of Parliamentary responsibility and local self-govern-
ment were being discussed in the Australian as they had been in

SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

209

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nes as have

Mr. Mac-
ial state of
d, and the
ausing the
leir flight,
main. The
affairs was
ample vrere
e trust, and
rder. Nor
ame time of
en stricken
! the people

it for about
he received
ppened that
be interven-
entleman to
The vacant
iicitation on
panied with
iiperior title
tie offer was
rth of June
Lady Mac-

n its history.

self-govem-

had been in

the British American possessions. The Colonial policy of the
empire favored tl..: popular views of the Colonists, and it would
seem that Sir Richard was instructed to carry out in Australia,
what Lord Sydenham had initiated in Canada, a system of popular
Government based on ministerial responsibility. It might be
instructive did our space permit, to note the political progresss
of that Province from its state of tutelage to its condition
of self-government, and compare it in its separate parts with the
system which obtains in Canada. There are points of difference,
not unworthy of note,'with respect to which, the advantage may not
altogether incline to the latter Province.

The apparently irrepressible desire of Sir Richard Macdonnell
to see everything and go everywhere, moved His Excellency to
undertake long and frequent journeys to the interior and along the
seaboard of his dominions. This practice was as fruitful in popu-
larity as it was in personal gratification. The governed were
brought into personal contact with the Governor, much to their
mutual gratification, and perhaps to their mutual advantage. There
were besides objects of natural curiosity as well as of local interest
to examine which would attract one who, like Sir Richard, appears
to be beset with an explorer's passion for adventure. His rule in
Australia was marked with energy and originality, and his depar-
ture was accompanied with general regret. The common senti-
ment of sorrow found expression in the local press, and by way
of example we make the following extract from the " Adelaide
Observer :"

" Our late Governor has therefore been nearly seven years with us. These seven
years have been the most important period in our history ; and the future of the
Province will take its shape and mould very much from the public measures which
have been passed during this time, and with which the name of Sir R. G. Macdon-
nell will henceforth be associated. Self-government has become an accomplished
fact. Through the wisdom of the Imperial Government, a liberal constitution was
granted to the Colony, which has now been in successful operation for several
years. The granting of such a Constitution to this Province was an experiment
which some looked upon with serious apprehension; but, on the whole, it has

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210

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SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, CD.

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worked well. The good sense of the people, the ability of their representatives,
nnd the indefatigable exertions of the Government, have carried us thronf,'h the
testing period of our history, leaving but little to regret and much to admire. It
is quite possible that our Constitution is yet susceptible of improvement; it was
put forth at first Avith something of a tentative character, and even its best friends
never dnimed perfection for it ; but, on the whole, we have no hesitation in saying
that it was admirably adapted to the circumstances and necessities of a new and
thriving colony like this; and with here and there a slight drawback it has been a
decided success. That the useful working of representative government in South
Australia owes much to the intelligence, industry, and conciliatory spirit of Sir
Eichard will be readily admitted on all hands.

" The volunteer movement, which has taken such firm root in the Colony, and
which will be a strong arm of defence in the event of any hostile aggression on
our shores, has from the first been encouraged and helped by His Excellency. His
wise counsels, his warm sympathy, and his personal efforts, have done much to
promote the stability of the movement. Other gentlemen have worked manfully to
bring the scheme to its present comparative state of efliciency ; but it is no detrac-
tion from their merits to say that but for the energy and zeal displayed by the
Governor, the volunteer movement would hardly have been so successful as it is.
The Real Property Act, which is justly regarded as one of the greatest boons ever
conferred on this community, found in Sir Richard from the very first a warm-
hearted advocate and a judicious helper. "NVe cannot help regarding it as a happy
circumstance that when this Act was before the public, forcing its way into notice,
in spite of most violent opposition, we had, as Iler Majesty's Representative, a
gentleman whose legal education and knowledge of constitutional questions enabled
him to aid its advocates, and to take those precautions which his position, as the
guardian of Her Majesty's prerogatives, required him to do. In his despatch to
the Colonial Office, in reference to the Real Property Act, written with clearness,
discrimination, and great ability. His Excellency rendered valuable assistance ta
the framers and advocates of that measure. In identifying himself with e'.ery
public movement for the good of the Colony, whether of a literary, artistic, educa-
tional or philanthropic character. Sir Richard has shown how well he understood
the duties of his high office, and how the weight of his influence and the value of
his patronage might give encouragement to those who were seeking to raise the
character of the Colon j. Various societies have received his patronage and been
aided by his powerful pen and eloquent speech ; the South Australian Institute
always found in him a ready advocate of its claims and an able coadjutor in its
operations ; the Competitive Examinations, at the Board of which he presided,
were indebted for much of their efficiency and success to his zeal and scholarship ;
and, indeed, every public society and benevolent movement has received valuable
aid from His Excellency ; and his commanding presence, both on the platform,
and in the committee-room, will be greatly missed. In reference to religious
matters, we believe Sir Richard has pursued a course which has secured for him

SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, CD.

211

>sentalivos,
lirouj^li the
idmiro. It
3nt ; it was
)cst friends
1 in saying
a new and
has been a
it in South
;)irit of Sir

Colony, and
?ression on
ency. His
e much to
nanfully to
no detrac-
yed by the
«ful as it is.
boons ever
st a warm-
as a happy
into notice,
sentative, a
ons enabled
tion, as the
despatch to
h clearness,
ssistance tD
with e'.ery
stic, educa-
understood
the value of
to raise the
le and been
in Institute
Ijutor in its
le presided,
icholarship ;
red valuable
le platform,
to religious
ired for him

the respect and esteem of all sects and parties. In a community like tliis, whore
tliere is no dominant church, but where all bodies of religionists are pbioed on a
footiui,' of equality, it requires delicate caution in a gentleman occupying so high
position as Governor of the Colony, so that no olfonco may bo given to any.
Firmly attached as Sir llichard is to his own church, ho has done nothing during
his long residence amongst us to olfeud the prejudices or to discountenance the
principles of other churches. On the contrary, ho has done something to bring
the different religious bodies into closer connection and more friendly relation.
lie has served all in turn who have sought his assistance ; and the hospitality of
Government Hou.se has been open to the clergy and members of various denomi-
nations, lie has probably traversed the Colony in all directions, from its eastern
to its western boundary, more completely than any bushman in the country,
excepting perhaps Mr. Stuart and some of his companions. In dispensing the
hospitalities of the Vice-llegal Court, His Excellency has manifested a generous
liberality, in which wo need hardly say ho has been aided by the excellent and
amiable lady who bears his name and shares his dignity. No wonder, tlicn, that
the removal of Sir Eichard and his lady from amongst us occasions deep and
almost universal regret. It is not often that Governors leave these colonies with
•such warm expressions of esteem and respect as Sir llichard carries with him from
South Australia.

" His administration here shows that it is possible for Her Majesty's representa-
tive, while fully maintaining the royal prerogatives and guarding the dignity of
the Throne, to secure at the same time the confidence and respect of the people.

" A great many of the colonists, ladies and gentlemen, took leave of His Excel-
lency and Lady MacdonnoU on ^Monday last, at a levee and drawing-room held at
Government House, on Avhich occasion several valedictory addresses were pre-
sented to His Excellency, which will be found fully reported in another place. An
address from the ladies of South Australia was also presented to Lady Macdonnell,
accompanied by a parting memento, to which her Ladyship replied in pleasing
terms. Sir Eichard and Lady Macdonnell received quite an ovation on Tuesday
afternoon on leaving Government House for Glenelg, the road from the gates of
the Domain through King William street being lined by volunteers and thousands
of spectators."

On his return to England Sir Richard very earnestly addressed
himself to the work of bringing under the notice of the Government
the claims of Colonial Governors to retiring or superannuation
allowances. The able enclosure which accompanied the following
letter was, we have reason to believe, from the pen of Sir Richard
himself. It must be satisfactory to liim to know that his views have
become embodied in the law of the land, and that a most meritorious

212

SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

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and at the same time much slighted class of the public servants have

reason to thank him for attracting attention to their claims, and for

being instruraentally the means of securing for them substantial

consideration. Many a highmindcd representative of Her Majesty

will, by the passing of that act, feel himself to be released from

galling cares. His oflScial career is now brightened with the

prospect of a pension from Imperial funds, and can not therefore

be blemished with humiliating efforts to make a purse from Colonial

emoluments.

"To His Grace the Duke of Newcastle, K. O.

London, March, 18G3.

My Lobd Duke,

We, the undersigned, in common, we believe, with all others who have adminis-
tered Colonisil Government as Her Mnjesty's representatives therein, have long
felt the exceptional and peculiar hardship of being the only immediate servants of
the Crown for whom no retiring allowances under any circumstances have hitherto
Iif^en provided, whatever may be the merit or length of their services.

We, therefore, respectfully solicit your Grace's attention to the enclosed printed
statement, which we believe fairly illustrates the anomalous and painful position
of Governors of Colonies in that respect, as compared with ller Majesty's other
public servants.

We request your Grace to consider favourably the arguments set forth in the
enclosed paper; and trust that you may see fit to bring the subject under the con-
sideration of Her Majesty's advisers, with a view to the introduction of some
Parliamentary measure, which may meet the case. The sketch of a Bill annexed
to the within statement is intenuad only to illustrate our view of what such a
measure might be.

We are quite aware that it does not rest with us to suggest the proper means
of carrying out the intentions of Her Majesty's Government, even though they
may accord with our views.

Wo have, &c.,

(SiKned) EDMUND HEAD.

C. II, DARLING.
RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL.

With his experience of the Colonial service and his repute as a
Governor, it was not probable that Sir Richard Macdonnell would
remain long unemployed. On the succession of Eari Mulgrave to
the title of his deceased father the late Marquis of Normandy, a

SIR RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, CD.

213

^ants have
3, and for
ubstantial
ir Majesty
ascd from
with tho
, tliercforo
m Colonial

iarcli, 18G3.

lavo ndminis-
in, have long
ie servants of
nave hitherto
I.

slosed printed
inful position
ujesty's other

forth in the

nder the con-

tion of some

Bill annexed

what such a

proper means
though they

DONNELL.

repute as a
inell would
ulgrave to
)nnandy, a

vacancy occurred in tlic office of Lieutenant Governor of Nova
Scotia. Tho post was immediately offered to tho subject of our
sketcli, and tlnis Sir Richard for tho third timo found himself in
tho North American possessions, but on this occasion as the
Representative of His Sovereign.

Tho habit of governing had not been forgotten by His Excel-
lency when ho became the Governor of Nova Scotia. "Without
doubt be found himself called upon to rulo in conformity with a
system which, though perhaps rather experimental than established,
did not necessarily reduce the Governor to the condition of a cypher.
At least such appeared to be the opinion of Sir Richard Macdon-
ncll; and there can be little doubt the opinion has its root in truth
and experience. The Representative of the Sovereign, being also a
Statesman of approved wisdom, must necessarily be a power in tho
State ; whose influence however should rather be felt, than articu-
lated ; seen in the acts of Government rather than heard in the
words of the Governor. Any departure from tlie law of silence
should be resorted to only on grave occasions when the reason is so
transparent as to commend itself on its merits. At the very out-
set of his Government, Sir Richard Macdonnell appeared to think
there were reasons why the exception should be the rule, and when
in tho interests of morality and good government he should not
keep silence. In replying to a congratulatory address of the inhab-
itants of Pictou, Ilis Excellency took the opportunity to contrast
the American Republic with tho British Monarchy, to compare the
confusion of the former with the serenity of the latter ; and in doing
so, to point, as Lord Brougham* had done before him, to a particular
virus which, Avith ulcer-like malignity, was spreading itself through
every channel and artery of the American system. He shewed that

* Tho very worst (blot) undoubtodly, is tho entire change of public functionaries, from the
liighest to the lowest which follows every change of tho rrcsident, converts all the n.oro
consiaerablo members of tho community into place hunters, and makes the whole interval,
between ono election of Chief Magistrate and another, a constant scene of canvass^

* Brougham's Statesmen of the timo of George III, article " Thomas Jefferson."

214

.sill RICIIARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, CD.

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the uncertain tcniwc of office under a democnvtic form of Government
was at the root of mucli of the misery that had taken i)hiee in the
United States. His Excellency added l)y way of application that he
had ohscrvcd in Nova Scotia the germ of similar corruption and
therefore he took upon himself to sound the alarm hy cautioning
people of all parties to shun the road to ruin ; to turn h. from a
pernicious way ; to cling to monarchical and avoid repuhlican usage.
Experience shewed that by debasing the State service, the State
servants became demoralized. The best talent, the fairest reputations,
the honorable and educated minds of the country, would shrink from
an employment which, by ignorant clamour, or corrupt practices, had
been degraded from a science to a craft, from a study to a job)
in which high princii)lo, stainless integrity, and cultivated taste
were sneered at as unmitigated nuisances. It was therefore a bold
declaration of sound principle, which a less courageous man
would not have made, for it reflected on the acts of his own
Council. Nevertheless it approved itself to the public conscience,
and startled His Excellency's advisers with the wholesome convic-
tion that a policy of terror and oppression, being unjust to indivi-
duals and injurious to the State, was also opposed to the good
sense, sound judgment and right feeling of the people themselves.

The political condition of the United States had moved thought-
ful men in the British Provinces very carefully to review their own
position and enquire whether by a closer union among themselves
they could not strengthen their power and preserve intact the insti-
tutions under which they lived. The sentiment was shared by
public men in all the Provinces, and approved by the experienced
Statesmen of England. Moreover it found consistent expression in
the agreement entered into at the now famous Quebec Conference.
The festivities which followed the Conference were of the usual kind.
Indeed such festivities appear to be an essential part of the British
system. Tables were spread luxuriously in order that speeches
mi^^ht be made daintily ; and those speeches were heightened in

1! i'

8IU RICIIAllD GRAVES MACDONXRLL, C.H.

215

rnmcnt

in the

that he
ion and
iitioning

from a
n usage,
ic State
iitations,
ink from
ices, had
to a job,
ed taste
re ahold
lus man
his own
iscicnce,
e convic-
to indivi-
:he good
nselvcs.

thought-
their own
lemselvcs

the insti-
ihared by
pcrienced
iression in
mfcrence.
isualkind.
lie British

speeches
htcned in

interest by the fact tliat the seal of socreay was removed from the
lips of the ♦' high contracting parties," wlio, during the progress of
the conference, had been boinid bv confidential obli^jations.

At a public banquet at Montreal, besides the Delegates to the
Conference, there were otiier guests of distinction, including the
subject of our sketch. In acknowledging the toast given in his
honor, Sir llichard took occasion to express his opinion on the
subject of Confederation, with a special allusion to the preliminary
means by which it should, or should not, be brought about. Without
discussing the speech itself, we may be permitted to express the
regret which most people felt, that His Excellency did not observe
greater reticence on the subject. No words, however wise, could
then alter the conclusions at which the Conference had arrived ;
but such words, whether wise or not, might weaken the eifect of
such conclusions, and consequently retard, rather than promote,
the great aim of the Conference itself. We actpiit Ilis Excellency
of any such intention, for he has elsewhere and on other occasions
expressed his hearty desire to co-operate in the great work. " If
I were to remain amongst you," said His Excellency on a very
recent occasion in reply to an address of the inhabitants of Truro,
" If I were to remain amongst you, I would therefore feel it a
duty, and one entirely consistent with my sense of right, to
promote by all means in my power the accomplishment of those
objects which Her Majesty's Government has expressed its earnest
desire to attain."

The probability of His Excellency's approaching departure from
Nova Scotia has become a subject on which people of all parties
concur in exhibiting unqualified regret. Nor is it for his own sake
alone, or for the public loss which his retirement will occasion, that
these regrets are expressed. The political rule of His Excellency
has been alike popular and successful, and therefore on public
grou?ids his retirement will be accounted a serious loss. But His
Excellency has not contented himself with returning the smallest

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SIU RICUARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C.B.

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modicum of service for the position he fills. lie hag not been
careful to calculate at how little sacrifice of convenience a community
may be governed, or at what distant intervals the customary
hospitalities may be dispensed. On the contrary, the important
truth seems to have been ever present to the experienced mind of
Sir Richard, that the Crown has social as well as political duties t /
discharge ; that it has influences to exert as well as opinions to offer;
and that, as the latter decline in prominence, or are mentioned only
in whispers, the former increase in value, and become indeed
ahnost of vital importance. Under the system of Colonial Gov-
ernment which now obtains, the Viceroy may be said to cease,
personally, to ruie, and to begin, personally, to reign. If this view
be correct, it follows that the social duties of the Crown cannot be
satisfactorily discharged without some sacrifice being made to the
obligations which those duties entf»,il. Selfish privacy and syste-
matic exclusiveness form no part of the Royal instructions, and
cannot, we venture to think, bo practised with advantage to the
Royal authority. His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor and
the inhabitants of Nova Scotia seem to have been impressed with
these convictions ; and hence the regrets which mingle themselves
with His Excellency's approaching departure, regrets which take
their rise in social causes, and cluster like pleasant memories about
Government House, and those graceful and frequent hospitalities,
to which the first lady of the Province has by her condescen-
sion given a more than usual charm. " Lady Macdonnell,"
writes an enthusiastic local authority, " has endeared herself
to all ; " and should any one have the temerity to question his
statement, he adds amusingly, by way of challenge, " that the
fact will be disputed by no person living." Having the advantage
of some sUght knowledge of our own, we unreservedly re-echo the
sentiment of the chivalrous " Ilallegonian," and add, by way of
emphasis, that no dissentient therefrom will be discovered in
Canada.

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HONORABLE EDWARD BO WEN,

CUIEP JUSTICE OP THE SUPERIOR COURT FOR LOWER CANADA.

" A Summer Session " in Canada is rarely wished for, and never
welcomed. No one with whom we are acquainted, whether in or
out of Parliament, harbors even a latent desire for such a gathering
at such a season. The estates of the realm, when they s.rc assembled
for the "despatch of public business," prefer cool accessories, a
crisp atmosphere, and the flavor of a January frost. These tonic
qualities elude the season of languor. They are vainly desired in
the glare of summer, when the god of day appears to be burnished,
and the year has just passed its glorious noontide. The truth is,
heat and occupation do not agree with one another, for the presence
of the former inclines us to idleness, and gives flavor to the
rustic luxury of " thinking of nothing." We can imagine more
oasily than describe the sensation of two hundred gentlemen, " great
men " and councillors of approved wisdom, who, from habit and
exhaustion, had turned their backs on all physical exertion, and
their faces it may be to some " vast contiguity of shade ; " who
had hurried away from the scorching sunlight, the sweltering heat,
the arid pathway of everyday life, in search of silent groves, or of
" rapid rivers, to whose falls melodious birds sing madrigals,"

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218

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

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wnerc they miglit •' lave and drink," or lie in listless idleness, as
in their boyish days, upon the grass, soothed by the " hum of bees,"
or '' the voice of birds," or the soft music of gushing water. We
can imagine the sensation of grim displeasure with which such
persons would listen to the unwelcome notes, like discord amid
melody, of the Royal Proclamation which summoned them to think
and work, even though the summons mry have taken its rise in
grave and urgent reasons of State. In leaving his fields, whose
harvests it was his hope to gamer, the farmer would " cast a lin-
gering look behind." In putting away his fishing rods, and casting
lines, and feather flies, the sportsman would probably weigh his
personal pleasures against his public honors, and reasonably doubt
which were the heavier. The trader, too, who hoped to point his
holiday with health, would, with natural reluctance, exchange the
crystal lake, the secluded waterfall, the " whispering trees," for
heated rooms and a dusty atmosphere, enlivened with the harsh
accompaniments of choleric voices and angry words.

" There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes.

By the deep sea, and music in its roar ;
I love not man the less, but nature more."

By way of compensation, it happens that at such a season the Repre-
sentatives of the people do not, in their physical aspect, exhibit the
discontent they are supposed to feel. On the contrary, whatever the
state of their minds may be, the appearance of their faces is eminently
exhilarating. On some the sea breeze seems to linger, Avith a kind of
friendly fondness, while the flush of pink suggests the fact that they
have passed through a mild process of gentle pickling, performed, it
may be, near some cape, or within some bay, whose bluff or shore is
ever bathed with the salt Avaves of the ocean. Others again look as
if they had caught the tints of their own wheatlands, fior their com-
plexions are riotous with health and radiant with sunshine, rich and
glowing like " red poppies in brown corn." These peculiarities of

HON. EDAVARD BOWEN.

219

person or feature are set off by and harmonize Avith the light and
careless attire which gentlemen in Canada may wear at all times,
and especially in the summer season, without remark or challenge.
Thus when the " dog star" is in the zenith, when

" Noon glows on the liike
Noon glows on the fell "

the Commons of Canada observe as one of their ancient and inalien-
able rights the privilege of dressing themselves as they please. The
nomenclature of the " most ancient craft" is elo(|uontly represented
in style and texture. We may note the " blouse " and the " duster,"
the " paletot " and the " zephyr." Gauze and gossamer lend their
lightness to the "pride" of the people, and supply a jaunty, as Avell
as picturesque effect to their appearance, as when summoned by
His Excellency they carelessly lean on the brazen bar of the Legis-
lative Council. Under such trying circumstances it is satisfactory
to observe that the " knights, citizens and burgesses," look cool in
their apparel, and it may be wise to avoid the more curious and less
comfortable question whether they feel so in their persons.

If, however, the opening of Parliament in the " dog days" is
associated with certain toilet peculiarities with respect to the
rougher sex, it is for the same reason unquestionably alluring for
its scenic attractions in relation to the gentler one. " Summer
millinery" and "summer dry goods" are much better adapted to
a gala occasion than are the ** latest novelties" for winter service.
We may, for example, with Byron, venerate that article of
" mystical sublimity," a " petticoat," and yet decline to sympathize
with his sentiments of latitudinarian indifference as to whether it
be of "russet, silk, or dimity." The stuffy first, and quilted
second, must, if we may adventure an opinion on speculative
subjects, give place to the dainty third. The fair raiment, with
its mounting tucks and microscopic eyelets, white as a daisy and
fresh from the clover fields, should and does shame its shadier
rivals into dexterous concealment, while it reigns the unrivalled and

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220

IIOX. EDWARD BO WEN.

not quite the unseen queen of the "jupon" family. In hannony
with the change in the venerated vestment from woollen to cotton »
from gleaming vermilion to vestal white, from the indistinct aroma
of conservative camphor, to the perceptible fragrance of new-mown
hay and grass laden with the breath of summer, may be observed
other changes of a more conspicuous and striking description, all
tending to add brightness to the ceremony of opening Parliament.
Shimmering silks in rainbow variety meet and caress one another, and
seem to whisper their satisfaction at being aired at such a ceremony.
Floods of gossamer and lacelikc raiment flutter and float in misty
uncertainty, occasioning bewildering conjectures as to the particular
person to whom the feathery drapery actually belongs. No
doubt on such occasions the Council Chamber looks its best.
The milliner and the tailor, the decorative artists of fashion,
have done their utmost to " gild refined gold and to paint the
lily," and the result is that dress is attractively represented in
its levity, as well as in its sobriety, in the lightness as well as
the fulness of modern display. Had wo no fear of being caught
trespassing on forbidden properties, or might avo moralize,
without seeming censorious on questions dangerously intricate,
we might perhaps hint that on the ordinary occasions of open-
ing Parliament there is room for amendment in the "winter
wear" of the ladies. State ceremonies, to be effective, should not
be deficient in the harmony of their parts. Toilet contrasts
should take their rise in the qualities of taste and elegance, and
not only in those of comfort or convenience. Some sacrifice should
be made to appearance ; for it is scarcely seemly, for example, that
the full dress uniforms of the Representative of the Sovereign, and
of the great officers of State, should be met by those curious
cariole costumes, not very unlike the antique toy figures in a child's
Noah's ark, which appear frequently to find favor with ladies who
deign to grace such ceremonies with their presence.

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

221

harmony
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But besides the artistic attractions which contributed their aid
to the opening of rarlinment on the 8th of August, 1865, there
were other circumstances which added interest to the scene. Peers
of the United Kingdom were present, and received within the bar
seats of privilege. The presence of the Admiral of the station,
with his attendant officers of Her Majesty's ship Liffc)/, gave
additional attraction to the large and picturesque civil and military
staff which, in crescent form, supports the throne. Altogether the
scene was unusually bright and varied ; and perhaps it was fitting
that it should have been so, since it was the last occasion on which
the Legislature of the United Province wov'l be summoned to
meet in the ancient capital of Canada.

Not only were youth and manhood, dress and beauty, fittingly
represented in the Legislative Council on that August day of heat
and sunshine, but the ceremony derived especial interest from the
ago and services of some, and especially of oi>e, who occupied the
chief seat in the privileged circle of those whose appointed places
are within the bar, and immediately in front of the throne. Though
of rare occurrence, it is not, we believe, without precedent for a
Chief Justice to be in harness at the age of eighty-five. But we
venture to think no other example will be found of such a digni-
tary, who has filled a scat on the Bench of one of Her Majesty's
high courts of justice for upwards of half a century, and who, on
the day in question, was only enjoying the indulgence of a tem-
porary leave of absence. At any rate, the only one we know of is
the subject of our present sketch, the Venerable Chief Justice of
the Superior Court for Lower Canada.

The Honorable Edward Bowen was born on the 1st of December,
1780, at the town of Kinsale situated on the south-west coast of Ireland,
and to be precise, we may add in the ancient kingdom of Munster.
He was one of three brothers, the eldest of whom, Lieut. Colonel
Bowen, C.B., of the Madras Army, was killed at Seringa-
patam, and the youngest is a Post Captain, now on half pay of the

000

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

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Royal Navy, who earned no little distinction for gallant conduct in
Ilcr Majesty's frigate Apollo. From the position of Kinsalc on the
map, we may easily suppose that any one having the good fortune
to be born in that historical sea-port town, must very early have
become acquainted with the quality of western breezes, and, per-
haps without seeing them, have acquired an anticipatory relish for
the British })osscssions in America. Certainly a westerly wind,
combined with the aggressive rage of the Atlantic, must make
themselves felt in that little town of Kinsalc. No wonder the
ancient family of de Courcey, the descendants of the celebrated
Earl of Ulster, at present represented by the Barons of Kinsalc,
should enjoy the hereditary privilege of wearing their hats, or, wo
may be allowed to add, any other article of comfortable clothing in
the presence of Royalty.

In this breezy and well-ventilated town the Chief Justice was

born. His father, a doctor of medicine and a surgeon in His

Majesty's Forces, having died, while he was very young, in the West

Indies, whither he had accompanied his regiment ; the care and

education of the young sons devolved wholly on their widowed

mother. This lady removed from Kinsalc to Drogheda, near

Dublin, where she placed her sons at an academy which, at that

time, was kept by and under the direction of two clergymen of the

respective names of Crawford and Irwin. Nothing of personal

interest transpired during the progress of Mr. Bowen's education.

On leaving school the question very probably arose as to the path

of life which the young scholar should be counselled to pursue.

The difficulty seems to have been smoothed by the sympathetic

intervention of his great aunt, Mrs. Caldwell, the wife of Colonel

the Honorable Henry Caldwell, Receiver General of Lower Canada,

then a resident of Quebec, who invited Mr. Bowen to visit the

Province. Being thus attracted, the subject of our sketch

turned his back upon Ireland, and, after a passage of nearly

three months, he arrived at Quebec on the 12th of October,

HON. EDWAllD BOWEN.

223

1707. Having left Km native country at tlic instance of relatives
in Canada, it was of course their duty to sec that the career of
their protegee should suffer no prejudice from their intervention.
On his arrival, Mr. Bowen became the guest of Colonel
and Mrs. Caldwell. lu the summer of the following year
ho was articled to their son, Mr. John Caldwell, who was
an English barrister as well as an advocate of Lower
Canada. Tho legal profession, it Avoiild seem, presented but
few attractions to that gentleman, for he relincpiished the practice
of the law and assumed in its stead the management of his father's
seigniory of Lauzon, where, having built extensive mills, he carried
on tho business of a merchant. The aversion of the princii)al did
not extend to tho pupil, for Mr. Bowen determined to prosecute
his legal studies, and he had the good fortune to be able to transfer
his articles of indenture to the then Attorney General, the Honor-
able Jonathan Sewell. While yet a student, Mr. Bowen was for-
tunate enough to bo appointed Deputy Clerk of tho Crown for
Lower Canada, (the Clerk of the Crown in those " good old times"
resided in England,) and in this capacity he accompanied tho
Attorney General to those parts of the Province where Criminal
Courts were required to bo held.

In May, 1803, Mr. Bowen was called to the Bar. Li process
of time he received a patent of precedence as King's Counsel, the
fact is noteworthy as being the first of the kind ever issued in
Lower Canada. In 1807, ho married Eliza, the daughter of Dr.
James Davidson, Surgeon of the Royal Canadian Volunteers.
Their married life continued unbroken for the long period of
fifty-two years, for Mrs. Bowen died in the year 1859. We may
add that there were issue of this marriage sixteen children, and that
this number was exactly divided, for there were eight sons and eight
daughters.

Promotion appears to have been rapid in those days, for on the
preferment of Mr. Sewell, in 1808, to the office of Chief Justice,

PW-P

224

HON. EDWAIID IIOWEX.

the 8ii1)joct of our sketch becnnic Attorney (lenenil. lie sat for
tlic two following years as meniher of the Assembly for Sorcl.

On the 3rd of May, 1812, Mr. Attorney General liowen was
appointed a Judge of the King's ]k'neh, aiui in 1849, ho was pro-
moted to the office of Chief Justice of the Superior Court for
Lower Canada. The fact is curious and almost bewildering *hat
there is still living a Judge who Avas a Judge more than fifty-three
years ago ; who was a Judge before war was declared by the United
States against England in 1812 ; before Wellington won from Mar-
mont the victory of Salamanca, and before Napoleon entered on
that fatal cami)aign which ended in his disastrous retreat from
Moscow. Nor is our amazement diminished by the additional
information tliat for nearly forty years of that period this Methuselah
of the Bench did not feel it necessary to absent himself from his
duties or even api)ly for the customary three months' leave of
absence. Such facts almost tem})t us to pause for a moment, and
in a rule of three form, practice a little simple arithmetic. If a
Judge after fifteen years' service has a statutory right to retire on
a pension of two-thirds of his salary, what amount of pension should
he be allowed after fifty-four years of such service ?

In 1823, Mr. Justice Bowen was summoned by Royal Manda-
mus to a seat in the Legislative Council of Lower Canada. In
1837, he was appointed to the office of Speaker of that Honorable
House. During the fourteen years in which he sat in the Legis-
lative Council, we believe he took his part in the discussions of the
tJiae, and from his own view of duty ho sought to influence public
ii a-a with wisdom and patriotism. After the reunion of the Pro-
vinces, he withdrew altogether from political as well as Parliament-
ary life, and gave his undivided attention to the more exact duties
of his judicial office. He was, we should add, one of the members of
that important Court, which was specially appointed for the con-
sideration of the vexed Seigniorial Tenure question, and he has
therefore the right of sharing with his judicial colleagues, the

HON. KUWARD BOWEN.

225

crivia])le honor of sottlin;^ {imicahly, and on 0(iMlta1)lc tcnns, a (jiics-
tiou which in less favored countries lias, wc believe, never been
adjusted without bloodshed or revolution.

The Judicial, .ike the Episcojial, office is, in Canada at least, asso-
ciated with much phyriical hardship. Locomotion over the ill made
forest roads is at best a very rou^^h jirocess. A Judge like a
Bishop ought to know something of carpentry work, and it might
bo as well that he should possess at least a liruited acquaintance
with the wheelwright's trade. A little nautical experience moreover
might prove serviceable, for sometimes in " going the circuit," " the
Court" has to proceed in a skiff or a "jolly boat." Thus it
chanced to the subject of our sketch. Duty required him in the
Spring of 1847, to hold a court at the village of Deschanibault,
situated on the banks of the St. Lawrence. The place is approached
by two routes, one by the road and tho other by the river. The
former at that o[)ening season was broken up in a way which can
only bo appreciated by persons who have resided in Northern
coimtries ; the latter was dangerous because the banks were
fringed with ice. However, between the impassable road and tho
perilous river, "the Court" had no difficulty in arrivhig at a deci-
sion. The latter route was chosen ; the conveyance was a rough
open boat, and the landing had to be effected at night. The beach
was covered with logs, and tho logs were covered with ice. The
officers and functionaries of the Court stumbled, and at different
times fell, but their comparative youth enabled them to extract
merriment from disaster. Not so the venerable Chief Justice ; for
though time had dealt gently with him, he was not proof against
the physical consequences of physical rough usage. The injury
he sustained in the " Judge's procession " to Court was not only
painful in itself, but it has in a greater or less degree been attended
with inconvenient and disabling consequences.

In a life of even tenor and uniform labor, there are few points
on which the sketcher can fasten. The moral landscape presents

226

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

\ '

Flr|

no crags, no bluffs, no obtuse features which the mind can rest
upon, 01 die pen describe. The view may be very expansive, but
as a champaign country, is level and uniform, and only noteworthy
for the loveliness of its coloring and the abundance of its crops,
In like manner a life of duty and usefulness most frequently
manifests itself by the noiselessness of its course and the gentleness
of its charities. Thus while the obligations of duty have imposed on
the Chief Justice the necessity of administering the law, the attrac-
tions of taste have led him to find congenial recreation in the cul-
tivation of those lighter studies which, while they inform the mind,
refine and purify the character. Without dwelling on the influence
which music and painting exert on those who, like the subject
of our sketch, arc gifted with a taste for both, wo may note that
the Chiet Justice cherishes towards flowers an almost tender af-
fection ; he is, we believe, a patient as well as diligent observer
of their habits, and with the skill of a botanist can number their
tribes, and designate their varieties. His garden, though only a
preserve of simple flowers is nevertheless, like the flush of beauty,
rich with radiance :

"Where opening roses breathing sweets diffuse,
And soft carnations shower their bahny dews;
"Where lilies smile in virgin robes of white,
The thin undress of superficial light :
And varied tulips show so dazzling gay,
Blushing in bright diversities of day.

With such leanings towards the beautiful in nature and in art,
we can easily conjecture that the love of home and friends, and
the social intercourse which constitute the charm of both, must
exert no small influence in the life of one whose career in Canada
has been closely associated with the place of his earliest as it will
probably be the place of his latest abode.

The Chief Justice has, we believe, always been regarded as a
conscientious and painstaking judge, and, in matters of criminal
jurisprudence particularly, the professional promise which attached

1 1

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

227

can rest
3ive, but
eworthy
s crops,
oqucntly
ntlencss
posed on
e attrac-
the cul-
iie mind,
influence
I subject
lote tbat
nder af-
observer
)er their
h only a
' beauty,

i in art,
nds, and
ih, must
I Canada
as it -svill

ded as a
criminal
attached

to him as a barrister has, wc believe, been fulfilled by Inm on the
bench. That this promise ^Yas of unusual ripeness should, we think,
be inferred from the fact not only that he was in his early profes-
sional youth marked for distinction, but that he was chosen and
distinguished at a somewhat critical period of Canadian history
and under circumstances that were really exceptional. When
Attorney General Scwell, on the death of Chief Justice AUcock,
succeeded to that high office, the Solicitor General, Mr. (after-
wards Sir) James Stuart, ought, according to customary usage, to
have been promoted id the office of Attorney General. Certainly,
no question of qualification interfered with the preferment. The
difficulty may have been political, and there is little doubt that it
Avas personal too. Sir James Craig, the then Governor General,
like Sir James Stuart, the Solicitor General, was a man of impe-
rious will, who would allow no rival near his throne, and it is pro-
bable that any divergence on a question of public policy would be
celebrated by such irascible functionaries without special reference
to the qualities of forbearance and good will. But whatever the
circumstances were which occasioned the slight to Mr. Stuart and
the selection of Mr. Bowen, it is difficult to deny that the act
included a compliment of no mean value to the gentleman selected.
Thus it happened that the subject of our sketch became Attorney
General, without passing through the earlier degree of Solicitor
General, and he did so too when the latter office was held by one
whose name fills a foremost place in the temple of Canadian fame.
Of course no one denies that such early promotion redounds to the
honor of the individual promoted ; but it may fairly be questioned
whether he or the State derive unalloyed advantage from such
exceptional preference. A ssat on the Bench is in Canada, as in
England, regarded as the end of a career ; and it may fairly be
doubted whether it is for the advantage of an individual that he
ishould too early in years arrive at the end of his professional life.
It is probable that the wave of royal favor which lifted the Chief

228

HON. EDWARD BOWEN.

Justice to the Bench came full too soon. He had neither bufFetted
with the stream nor struggled with the tide. Indeed he had
scarcely passed the shallows, when favoring fortune landed him on
the shore. Ho did not patiently climb the ladder of distinction ;
on the contrary, he was lifted into dignity ; and thus it chanced
when he arrived at the age at which most men commence their
careers, his, so far as competitive struggle was concerned, seemed
to be finished, for the goal was reached beyond which there is little
to look for in the shape of honor, and nothing to gain in the shape
of fortune. No public functionarios are more highly regarded than
our Judges, and none, we venture to think, are less adequately
rewarded.

In his graceful old age, the venerable Chief Justice should, like
one wearied with labor, have the right to fold his robes and lay
aside his work, and in the calm and rest of the late eventide
which precedes the nightfall of life should have leisure to muse
peacefully on a career spent in the public service and devoted
to the public weal, goveraed by one principle and signalized by
one object, the desire to do justly and to judge " according unto
right."

III!

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THE

HONORABLE ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.,

OF MONTHEAL.

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People who neither knew, nor had enjoyed the opportunity of meet-
ing, the Honorable Antoine Aime Dorion, were prepared to find in
him a gentleman of marked abihty, great social tact, conciliatory
manners and a well balanced mind. It was no slight compliment
to his character that the wealthiest, largest, and most important city
in the Province, should have chosen him for its representative Avhen
his name had been on the roll of advocates for a period of twelve years
only. It is not, however, because he knows the value of courtesy,
but because the habit appears to be natural and inherent, that Mr.
Dorion observes in his intercourse with other men the scriptural
maxim of being " courteous." He may occasionally, in obedience
to the law of conscience, or to the law of* philosophical necessity,"
or from the nature of the case, consider himself bound to do
disagreeable things, but then he does not aggravate the supposed
necessity by doing them in a discourteous way. He may have
and probably has, counselled unwise, perhaps harsh and unjust
measures ; measures too, which have, we think, surprised his admirers
while they have scarcely advanced his fame ; but then he has not
imbittered acrid acts by a sharp and acrid manner. The weapon of
offence with him, though it should be a dangerous, must be a highly
tempered weapon. Others may choose a forest bludgeon, oi a
blacksmith's sledge ; he prefers the polished rapier, or the more

>0»^

Tf'

230

HON. ANIOINE AIM£ DORION, M.P.P.

delicate small sword. A deft {gentleness seems to govern his
manner of " fence," and this wholesome habit may go far towards
explaining the fact that difference of opinion has not apparently
been degraded to personal enmity.

His opponents, even while they speak approvingly of Mr. Dorion,
very commonly breathe something like a sigh as they sorrowfully
remark, " 'tis a pity he is a roui/e." 'll\c bad name, unfortunately,
seems to have stuck, but the reason for the name is not easily
arrived at. So far as we are informed it Avas not assumed by the
party to which it is applied, neither do we believe that the principles
of the party reflect its sanguinary hues. The truth is, no one
cares to give it a local definition. It is terse and expressive,
and for election purposes exceedingly serviceable to the party
which flies the other color. The Avriter was amused at the
explanation of a friend to whom he communicated his perplexities.
"A rouge^^ as a party phrase, thus his friend expressed himself,
" is, as you know, of European origin, and neither the party nor
the phrase possess any Canadian counterparts. In the District of
Quebec the term is without significance, and it hurts no one. In
the District of Montreal it is a term of convenience only, and
means one who opposes Mr. Cartier." The explanation, as a
specimen of polite banter, is well enough, but it is insufficient as
well as unsatisfactory. All know that Mr. Dorion does oppose
Mr. Cartier, and all are also aware that in politics the former
as compared with the latter is a liberal of somewhat advanced
views, but all are not therefore prepared to admit that the two
facts, being resolved into a color, should produce a '* rougey

No doubt Mr. Dorion, and the party in Lower Canada which is
associated with him, have had diflficult cards to play. The honors
of the pack for the most part have been counted by their adver-
saries, and it has been only now and then, by a stroke of address,
that he and his friends have succeeded in winning the " odd trick."
It AYOuld not, we think, bo difficult to discover in the exceptional

HON. ANTOINE AIM6 DORION, M.P.P.

231

play a partial reason for the exceptional luck. Each partner has
considered his own game only, and consequently both have very
frequently played, if not at cross purposes, at least with a dangerous
tendency to lose. No attempt has been made, perhaps it was not
possible to make it, by either to consider the state, much less the
difficulties, of the other's hand ; and this practice on the part of both,
of playing only his own cards, having been attended with disaster ;
has been followed by estrangement between the players.

Unfortunately the questions by which the Province has been
agitated in later years have been of a sectional, rather than of a
general, kind. Moreover, the issues raised have been local as well
as sectarian in character, including the ascendancy of a particular
race, and the prejudice of a particular church. To eftcct the
former an increase was demanded in the numl)er of English
representatives in Parliament ; and to accomplish the latter
persistent resistance was counselled to the establishment of separate
schools. One measure would increase the Protestant vote ; the
other would weaken the Roman Catholic Church ; and both were
therefore fondled with especial favor by that large political party
in Upper Canada whose love of reform is only equalled by their
fear of what they are accustomed to designate by a phrase less
courteous than " Romanism."

The party in the Western Province, one or two of whose clear
and well defined objects of policy we have noted, was the accidental
ally in Parliament of Mr. Dorion, and the party in Lower Canada
Avhich is said to act with him. That the alliance was very cordial
or altogether a source of strength to the allies may be questioned ;
for a policy based on ascendancy, whether sectional, national, or
religious, is not likely to be received with favor by the section,
race, or creed, which it seeks to abase. The Western alliance
being, as we venture to think it was, more convenient to the
subject of our sketch for its numbers than for its principles,
for its vote than for its aims, was advantageous chiefly when

"^ —;

232

HON. ANTOINE AIMK DORION, M.P.P.

employed as a weapon of offence, and only became embarrassing
■when used as mi instrument of Government. The extreme
liberal parties of the two sections of the Province were thorou^^hly
united in their opposition to the quasi liberal Government of the day.
Thoy were divided, however, on the reasons for such opposition.
Both had objects of their own to accomplish, but neither agreed
on the means by which such objects should be brought about.
Thus, as we shall sec presently, pursuing a common warfiirc
for separate interests, the two parties found it impossible to
harmonize those interests when they were rec^uired to act together
in a common Government.

Before Mr. Dorion was returned to Parliament, his name and
family were well known in Canada. He had, therefore, in addition
to his personal qualifications, a kind of traditional claim on the suf-
frages of his native Province. His fother, the late Mr. P. A. Dorion,
was member of the House of Assembly for Lower Canada, for the
County of Champlain, and his grandfather, the late Mr. P. Bureau,
sat in the same House for the County of St. Maurice. His uncle,
the Honorable J. 0. Bureau, the former member for the Counties
of Drummond and Arthabaska, at the present time represents the
de Lorimier Electoral Division in the Legislative Council ; and his
brother, Mr. J. B. E. Dorion, represents the united Counties for
which his uncle was member. Mr. Dorion was born in the Parish
of Stc. Anne de la Parade, in the County of Champlain. He
was called to the Bar of Lower Canada in 1842, and has on :hreo
successive occasions been elected Batonnier for the District of
Montreal. He was first returned to Parliament for Montreal at
the General Election in 1854, and continued to sit as one of the
members for that City till the year 18G1 ; Avhen, having suffered
defeat, he continued for several months in political seclusion.

Mr. Dorion, as v/e have said, first sat in the Assembly in the
year 1854. His first act was to propose the Honorable Louis
Victor Sicotte as Speaker of that House. The vote, by a largo

i '.i .

HON. ANTOINE AIMK DOllION, M.P.P.

233

and

majority, resulted favorably for that ^^entlcman. The new I'ar-
liamcnt had been elected under circumstances of an unusually
exciting kind ; for it followed the summary proccedin;^ of His
Excellency the Earl of Elgin by which the former rarliamcnt was
dissolved. In addition to that high handed act, which produced
anything but a soothing effect on the component parts of the
dissolved Parliament ; there were at that day stern old i)arty
questions which had disipiieted a couple of generations, and which
clamored loudly for settlement. Men were then separated by
great differences of opinion ; and party was respectable, for it was
bounded by the land marks of principle. Still the vehemence, as
well as the length of those hereditary contests had exhausted the
combatants ; for then, in the very crisis of the strife, when passion
seemed to have made men hopelessly adverse, when it was diffi-
cult to yield and imiiossible to resist ; the more sagacious and
experienced statesmen agreed to silence contention by sul)mitting to
a compromise. That conclusion resulted in the formation of a
coalition Government, to which a generous outside support was given
by Mr. Ilincks and the more moderate reform party of Western
Canada. But the coalition of parties related only to the Upper
Canada section of the Ministry ; no change was made in the
members who composed the Lower Canada section. Mr. Dorion
therefore found his political relationship to the Government of the
day unaltered by the alterations that had taken place. The force of
opinion had prompted him to oppose the Lower Canada division of
the Government, and the force of circumstances left him no choice
but to continue his opposition. Thus was bo obliged to ally himself
with the extreme liberal party of Upper Canada, which had opposed
the coalition. This accidental alliance was not without incon-
venience to the parties to the contract. Mr. Dorion might vote with
Mr. Brown for the absolute secularization of the clergy reserves ;
and Mr. Brown with Mr. Dorion for the absolute abolition of the
Seigniorial Tenure ; but neither of those acute politicians would

234

HON. ANTOINE AIMM DOllICN, M.IM'.

bo insenaiMo to certain (liflTiculties of detail tliat l)eset one of tlioso
questions, and l)oth would probably see beyond their settlement
some other and more entangled perplexities relating to one section of
tho Province, Avho. c settlement wonlb de inconvenient and dangerous.
The part to bo then})layed was tho part of resistance ; the time had
not yet arrived when tho slumbering antagonism would awake, and
by tiio strong enunciation of sectional rights, imperil the harmony
of a Government whoso members had been united in opposition.

On the 14th April, 185(5, on the motion of the Honorable John
Sandfield Macdonald, which avc may hero observe was resolved in
the alHrmative, " that an humble address be presented to His Excol-
" Icncy representing that in tho opinion of this House the time has
" arrived when tho present system of convening Parliament alter-
" natcly at Toronto and Queliec should bo discontinued," wc find
Mr. Dorion voting with the " yeas" and Mr. Brown with the
" nays." At tho next session of Parliament, on tho adoption of an
address to Her Majesty to select "' some one place for the perma-
nent seat of Government for Canada" tho two gentlemen last
named voted together with the *' nays." Mr. Dorion, if wo recollect
right, stating that such selection being a matter of popular conve-
nience, should be determined only by the popular vote. Mr. Brown,
on tho other hand, Avith sagacious prescience, insisting as ho had
done on previous occasions, that the time had not arrived when tho
selection of a place for the permanent seat of Government for
Canada could be properly made. Whaf-'-vcr weight might bo
attached to the two opinions, it was f )unu to bo insufficient to
influence the vote ; for the House of Assembly, by a considerable
majority, determined that tho question was one of prerogative,
which should, if possible, be decided by Her Majesty alone.

In the selection which would follow the vote much anxiety was felt.
When five cities presented what were regarded as equal claims to
consideration, four at least would necessarily suffer disappointment,
since one only could be chosen. Nor was it matter for surprise that

HON. ANTOIXE AIMK DORION, M.l'.P.

285

liail

Montreal, being the most populous nnd the first commercial city of
the Trovinco, anil moreover the only place that had heen chosen hy
the Parliament of Canada lor its permanent capital, should have had
better reason than her rivals to artienlatc her dissent ^vhen Ottawa
•>vas proclaimed to ho the city which lEer Majesty had deli,^hted
to honor. It shonld not ho overlooked that Mr. Dorion as a citizen
of Montreal, and one who has always taken a deep interest in its
welfare, may personally have symi)athized in the cha;^rin generally
felt by his constitnents at the slight which they snpposed their
beautiful city to have received. Ai)art however from his individual
feelings, and tho obligations which we may presume ho owed to
them, it must bo homo in mind that Mr. Dorion was a representative
of Montreal, and as such he probably considered himself to be charged
by his constituents with tho duty of righting what ho regarded,
if not as a lloyal wrong, at least as a grievous mistake. These, and
other considerations akin to them, should not be lost sight of, for
though they may not excuse, they will go far to explain what must
be regarded as a grave error of statesmanship, which two years
later the subject of our sketch did much to provoke. It was, we
venture to think, a serious indiscretion for one in Mr. Dorion's posi-
tion, with his pure antecedents, his just influence, and his high
promise, to injure the character and repute of the Canadian l\irlia-
mcnt by seekhig to disturb what the Queen, on the earnest
petition of both Houses, guaranteed by an act of the Legislature ;
had graciously been pleased to settle. Men will probably reflect
that as the life of society is longer than the life of individuals,
so the character of their legislation is to a people of much greater
importance than tho place of their capital ; one will attract
universal respect, tho other will only secure local accommoda-
tion ; one is a question of repute, tho other of convenience.
Indeed, so insignificant does one seem, as compared with the
other, that we ought to apologize for placing them side by side.

f^^

236

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

f^'S

It is difficult to imagine that any question of legislatiou could be
hedged about with greater solemnities than those Avhich surrounded
the procectlings relating to the selection of the seat of Government
for Canada ; for if discussions and engagements such as those
offered no security, and were found to bo insufficient for the pur-
poses aimed at, it is difficult to iniderstand what undertakings
could be invented to which greater force could be attached. The
Legislative Assembly however appeared to think otherwise. On
the IGth July, 1858, on the order of ihe day being read for
the House to go into a Committee of Supply, Mr. Dorion, seconded
by Mr. Thibaudi lu, moved in amendment that all the words after
" That," to the end of the question be left out, and the words
" This House is duly grateful to Her jSIajesty for complying with
the address of Her Canadian Parliament, praying Her Majesty to
select a permanent seat of Government ; but that this House
deeply regrets that the city of Ottawa, which Her Majesty has
been advised to select, is not acceptable to a large majority of the
Canadian people," inserted instead thereof. This amendment w^as
negatived on a division, by a majority of eighteen. The stone which
Mr. Dorion had loosened and set rolling was not likely to stop
until it had effected mischief. On the 28th of the same month,
Mr. Piclid, seconded by Mr. Bureau, interpreted aright the popular
sentiment, when he moved a declaratory resolution in the following
words, " That in the opinion of this House, the city of Ottawa
ought not to be the permanent seat of Government of this
Province." This resolution was resolved in the affirmative by a
majority of fourteen. Historical knowledge and the experience
of responsibility had taught the sagacious members of the
" Macdonald-Cartier " administration, among many lessons of
state craft, one important truth, viz., that the greatest advantage
a Government can enjoy is to be considered to be, and to be, a
reliable, trustworthy Government. Even as a policy, honesty is
wisdom, for it is impossible to mention a country which has

HON. ANTOINE ALME DORION, M.P.P.

237

; ' i

permanently gained by a broach of public faith. The vote Avas
supi)lemented by other proceedings, to which it is not necessary
in this place to refer, but it resulted, it was not possible it coukl do
otherwise, in the resignation of the administration.

In the " Brown-Dorion " Government which succeeded to
office, the subject of our sketch became Attorney General East.
It is not desirable to dwell on what would have been the ludicrous,
had they not, as we think, been the blameworthy transactions
which for the next few days blemished our pul)lic proceedings, and
introduced an ugly passage in our Parliamentary history. The
question on which the new administration succeeded to power was
for them the reverse of fortunate, but the way in which the succes-
sion was dealt with was scarcely fair. It was not opposed to
constitutional usage for the Legislative Assembly to vote Avant
of confidence in an administration, but it was opposed to all
experience that such vote should be taken at a time when the
members of the administration affected by that vote were necessa-
rilv and in obedience to the law of the land absent from their
places in Parliament ; when they were therefore officially silenced
and shut out of court, disabled by statute and political
necessity from explaining a paper, upholding a policy, or speaking
a word. There are amenities which should be observed in
politics as well as in literature, a disregard of which will bo
attended with confusion and followed by calamity. Tbo quality of
forbearance is of gentle origin and should permeate all proceedings,
whether of the opposition or of the Government. Indian warfare
is excusable only when practiced by Indians. The refusal to give
or take quarter is, and should remain, the especial property of
lawlessness. The crude varieties of savage strife should be sought
for elsewhere than in those high courts and grand assemblies which
take the British House of Commons for their model. It is true
that the heat and flurry of debate, the dust and vapor of conten-
tion may excuse, for they seem not unfrequently to disqualify men

■M

238

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

from discerning clearly the duty they are sent to discharge, viz.,
to promote " the peace, welfare, and good government of the
country." The fact may be noted but not excused, for infirmity
of temper is not admitted in justification of crime. An adminis-
tration may, from the weakness of its principles, or the worth-
lessncss of its members, be deemed to be undeserving of confidence.
But in striking the ministers, care should be taken not to hurt the
state. Before destroying an administration, the preliminary
questions should be answered, — " By whom and in what way
shall the Queen's Government be carried on ?" In the attainment
of political objects, the means should be as pure as the end is
praiseworthy, for if the former arc conspicuous for unfairness,
the fairness of the latter will be lost sight of. Men may
patriotically unite as a party for the attainment of a principle,
or men may selfishly unite as a faction to compass mere personal
ends. An administration may succumb to either assault, but in
one case its fall may result in benefit, and in the other it must
result in misfortune to a state.

To turn from what may be regarded as a recital of truisms to
the immediate subject of our sketch, we may observe that in the
session following his re-election in 1858, Mr. Dorion resumed his
familiar seat on the left of the Speaker's chair, and face to face with
his old political opponents, for the new Ministry commonly known
as the " Cartier-Macdonald " administration, included a majority
of the members of the " Macdonald-Cartier " administration.
The transactions of 1858, to which we have referred, neither
improved the temper nor chastened the debates of Parliament.
FcAV regrets were therefore felt, and none were expressed, when, in
the year 1861, the fourth and last session of its not very creditable
career was brought to a close. In the elections which followed,
Mr. Dorion lost his seat for Montreal. The new Parliament met
on the 20th March, 1862, and on the 20th May following, the
administration was defeated on the question for reading a second

HON. ANTOINB AIME DORION, M.P.P.

239

time the Bill respecting the militia. In the new Government
known as the Sandfield Macdonald-Sicotte administration, Mr.
Dorion, though not then a member of the Assembly, accepted the
office of Provincial Secretary, and on the 20th June following was
elected to represent the county of Ilochelaga. lie held his
appointment of Provincial Secretary till the following month of
October, when for reasons connected, we believe, with the question
of the Intercolonial Railway, he resigned.

On the 8th May of the following year, 1863, on a question of want
of confidence, the " Sandfield ISIacdonald-Sicolte" administration
found themselves to be in a minority of five. As the Legislative
Assembly had been elected when another Ministry was in power,
the " Sandfield Macdonald-Sicotte " Government, as they had a
perfect right to do, advised His Excellency to prorogue Parliament
with a view to its immediate dissolution. In closing the session
four days afterwards. His Excellency informed the two houses of
his intention to ascertain in the most constitutional manner the
sense of the people on the true state of public affairs.

After the prorogation, and before the elections commenced, a
proceeding was resorted to which gave rise, at the following
session, to much discussion and some animadversion. His Excel-
lency was advised to make certain changes in the administration.
The advice was followed by the retirement of several members of
the Government, and the substitution of an equal number of
other members in their stead. The change included among
nany others the withdrawal of Mr. Sicotte, and the succession of
Mr. Dorion, to his vacated office. The Ministry as thus recon-
structed was subsequently known as the " Sandfield Macdonald-
Dorion" administration. The change of persons was not without
significance, for it was supposed to represent, if not a change,
at least an exaggeration of certain opinions. The moderate
liberalism of Mr. Sicotte and his friends, was replaced by the
extreme liberalism of Mr. Dorion and his friends. At the autumn

■ I.'

• > :

'^^mm^ ^mmmr

240

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

■if

session of that year, it -was discovered that tlio reconstruction to
which we liavo referred liad added httlo strength to Government,
and that it gave great umhrago to Parliament. Exciting debates,
followed l)j close divisions, succeeded one another, nor was it diffi-
cult to observe that the administration was in serious danger of being
defeated. Outside influences were consequently actively exerted
to avert the menaced peril. Measures more adroit than commend-
able were resorted to. Personal address, cleverly clothed with
persuasive arguments, was vigorously i)lied to neutralize opposition
and conciliate support. One transaction, however, which resulted
in a judicial aiii)ointment, was properly regarded as too serious to
be amusing, for it seemed to stain the " purity of the ermine," while
it trifled with the indei)Ciidencc of the house. At a very critical
moment, when a single vole Avas of vital importance to ministers, a
double discovery was made, viz., that a Judge of the Superior
Court had accepted a jiension, and that a vacancy had been
occasioned in the Assembly, by the resignation of the member for
St. Ilyacinthe. These startling discoveries were supplemented by
the appointment of the retired member to the Bench, whereon
had sat the pensioned Judge. The transaction was regarded
as a reproach to Government, while it clouded the fair reputation
of one whose public career was theretofore spoken of with
satisfi\ction, and pointed to with pride. So unusual a proceeding
only escaped the censure of Parliament in a very full house,
by a majority of two votes. In justice to the subject of our
sketch, Avho according to Ministerial etiquette, as the '^.tt^rney
General for Lower Canada, was responsible for the exercise of
the patronage of the Crown in the law appointments of that
part of the Province, we may add that the preferment of the
member for St. Ilyacinthe to the Bench would have been
universally regarded with favor, had not the transaction been
unhappily timed, and uncomfortably mixed up with close divisions
in Parliament. Nor should it be forgotten that while, according

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

241

to his view of duty and in the public interests, Mr. Dorion tlionglit
himself justified in advising the appointment of his friend, he did
not take advantage of his own position, as the first law officer of the
Crown for Lower Canada, to claim his riglit to succeed even to the
highest judicial office in the Province, when that office became
vacant by the death of Sir Louis Lafontaine. However much men
may differ with him in opinion, it may be said of jNIr. Dorion, as
well as of Mr. Cartier, that neither of those high minded men
have sought a covert for themselves from the storms of state.
They have had the highest and most lucrative offices of the Province
within their reach, but neither has stretched his hand for his
personal advantage.

Another point, growing out of what was termed tlie recon-
struction of the Ministry, in the face of a vote of want of confidence ;
to which the subject of our sketch Avas in an especial manner a
party, provoked a good deal of angry discussion ; yet notwith-
standing the strongly put opinions of many members of tlie o})posi-
tion, there is, we think, room for doubt whether the views sought to
be established by them were wholly free from flaw. The question
seemed to be treated as if it were a breach of contract, which
concerned the Legislative Assembly alone. The rights of the
Crown, if not wholly ignored, were scarcely referred to. In the
exasperation of debate none paused to inquire, whether any vote of
the Assembly could oblige the Crown to select certain individuals for
its confidential advisers, and if it could '^^t compel such selection
neither could it restrain the Crown from chanmnii; the individuals
selected. The transaction was one of prerogative, and the remedy
lay in the hands of Parliament. In the case under review a
simple vote of want of confidence in the reconstructed ^Ministry
would most effi)ctually have settled the question whether the
Crown had exercised its rights in accordance with the Avishes of the
Commons. The new question is an interesting one, and deserves
examination, for on its exact determination will, avc think, depend

B9»— ^r^jpBT^

ill

242

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

SSJ •

the important distinction whether the Commons of Canada have
the positive right to control the Crown with respect to the persons
it may choose for advisers, as well as the negative right of with-
holding confidence from the advisers chosen.

The autumn session of 18G3 was a session of severe debate and
hard struggle. Having successfully resisted three separate votes
of want of confidence, the Administration, wounded and out of
breath, but not beaten, was enabled to advise His Excellency
to prorogue Parliament. It was apparent at the next session
that Ministers had been unable during the vacation to add to
their strength, but it was also apparent that the Opposition
were in numbers no stronger than the Ministry. The House
may be said to have been evenly divided. The prospect of
any new party government being possible under such circum-
stances was the reverse of encouraging. A coalition of parties
seemed to be the only expedient. The attempt was made, and
it resulted in failure. A party government, therefore, under
the late Sir E. P. Tache, was formed ; but it had not been
in existence for three months when an adverse vote was taken
in the Assembly, which was accepted by the Administration
as a want of confidence vote.

The resolution out of which the vote arose was moved by
Mr. Dorion; and it will be found in the Journals of the
Assembly, declared that an irregularity had taken place in
the year 1859 with respect to an advance of $100,000 made
from the public chest without the authority of Parliament,
and further, that the House desired to express its disapprobation
of an unauthorized advance of a large amount of public money.
A simple resolution, skilfully drawn up, declaring the impro-
priety of making unauthorized advances of public money, was ex-
ceedingly captivating, and was therefore well calculated to conciliate
general support, and consequently to attract votes. On the
abstract question raif i;d by the resolution, there was probably very

'.:, lii

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

243

little tliffcrcnco of opinion, for no member of the Legislature would
justify a system of "unauthorized advances." The blow was well
aimed, for, as it turned out. it was fatal. But on recovering from its
effects men generally asked the question, was it fair ? It was observed
that the transaction had taken place under a former Government, and
that five years had elapsed since its occurrence. It alleged no
personal malversation. It recited a financial irregularity, but it
did not declare a financial loss. The House seemed therefore
to be only required to mark its disapproval of what, in the
abstract, everybody disapproved. Why should there be dis-
cussion, much less a division, on a subject about which all
were agreed ? Mr. Dorion knc\Y that his clever resolution,
which was carried by a majority of two, covered a purpose it
did not express ; he knew that its adoption by the Assembly would
directly show that the House was not under the control of the
Government, and therefore that the latter did not possess the
confidence of the former. Mr. Dorion would doubtless have been
cognizant of the occasion when Lord Palmerston, to compel Lord
John Russell and his Administration to resign, moved and carried,
on a division in the House of Commons, an amendment to the title
of a Government Bill. The Tachd-Macdonald Government un-
questionably remembered the occurrence too ; for they accepted
Mr. Dorion's issue, by putting his own interpretation on the vote.
Finding the resolution carried against them. Ministers accepted the
decision as an indication that the confidence of the House had
been withdrawn from them. What followed this vote is matter of
recent history. Large minded and patriotic men became wearied,
if not ashamed, of the littleness of Parliamentary Government.
The crisis produced a calm, followed by a coalition of parties,
which, however, did not include the subject of our sketch.

Mr. Dorion is a resident of and has on several occasions been
returned as member for Montreal. The population of that impor-
tant city is about equally divided between inhabitants of British

1 1

244

HON. ANTOINE AIME DOllIOX, M.P.P.

r
If

>i>

»-
s-

;f;'

.iiid Frcucli ori-^in. Thougli a French Canadian himsolf, Mr.
Doriou niiglit in one rospeet bo regarded as a representative of
botli races, for as a speaker and a fluent master of both hmguages
he has no superior in the Legishitive Assembly. No matter in
■which tongue he chooses to address the House, his diction
is pure and his manner e(iual)le. If he speaks in English,
you will think him an Englishman Avith a foreign face. If he speaks
in French, you Avill in like manner think him a Frenchman who has
spent much of his life in England. He is one of those polished,
human perplexities, Avhich are rarely met with out of the diplomatic
services of the greater States of Europe ; for while his face is con-
tinental, his manner is the manner of the people whose language,
for the time being, he thinks fit to use, for hi? speech never betrays
his race. It almost makes one angry with jealousy to listen to a
speaker to whom both languages are alike.

AVc can form only an imperfect estimate of a public man whose
political life has been almost wholly passed in opposition, for it is
easier to destroy than to create, easier to oppose a Government than
to govern. Thus in the instance under review we can discover by
the journals of Parliament what measures Mr. Dorion has opposed,
but our search is less satisfactory if we attempt to find out Avhat
measures he has endeavored to advance. The questions however
on which he has especially marked his dissent are the Intercolo-
nial Railway, and in connection with it the Confederation of the
Provinces, and the place chosen for the seat of Government.

Mr. Dorlon's strong opinions on the Intercolonial Railway very
probably had much to do with the tangled correspondence, and the
temporary estrangement which took place between the Canadian
Government, and the Government of one of the Maritime Provinces.
It is, wo think, very difficult to regard the Railway in question in any
other light than as a geograiihical, political, and commercial necessity.
From a national point of view its importance cannot possibly be exag-
gerated. Mr. Dorion, however, was not obliged to regard the matter

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.P.

2 to

msclf, Mr.
lontative of
. Ian;^uage3
matter iii
lis diction
n En^^lish,
f lie spcalvs
an -who has
30 polisliecl,
! diplomatic
face is con-
language,
vcr betrays
listen to a

man whose
an, for it is
•nmcnt than
discover by
as opposed,
id out what
Qs however
) Intercolo-
ition of the
[iment.
ailway very
ice, and the
e Canadian
3 Provinces.
;stion in any
al necessity.
bly be exag-
d the matter

from any other point than his own, and since ho is not supposed
to favor a Confederation, ho was not required to consider the ques-
tion as a national one. It is not improbable, however, that without
moaning to do so, Mr. Dorion's opposition to the commercial project
tended to advance the political one, and thus the misunderstanding
with New Brunswick was not an unmixed evil. The delay which
was deemed to be a misfortune may perhaps after all possess com-
pensating advantages, for it may be questioned whether our fellow
subjects in New Brunswick were not more intent in possessing a
commercial union by means of a railroad, than they were of enjoying
a political one by means of a Confederation.

With the exception of Ottawa, no city more than Montreal has
benefitted by the selection which Her Majesty was advised to make
of the site of the Seat of Government. At present the political
capital is little more than an extreme west-end suburb of the com-
mercial capital of Canada. It is situated on a river tributary to
the St. Lawrence, whose waters not only bathe no hostile shore,
but flow from their rippling source to their serene depths through
the British American possessions of our gracious Queen. For
twice twelve years has the Legislature of Canada been pursuing its
costly journeyings from place to place, lingering here for a while
to waste wealth, and there for a while to waste temper. Having
reached the Royal Terminus, the Canadian " book of days "might
note and comment on the double fact that the first session of its
peripatetic pilgrimage was finished at Kingston, on the 18th
September, 1841, and the last session at Quebec, on the 18th
September, 1865.

Between then and now the pubhc servants, like other people,
have experienced the havoc of time. The greater number of those
who were then living are now withdrawn from the scene. Those
who remain, like the map of an uneven and tangled country, are
more or less shaded and seamed with wrinkles. Change too, like
time, has been fruitful in result. It has riven some ties, frayed

'^'^^m

I!' 1

.liW.'«

I ■'- , I

M! ■!

246

HON. ANTOINE AIME DORION, M.P.r.

some friondahips, and made ragged many fortunes. Still as a
class the public servants will welcome with satisfaction the
arrival of a point in their journeyings, and the journcyings of
the Legislature, from which it is consoling to believe there will be no
departure. They will therefore, as in duty bound, make their
best obeisance, and with becoming cheerfulness assent to what the
people in their weariness demanded, to what the Parliament in its
wisdom provided, and to what the Queen in her condescension
willed. They will, moreover, endeavor to appreciate the attrac-
tions of the new capital, to see its political fitness, to study its local
beauty, and realize, if not all which their fancy may have painted,
and which their minds must have longed for, at least enough to
enable them to

" REST AND BE THANKFUL."

Ml'^

Still as a
faction the
rncyinga of
'0 will bo no
make their
to what tho
[imcnt in its
ndesconsion

tho attrac-
idy its local
ivc painted,
it enough to

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I

THE

HONORABLE ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C,

OP KINGSTON, CANADA.

What particular sign of the zodiac may have arisen at the moment
when the Hon. Mr. Campbell made his appearance among men, -we
cannot pretend to say. Wore -sve a master of the " occult sciences "
we might, perchance, make a curious as well as a learned com-
munication. Unfortunately we are neither endowed with a magician's
knowledge, nor do we possess an astrologer's " crystal." We arc
therefore unable to read the horoscope of Mr. Campbell's nativity,
or determine which " house " of the twelve, was the " first in time ''
when he was born. In dutiful deference to science, there ought,
we humbly think, to have been, at that interesting moment, a com-
motion among the heavenly bodies. Perhaps there was one.
Wandering stars may have crossed one another with perplexing
irregularity, and even the fixed ones, on the occasion, may have
felt themselves unsettled, for the event was flecked Avith incidents
the reverse of ordinary.

We learn that Mr. Campbell is a Scotchman by descent, an
Englishman by parentage, a Yorkshireman by birth, and a Canadian
by adoption. We learn further, that in 1822, when not two years
of age, he accompanied his father, who was a surgeon by profession,
to Canada ; that he resided on a property purchased by the former
at Lachine, near Montreal ; which property was subsequently sold

i iiii

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i! 1 I

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248

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

to, and is now owned by Colonel "Wilgress, of the Royal Engineers.
In that Parish Mr. Campbell received his earlier education
from a Presbyterian Minister. Later in life he was sent to the
Roman Catholic Seminary of St. Hyacinth.

Having resided for several years in Lower Canada, the subject of
our sketch moved with his family to Kingston, where, under the
tuition of Mr. George Baxter, his education was completed. In
1838 he passed his examination as a student at law, and was articled
to the late Mr. Henry Cassady of the last named city ; who, dying
in the following year, he became the pupil of the Attorney General
West, the Honorable J. A. Macdonald ; and, his partner, on being
called to the bar in 1843. The public gave an emphatic note of
approval to this professional union, and the partners most certainly
had the right to felicitate one another on the sagacity displayed by
both of them in forming their partnership. Mr. Campbell thu3
shared with Mr. Macdonald the responsibility of the conduct of most
of the important litigation in that part of the country ; indeed, the
firm was of such repute and the members of it so highly esteemed as to
be almost always retained on one side or the other of every cause.
They not only had the largest practice of the time, but it is scarcely
an exaggeration to say they frequently carried down for trial at the
Nisi-Prius sittings of the Queen's Bench more causes than the rest
of the profession in Kingston combined. In 1851 and 1852 Mr.
Campbell sat as Alderman for one of the wards of Kingston. In
1857 he was made a Queen's Counsel and a Bencher of the Law
Society ; and ho was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law of
Queen's College in the years 1860 and 1861.

Although we have deemed it to be convenient to string together
some of the earlier facts of the personal narrative, it must not be
supposed that sight has been lost of those peculiar combinations at
which we hinted in the opening part of our sketch. The " acci-
dents" which preceded and attended Mr. Campbell's birth
promised many advantages. It is not of frequent occurrence that

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

249

-ngmeers.
education
nt to the

subject of
inder the

ted. In
3 articled
ho, dying
Y General

on being
ic note of

certainly
)lajed by
•bell tliua
ct of most
ideed, the
)med as to
ry cause.
3 scarcely
•ial at the
I the rest
L852 Mr.
iton. In
the Law
f Law of

together
3t not be
ations at
e ** acci-
I's birth
)nce that

i I

so many fair auguries meet in one person. The points of pecu-
liarity are valuable, and deserve noting. By descent Mr. Campbell
inherited the persistent qualities of the Scot, by parentage the
generous qualities of the English, and by birth the shrewdness of
that Yorkshire tribe, which, belonging to neither race, seems to
include the best qualities of both ; with, however, some sharp addi-
tions that may, perhaps, give it advantages which neither of the
other two separately enjoys. The magnetic influence, the peculiar
fascination, the insinuating power, for example, which enables a
Yorkshireman, being only the possessor of a bridle, and of course
without doing violence to the law, to attract and become the owner
of a horse, is a quality unique in itself, and one, moreover, to which
the two other less instructed peoples can present but very clumsy
claims.

To the insular advantages which attended Mr. Campbell's birth,
another may be added. In the process of transmutation from a
native of the old world to a citizen of the new, it was his good fortune
to reside in a Lower Canada Parish, and to be partially educated
at a Roman Catholic Seminary, receiving, it may be presumed, in
both places a slight brush of French polish, by way of adding
grace and brightness to those sterling qualities of thought and
feeling which he had already derived from British sources.
Again, we have high authority for saying " there is some-
thing in a name ; " nor can it be denied that the patronymic of
the subject of our sketch is not only poetically attractive, but it
is historically alluring. Young ladies in short dresses, with
frilled remainders, are wont to be animated with a kind of
wild ecstacy, as their tiny fingers tap the piano keys, and their
sympathetic heads and eyes keep time to the unforgotten air of the
" Coming Campbells ;" nor does their interest in the name diminish
as in subsequent years, when their frocks are longer and their
frills shorter, they unravel riddles or read in verse through the
mist of smooth charades, or poetic jingles, the stirrii ; meanings

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250

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

with Avhich the name may be and is cleverly associated. Historically,
too, the great house of Argyle, the most conspicuous possessor of the
name, has, with traditional consistency, encompassed it with a repute
for wisdom. Interpreting aright the sagacity of " the Bruce,"
the noble family of the Campbells, with whom, however, the subject
of our sketch does not we believe affect to claim kinship, followed
the example of their king in cultivating the alliance of the civilized
and persistent lowland Scotch, rather than the alliance of those
wild and passionate highland clans, which by war and rapine were
rapidly fretting themselves to destruction. It was as necessary
then as now that Government should bo placed beyond the reach
of personal caprice, and rest on settled foundations. The
Lords of Argyle, and others of like discernment, recognized in
the south-eastern portion of the kingdom the qualities of stability
and order which they failed to observe in the north-western portion ;
consequently they gave to the lowlanders the protection of
their arms, and received from them in return support to their
government. Should any fanciful person, moved by the affinity or
attraction of identical names, be inclined to seek for Canadian
analogies to this passage of Scotch history, they will scarcely be
repaid for the trouble of their search ; still it is probable that a con-
genial conservatism does more generally prevail in that part of
the province which is situated to the East, than in that part which
is situated to the West of Kingston ; nor is it unlikely that this sta-
bility of opinion may have exerted a wholesome influence in the
mind of one who, like the subject of our sketch, is naturally
inclined to respect authority, and thoroughly believes that establish-
ed order is the prime ingredient of good government.

Kin'1-ston, the city of Mr. Campbell's residence, was so called
Avhen George the third was King. Frontenac, the county wherein it
is situated, was named after a chivalrous French Count, who repre-
sented Louis the fourteenth as Governor General of Canada.
" Cataraqui," the Division for which he sits in the Legislative

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

251

Council, is named after what was once a famous tribe of a famous
race, about whicliin its relation to thewliito man there must always
hang the interest of a speculative as well as of a sinful story. Specu-
lative, inasmuch as it relates to that unreckoned time, long, long ago,
before the era of European conquest or discovery ; when the red man
was the feudal lord of the American soil ; and shiful, because the
touch of civilization has attainted the race, destroying its virtues,
corrupting its innocency, and causing it to melt away " like the
snows of the winters that are gone."

But besides the historical associations, there is a vein of old
fashioned thought pervading the locality, which reflects old
fashioned habits, and is characteristic of old fashioned, but happily
not forgotten opinions. The Midland District, as that part of
Canada was formerly called, was perhaps beyond any other portion
of the Province the favored ground whereon the glorious old race
of " United Empire Loyalists " sought and found sanctuary. Where
Virginians, Pennsylvanians, Carolinians, Georgians, New Yorkers,
New Englanders, and others of the true Royalist breed, having fol-
lowed the fortunes of their defeated but not dishonored flag, found
safety for their persons, security for their principles, and respect for
their opinions. Such men deserve better biographers than they have
yet found, for through good and evil, through spoil and loss, through
distress and suffering, through every misery but disgrace, they main-
tained their fealty to their slandered Sovereign, and the connection of
the country with the British Crown. Truly they were a brave old
race ; men who despised casuistry, and kept their consciences clear.
They declined to analyze the moral chrysalis of rebellion, and were
not careful to discover the true transition period when men
ceased to be traitors and became patriots. The accident of success
did not change their opinions. What to their eye was once black
to their mind remained black. To them, for example, George
Washington was always, what he was once proclaimed to be, a
traitor and a rebel, and all who aided him were in their opinion

P5^5-p^pprT??f»»iirT| r^saisisw

8;:

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252

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

guiltj of his crimes. Happily such sentiments have since then
become softened by the intervention of distance, as well as by the
infiuoncc of time. Still, in a qualified form, they are inherited
by their children, for the passion of the old loyalty did not expire
when their fathers died. Like the sacred flame of the Gheber, it has
been trimmed and transmitted from sire to son ; and, though it may
no longer blaze like a beacon light on the hill, it nevertheless glows
like live coals on the hearth. The altar is not broken down, neither
arc the ashes dispersed. The breath of violence is alone necessary
to quicken the unquenchable flame, and cause it to spring upwards
in tongues and swords of fire. It thus happens that such peoj^lo as
wo have referred to, Canadians of native birth, descendants of the
old lloyalists of 1775, men who have neither been corrupted by
wealth, nor made insensible by trade, form no inconsiderable
portion of Mr. Campbell's constituency. They are a quiet,
resolute, single minded class, who, appreciating the blessings
which they have inherited, are only concerned peaceably to preserve
what they possess, and as peaceably to transmit what they have
preserved. Such persons will avoid the cross ways and crooked
paths of politics. By the aid of their traditional lore they will
study the rule of right : for though chance may happen and though
change may come, they know that righteousness is immortal.

Now, the subject of our sketch had enjoyed the opportunity of
acquiring a personal as well as professional acquaintance with the
people of his locality. Though at first he may have been compara-
tively unknown as a politician, it is not difficult to conjecture that
the friend and professional partner of the Honorable J. A. Mac.
donald would, in matters of public concern, be supposed to
profess opinions, if not absolutely identical with, at least not
strongly antagonistic to those held by that high miniu i States-
man. The time approached when the test was to be applied, and
when the subject of our sketch would be called upon to leave the
seclusion of private life, and take his place among the public men of

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.O.

253

Canada. Under tho act for rendering tho Legislative Council
elective, twelve Divisions were, in tho month of September, I808,
required to return members to that Honorable House, the " Cata-
raqui " Division being one of the number. The city of Kingston had
appropriated as its representative in the Legislative Assembly, the
popular Attorney General West. Wliat could the Division do better
than secure for its member in the Legislative Council one -who had
been the professional partner and was the personal friend of the
famous city representative ; Moreover tho political opinions of the
former, if not identical with those of the latter, were sufficiently in
accord to justify the belief that whether in the Government, or in the
opposition, the two representatives would act generally together.
Neitlicr would, in a servile way, accept the opinions of the other,
for both were too well instructed not to have formed his own. A
requisition most numerously signed was presented to Mr. Campbell
requesting him to become a candidate. The request was alike
flattering and honorable to all parties, for at the time it was
presented INIr. Campbell was so seriously invalided, that it was
with great difficulty and only with the assistance of crutches he
could move from his carriage to the hustings. The election Avas
to him altogether satisfactory, for it resulted in his return by a
triumphant majority. The vote polled by him exceeded the
united votes of his two opponents.

JNIr. Campbell's opinions, like those of Mr. J. A. Macdonald, were
known to be conservative, and they were suspected of being liberal.
The knowledge and tho suspicion were we believe equally well
founded, for he belongs to a large and we think increasing family of
Statesmen, who are obliged to employ a qualifying adjective
when they would confess truly their political faith. Between two
phrases, apparently identical, of " liberal conservative," or " con-
servative liberal, " we prefer to apply the former to Mr. Campbell,
since- the noun and not the adjective controls, in our judgment,
the inclination of his thoughts. Besides a similarity of opinion on

! t
■i

i I

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(

254

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

many subjects, there is between Mr. J. A. Macdonald and Mr.
Campbell a noteworthy similarity of manner. Thus, while observ-
ing or listening to one wo are constantly reminded of the other.
The frank, genial, cordial, outspoken style of the former appears
to repeat itself in the latter. Both are aUke free from littleness.
Meanness is as foreign to their natures as it is to their practice.
Indeed large mindedness and generosity of thought appear to
pervade the characters of both, as if such qualities in their persona
were interchangeable properties.

Whether Mr. Campbell would have won in the Legislative
Assembly a place analogous to that filled by him in the Legislative
Council is a question which we arc not called upon to discuss. The
social atmosphere of the two Chambers is by no means identical,
for the urbanity and courtesy which arc frequently dispensed with
in one place may not be forgotten in the other. The rough speech
which is sometimes tolerated and, the admission is made with regret,
too frequently relished in the Commons ; would in " the Lords"
be fatal to the influence of the speaker. Indeed as a rule the
members of the latter House have little taste for harsh speeches
and none for impolite ones. Probably in their day they have seen
their mischievous tendency ; and having experimental knowledge
derived from observation, they understand exactly how to
appraise the value of indecorum. Mr. Campbell, with tact and
felicity, at the outset of his Parliamentary career, appeared to catch
the spirit, and make himself master of the temper of the House. He
declined to weary it with the music of his own voice, and having'little
taste for elaborate discourse he did not multiply words without profit.
With the skill of an exact observer, he waived any pretension to ora-
torical display, and generally fell in with the colloquial style of
address which, after all, is the only style practicable in a small cham-
ber ; besides being the only style to which middle aged gentlemen
are inclined to listen. Thus following the inclination of his character,
and subjecting himself to a wise control, Mr. Campbell at

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.O.

255

onco won \\\s -way to the car of the House, nor was lie long in
arriving at the hearts of the members. In 1862, on the first
occasion of electing a Speaker of the Legislative CWncil, the
feeling in fiivor of the subject of our sketch Avas so general, that a
veteran politician like the late Sir Allan Napier MacNab
obtained the election by a majority of three votes. At the next
session, after the decease of Sir Allan, Mr. Campbell Avas by accla-
mation elected as his successor. It was not his fault that the honor
was of short duration, for at the close of that session the office was
voided by the dissolution of Parliament.

On the formation of the Tache-Macdonald administration, in
March 1863, Mr. Campbell was selected, and it was a com})linient
to his standing and ability that he was so selected, for the highly
important office, which he still fills, of Commissioner of Crown Lands.
The appointment obliged him again to appeal to his constituents
for re-election, Avhen he was again triumphantly returned.

In his new character of a Minister of the Crown, and therefore
responsible for the proper conduct of business in the Legislative
Council, he had the relative advantage of being associated with the
late Sir E. P. Tache, and in addition, Avhat was of oven greater im-
portance, the personal advnn<-.._;^e of previous success as a private
member. The tact and discretion, the wisdom and address, displayed
by him in his individual capacity, smoothed his way to influence
when he was called on to act as a Minister of the Crown. It is
to be observed that though a party man, Mr. Campbell has sought
rather to discourage than provoke party strife. Like his predecessor
Mr. Vankoughnet, he possesses in a marked degree the strength
which is derived from silence, the power which habitual
forbearance imparts. If the root of bitterness has any place
in his nature, it is dexterously concealed ; for it never flourishes
in his speech, nor is it seen in his acts. When he has occasion,
for example, to express strong opinions, he generally clothes
them in the language of gentleness; or should he have to

25G

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

!('

do severe things, the necessity as well as the justice of such
severity will be alike apparent. Ho sedulously restrains all
disj)osition to interfere curtly in the views of others', nor is ho
disposed, while criticising, to construe such views ungenerously.
Unquestionably it is very agreeable to be brought face to faco
with what may be termed a Statesman-like manner ; it is pleasant
to observe the existence of refinement and a high civilization in tho
world of politics ; it is refreshing even to look at a deliberative body
in which the science of government is discussed with dignity and
candour, with argument and research ; it is agreeable to see it
fairly and satisfactorily demonstrated that popular government is
not inconsistent with the courtesies of life ; that it is sometliing
more than an ill mannered struggle for place. It is especially
gratifying to note the evidence of such facts in tho first deliberative
Chamber in British North America.

When Mr. Campbell was returned to Parliament the old party
land marks had been removed, for the questions which had placed
those land marks had been got rid of by the coalition settlements
made in the year 1854. But as those apparently chronic difficulties
were consigned to silence, there sprang up and reverberated through-
out the length and breadth of Western Canada a new and more dis-
quieting cry; a cry which expressed itself in sectional syllables and
was rounded off with theological periods; for while the words used
were " Representation by Population," the meaning attached to
them was protestant ascendency. Few among Western members
could resist the fascination of the new cry. It became the test
question at the hustings, and the prime point of the catechism with
which the electors had been furnished wherewith to perplex those
who aspired to be members. Candidates of advanced views, Avith
strong local affections, and stiff religious animosities, could answer
such questions with blunt fluency ; but they were less easily got rid
of by some who doubted the cry, and by others were not steady on
the catechism. The Attorney General West, like a sturdy unbeliever,

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPBELL, M.L.C.

257

could not bo taught to chimo in with tho ono, or to repeat tlio
other. IIo was probably of tho opinion that such meteor lijj^hts
arose from tho marsh, and did not descend from tho sky, that they
•were mere varnished gewgaws, more pretty than useful ; bettor to
look at than to wear. Mr. Cumi)bolI, on the other hand, if we recol-
lect aright, in a mild way joined issue with his friend on this as
well as on somo other points. lie thought tho cry niiglit 1)0
repeated, and tho catechism learned without detriment to tho scholar
or hurt to the State ; and therefore he assented to both. We cannot
say whether his voice was strongly pitched, or whether his manner at
the time was particularly hearty. In all probability they were both , for
it is not his practice to say either moro or less than he means. Tho
enquiry, however, is of little importance, for, like the " I will" of
a maiden on her marriage morning, tho obligation is c(|ually
binding whether the words arc whispered in the chancel, like a sigh,
or whether they arc rattled throught the rafters, like an oath.

But though our memory is defective on the particular matter to
TYhich wo have referred, there is another and a higher and at
the same time a more recent question about which we can be moro
emphatic. Mr. Campbell is an ardent advocate of the project of
a Confederation of the British American Provinces. Ho was a
member of the Quebec Conference, where he met in Council tho
delegates from the Maritime Provinces, and where, as elsewhere
on all fitting occasions, he has advocated the policy, and sought
with earnest and persistent argument to advance that grand national
project. On this point we venture to think no discouragement will
quench his ardor, and no delay will extinguish his hope.

Did we possess, or could we make use of the " horoscope " to
which we have already made allusion, or could we add a seer's
foresight to our imperfect knowledge, then would our pen
become a torch, the flame of which might shed satisfactory light
on a career, whose commencement was self reliant and pure, and
whose course has been consistent and without stain. Still we

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258

HON. ALEXANDER CAMPHEtL, M.L.C.

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venture to think that the future of the suhjccfc of our sketch 18
by no means wrapped in shadow. The rays reflected from the
sphere of duty fall not on the past alone ; they shed some li^ht on
the future also. But whether that light grows into daylight, or
shrinks into darkness, depends not only on the purity of its parts,
but on the constancy of those whose duty is to watch and tend it.
Popular caprice has done as much as, perhaps more than, personal
variableness to debase to a mere traffic the grand passion for power ;
and thus to make Government the sport of accident or V/^nco.
The reputation of a country camiot be separated from the rc[)uta-
tion of its rulers, and both should be, and avo believe are, very dear
to the people of Canada. Feeling and thinking thus, they will
welcome with unalloyed satisfaction any addition to the ranks of
their educated statesmen ; and in appropriating what they deem to
be pure, and know to be valuable ; they Avill, it is scarcely pro-
sumptuous to say, place in their sacred treasury of service the name
and fame of the Honorable Alexander Campbell.

our sketch is
3tccl from tho
some li<?lit on
,0 daylight, or
;y of its parts,
ti ami tend it.
than, personal
lion for power ;
int or •Vi'^nce.
>m the rcputa-
arc, very dear
;hu9, they will
o tho ranks of
,t they deem to
3 scarcely prc-
jrvice the name

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THE

llEVEREND WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.,

LATE PRINCIVAL OP QUEEN'S COLtEGE, KIXOSTOK.

In the autumn of 1860 the writer was loitermg on the deck of

one of the Canadian steamships at Quebec, conversing with a lady

whom on her arrival from England he had gone expressly to meet.

Indicating by a gesture a gentleman of benevolent and clerical

appearance, the lady remarked, " That is the Reverend Dr. Leitch,

a Presbyterian Minister, ,vho has lately been appointed to the office

of Principal of Queen's College, Kingston." After a further

observation or two, the lady, with some earnestness of manner,

added, the Doctor was certainly " a very nice, and she felt

sure must be a very good man, for he was kind in manner, cheerful

in disposition, and apparently as happy as a Christian ought to

be." Now we believe that the lady in question had not previously

had the opportunity of becoming personally acquainted Avith any

one in holy orders except the clergy of the Church of which she was

a member. Wo also feel tolerably certain that until she heard the

Reverend Doctt • preach on board of the Steamship, she had never

been present duri g the celebration of Divine Service elsewhere than

in churches of her own communion. Moreover she had evidently

been beset with the impression that Presbyterian divinity was of a

sad and dreary type, cold in its temperature and unattractive in its

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260

REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.

forms. Slio was apparently impressed with the notion that Presby-
terian divines in harmony with her idea of their divinity were men
of stern aspect, who, having missed the reflection of the Divine
benignity, had only preserved the photograph of the Divine frown.

Now the Reverend Dr. Leitch in vo respect corresponded to
the Presbyterian type which her fancy had sketched. His manner
was neither harsh nor stern. His appearance was neither knotty
nor severe. Charity and courtesy seemed to abide with him, and
their presence was as apparent in his conversation as it was
conspicuous in his character. Nature moreover had been affluent
in her gifts, for his appearance was irresistibly attractive. He looked
not only like a good man, but he looked like a holy man. He carried
his calling in his face ; none would doubt his office who saw his coun-
tenance. Unalloyed happiness seemed to dwell there, as if it reflected
the character of one whose soul, like the soul of the Psalmist, found
its chief pleasure in blessing the Lord and remembering Hisbeuofits.
Judging from his appearance only. Dr. Leitch might have been
supposed to possess bodily health, as well as mental peace. There
was nothing to inform the uninstructed eye of the extent to which
the sull'ering body had been made subservient to the controlling
mind ; neither could one suspect that behind that vapor of spiritual
radiance, bright with the peace of God, which, like an influence,
seemed to surround his character there lay a load of misery which
no physician could remove. Yet so it was : in his boyhood a serious
fall had deranged his hip joint, and resulted in permanent lameness.
In his manhood he was the subject of heart disease, which, after
years of suffering and in the mid career of usefulness, terminated
his valuable life.

The gifted author of the Heir of Redclyffe would probably have
difc-covered in the subject of our sketch congenial elements for the
creation of a hero, including the moral and physical qualities with
which, with artistic cleverness, she succeeds in making affliction

REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.

261

ht have been

glorious ; for she appears to possess a special relish for extracting
moral perfection from personal defect, for making the bed of pain the
forcing house of virtue, and forlracing spiritual excellence in manhood
to a physical accident in youth. Other conditions being equal, an
unhinged hip or an enlarged heart might, and certainly would, by
that gifted gentlewoman, be made as available for poetic and
dramatic uses, as a dilapidated spine or disordered lungs.

The authorities of Queen's College and the members of the Scotch
Church generally congratulated themselves, and not Avithout reason,
on the gain which the causes of science and religion had received
when, in answer to their earnest invitation. Dr. Leitch assumed the
office of Principal. The regrets which followed his departure from
home were only exceeded by the welcomes which awaited him
on his arrival here. The laments of his countrymen in Scotland
were answered by the rejoicings of his countrymen in Canada ; for
while the former had difficulty in putting up with the loss, the latter
had none in appropriating the gain.

To a conscientious man, and one moreover who possesses ability
as well as taste for the work, the education of youth must be
intensely attractive. Apart from the fact that the calling itself is
and must necessarily be a sacred as well as an honorable one ; there
is in it the flavor of immortality, a flavor more exhilarating than
mere ephemeral fame, in the reflection that in some special depart-
ment of the mint of knowledge, a process is going forward by which
the teacher is reproducing in the pupil the coinage of his own
thought, and creating, so to speak, from some unexplored vein of
truth a sterling currency stamped with his own cherished opinions.
Intellectual distinction as a mere personal quality would scarcely
suffice to reconcile a teacher to his ill-requited work ; but when we
associate with the accident of individual distinction,the creative power
of generating and transmitting thought, we supply an incentive to
work by bestowing upon the worker not only the solace of contem-
porary admiration, but the earnest of posthumous fame.

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262

REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.

The lato Principal Avas born in 1814 in the town of llothsay,in the
Island of Bute. lie received the elements of instruction at the
Parish school. At the age of fourteen, by falling from the mast of
a yacht, he met with a serious accident, by which he fractured his
hip joint. The accident resulted in painful and protracted confine-
ment. For the period of eighteen months he was unable to leave the
house, and when at length he did so, the distressing discovery was
made that he was hopelessly lame for life. In the midst of
dreariness and suffering he became an ardent and severe student,
applying himself especially to those sciences which are based on
mathematical truth. His education was subsequently continued at
the grammar school of Greenock. At the age of eighteen he entered
the University of Glasgow, where, in 1880, he graduated as a Master
of Arts. During his arts course, as may readily be conjectured, those
branches of knowledge which had attracted his boyhood were
pursued with laudable industry and noteworthy success. He
obtained the highest honors in the departments of mathematics, and
the physical sciences, which his University could bestow. When a
student he lectured on astronomy, and for several years he acted
in the University observatory as assistant to the late Professor
Nichol. He always cherished an ardent love for astronomical
pursuits, and this love prompted him, when at Kingston, to promote
with all the warmth of his character the usefulness of the observa-
tory which had been established there. In connection with this
subject we may mention that he published his carefully prepared work
" God's Glory in the Heavens : or. Contributions to Astrotheology,"
a work which, at the time of its appearance, was, Ave are informed,
most favorably noticed by the ablest reviewers. We may add that
"when a student at Glasgow he Avas also a lecturer in mathematics
in the Andersonian Institution of that city.

In 1838 he Avas licensed as a preacher of the Church of Scotland
by the Presbytery of Dunoon. In 1839 he Avas appointed assistant

REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.

263

minister of the Parish of Arbroath ; ami in 1841 ho received a
simihir appointment to tlie Parish of Kirkden, in the Presbytery of
Forfar. In the memorable year of 1843 he ^vas, by the Earl of
Leven and Melville, presented to the Parish of Monimail, where,
after the usual forms, he Avas ordained by the Presbytery of the
bounds of Cupar in Fife. Of this parish he continued to bo a
minister until the year 1850, Avhcn he Avas selected by the llevcrend
Dr. Barclay, and Alexander Morris, Esq., the present member of
the Legislative Assembly for the County of South Lanark, from a
list of many names, for the high office of Principal of the University
of Queen's College, Kingston. The deputation were complimented,
and with good reason, on the choice they had made ; for the gentle-
man chosen was well known in his native country not only as a man
of science, a ripe scholar, and an earnest minister of the Scotch
Church, but for the active part he had taken in the controversies
of the time. As Convener of the Committee of the General
Assembly on Sunday Schools he was brought into contact per-
sonally, or by correspondence, with all the ministers of his Church.
Thus were his clerical brethren made cognizant of his wise and
zealous management of the machinery by which the work of sacred
education was controlled. When his departure from Scotland was
determined on, the tide of regret rose, and, shaping itself in the
tones of entreaty, he was besought by many, who loved and
admired him, to reconsider the step he was about to take, and, if
not too late, to give to the Church of his country the benefit of
those talents which were then consecrated to the service of his
Church in Canada.

During his residence in Scotland his devout mind had reverently
reflected on the union which exists between science and religion,
a union which modern unbelief seeks assiduously to dissolve.
Knowing to what extent human thought is influenced by the
periodical literature of the day, he became a diligent contributor

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204

REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D.

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among other Avorks, to Kitto's Journal of Sacred Literature,
^IcPhaiVs 3Ia(jazine, The Edinhirijh Chnstiau 3Iagazlne, The
Scottiah Quarterly Jieview, and Good Words. ]3esiilcs ^Y0l•k8
such as these, -wherein he is said to have discussed with singular
clearness many of the most important theological questions of the
day, he was the author of certain articles on the miracles of our
Lord, in which he controverted the opinions of the late lleverend
and learned Dr. Wardlaw on that subject. Thus the question of
miracles, as discussed in modern times, had received from him
much anxious study, — so much, that at the time of his death he
had, we believe, in preparation, if not ready for the press, a work
on the subject of a very exhaustive character. Whether such
skilled labor will ever see the light, avc cannot say. Perhaps, like
other fragments of scattered or ungathered thought, it is destined
to lie unnoticed for a time to be reverently garnered after " many
days."

On leaving Scotland, his Alma Mater conferred on him the
degree of Doctor of Divinity. The act was complimentary to the
individual as well as to the institution over which he had been
selected to preside. Thus laden with the honors of his College,
and with the good wishes, as Avell as with the regrets of his coun-
trymen, the learned Doctor arrived in Canada. Little time elapsed
before he was formally installed in his new office ; for on the 8th
November, 1800, he took the chair as Principal of the University
of Queen's College. The welcome extended to him by trustees,
professors, and students was of the most cordial kind, and the
friends of the College in congratulating him, congratulated one
another also, on the satisfactory fact, that by the addition of the
Principal, the new staff of Professors was rendered thoroughly com-
plete. The inaugural address was described as " most able, elo-
quent and interesting ;" and we can easily believe the appended
information that its passages of eloquence were rapturously acknow-
ledged by spontaneous and irrepressible cheers.

UKV. WILLIAM LLITCII, D.D.

2G5

By an ccclcsiiistical law, Dr. Loitcli, as Principal of the Univer-
sity, was entitled to a seat in the Presbytery of Kin^^ston as Avell
as in the Synod of the Scotcli Chureli in Canada. It occasioned
no surprise, therefore, when the latter met at Toronto, in the year
18G2, that he was \uianimously elected Moderator. In virtue of
his office in Queen's College, he had a scat in the Scnatus of the
University of Toronto, of Avhich University ho was subscfjuently
appointed an Examiner.

It was about this time that the attention of Principal Leitch
was especially directed to the subject of University education in
Canada, with particular reference to what he considered to bo the
unfair monopoly of privilege and revenue on the part of the Uni-
versity of Toronto. Our space will not permit us to refer to his
plans of amelioration and amendment, much less to enijuire whether
they were beneficial or the reverse. Unquestionably they pos-
sessed certain features wliich, from a popular stand point, were
highly attractive, for they included, wo believe, some sort of
scheme of decentralization, by which Collegiate education should
be carried to the various sections of the country, instead of being
accumulated at one great centre. "While however he was giving
his thoughts to the general question of University education in
Canada, there arose in the very heart of the College, of which he
was the Principal, some irritating and vexatious subjects of dispute ;
which were aggravated by the circumstance that they were not
free from personal animosity. Into the merits of those disputes,
we have neither space nor inclination to enquire. That they em-
bittered the latter days of the subject of our sketch, there can be
no doubt ; neither can there be any doubt that before the shadows
fell upon his intellect, and the powers of darkness overtook his life,
all disquieting remembrances had been laid at rest, all offences
done to him by others had been forgiven. He died as a Christian
man ought to die, with faith towards God and in peace and

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REV. WILLIAM LEITCII, D.D

f ■

charity with all inankiiul. In tho quaint and reverent words
of his pious countryman, Farley, we not inappropriately conclude
our sketch :

My light from whence it ciiiue, mounts still on high

Unto tho source of light that's never dry,

Like as the rivers to the Ocean run,

Prom whence their secret fountains first begun ;

Like as the stone cloth to tho centre sway,

So to the spheres my light still makes his way.

No joys, delights, and greatest weights of gold,

Nor pampering pleasure fast our souls can hold.

The panting soul rests not, until it see •

His maker God, a Tri-une Deity.

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JxiMES HODGES, ESQUIRE,

liUILDEIl OX' TlIK VICTORIA niUIXili.

BFTT/r

JAMES IIODCES,

I'OK

SIR SAMLEL MOKTON I'ETO, IJAIM'.,
THOMAS BKASSY, AND EDWAItD LAVD liETTS.

CONTRACTORS.

8ucii arc the words chiselled on the parapet over the " Tube
Entrance " of the Victoria Bkidge, Montreal. On the stone
lintels of the " Chief Entrance," above the roadsvaj, the following
inscription appears :

ERP:CTFT) A. D. MDCCCLIX.
ROBERT STEPHENSON AND ALEX.^NDEII M. ROSS,

ENGINEEHS.

The words of both inscriptions are severely simple. So much
so that we fail at first sight to see more than six names, unobtrusive
in their forms, with little music in their syllables, and with no pre-
historic interest in themselves. We read them, for they cross the
pathway of our journey ; but it is only by a comparatively slow
process that we take in their meaning, or appreciate, much less
apply, the three truths which they record. Incidentally, the record

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2(38

JAMES nODGES, ESQ.

ii-

invites us to behold a structure, liugo and appalling ; which, in
obedience to the plans and combinations of the ■wise men Avhose
names are recorded thereon, rose like an exhalation from the deep,
a marvel in a marv^cllous age. Directly, it informs us in unadorned,
unimpassioned, mere matter of fact language, that this wonderful
creation, the favored offspring of science and of art, was built by
one man, after the designs of two men, and in conformity with an
agreement with three men. These are all the particulars which the
inscriptions on those lintels afford.

It is no part of our present purpose to speak of the sagacious
men who, in the interests of commerce, projected the Bridge, of the
far seeing men who, in the interests of the Province, promoted its
erection, or of the scientific men in accordance with wlioso plans it
was eventually built. All should be regarded with honor. Some
will be remembered with reverence, for they were (it is sad to ho
obliged to use the past tense) " famous men," " whose bodies are
buried in peace," but whose names will live for evermore. The
Victoria Bridge is, in Canada, their immortal monument ; whereon,
in letters imperishable, their services " are leaded in the rock."

" Eing in the valiant men and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand ;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
lling i.i the Christ tliat is to ho."

"Wliat the bells of Queenborough church may have said, or what
the echoes of Quecnborough hamlet may have answered, or how
James Hodges, in his boy days, may have interpreted their lan-
guage, Ave have no means of discovering. Tliose village bells were
proljably the chief music of his birth place, the choicest music of
the country side. The meadows knew their festive melody as it
brushed over them ; the cherry blossoms knew it as it nestled in
them ; the hedge rows, and hop vines, and wheatlands knew it, as
it skirmished among them. And the music of those l)clla fell softly

JAMES irODOES, ESQ.

209

; which, in
men whose
n the deep,
unadorned,
3 wonderful
as built by
lity with an
fs which the

e sagacious
•idge, of the
iroraotcd its
lose plans it
nor. Some
is sad to be
Q bodies are
more. The
; whereon,
le rock."

lid, or what
red, or how
. their lan-
e ]>clls were
33 1 music of
lelody as it
t nestled in
knew it, as
s fell softly

like the dew of consolation on the bosoms of the Thames and the
Medway just where their bright waters meet, and it floated gaily
across the Swale, that small arm of the sea, which separates
Shcppey from the coast, only to lose itself in the undulations of
the mainland of that most glorious garden county, the old Royal
county of Kent.

In his daily walk to school it is proliable that tliose notes may
have addressed themselves in severer tones to the mind of James
Hodges. Perchance he did not receive them as pretty messengers
merely, of sylvan beauty, fresh from the fabled deity of the forest.
They Avere, who shall gainsay it, accredited heralds to him, charged
with the duty of announcing things to come. They were sharp nioniti.n'S)
oSspring of steel and brass, heirs of the mine and the ftiriiaoo. Ileal'
akin to the anvil and the forgo ; befitting pursuivants of a powerful
age, who from their stone abiding place, in nervous accents, and
with iron tongues, proclaimed to stalwart and strong hearted
3^outh, the glories of the approaching time ; when stone, and iron,
and l)ra3S, the hard and rcpcllant parts of creation, should become
the playthings of science ; when the hidden nobility of humble men
should become apparent ; when a new order of greatness should be
acknowledged, and when the stamp of a new rank should be attixed
to their credeutiala, whose patent of precedence derives from Tubal
Cain.

" Ring in the valiant men," the " noticeable men," the calm,
thoughtful, generous men, who, in virtue of their moral and intel-
lectual strength, have bravely combatted with material things, and
made those things subject to the higher law ; who, without violence
to man, have discomfitted the violence of nature, and made her
amenable Lu tJio conditions of art ; who have grappled Avith the
vagaries of the seasons, and baiUed their terrors by the restraints
of science.

" Ring out the darkness of the land," make clean the page for
the chronicle of a new civiilzation for the reception of new records,

rif

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270

JAMES nODQES, ESQ.

new services, and new sacrifices. Make space at home, make space
abroad for new monuments, for monuments to religion, to peace,
to commerce, to convenience, to science, to philanthropy, to charity,
to mercy. Make space " for larger hearts and kindlier hands ;"
for their work and service, whose undazzled eye can explore the
present, and look into the future, whose thoughts of wisdom,
gathered, it may be, not far from the source of glory, being
resolved into action can girdle the earth with swathing bands of
kindness. Make space for men out of whoso hearts of love and
reverence there springs a devout belief in the Divine purposes
of science ; and who are persuaded they neither do despite to their
holy faith or " charge God foolishly " by associating those purposes
with the " Christ that is to be."

The subject of our sketch, under circumstances the least favorable,
would not have been a drone in the human hive ; still, the sweet
" uses of adversity " may in his case, as in many others, have
discovered a wealth of character, which the smiles of fortune would
not have called forth. If we place even a very moderate allowance
of trutli to the credit of phrenology, physiognomy, and other kindred
sciences, it will suffice to give force to the speculations of those who
look for and expect to find harmony between the physical and moral
features, between the intellectual and corporeal parts of mankind.
Nature is never uniform and rarely affluent of her gifts. She
commonly withholds more than she bestows. It is only now
and then we are permitted to look at her more finished work,
for it is only now and then she appears to expend care on
her craft by perfecting the specimens of her skilled labor. Exact
proportion is the joy of the poet, and the delight of the physiologist ;
and, theory apart, the eye, the mind, and the imagination receive
no inconsiderable satisfaction when brought into contact with
the higher forms of human perfection. If however, such outward
attractions are accompanied with corresponding moral qualities,

J.hJ 1.

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

271

iikc space
to peace,

cliarity,
: hands ;"
:plore the

1 ^Yis(lom,
ry, being
; bands of
' love and
i purposes
itc to their
;e purposes

t ftivorable,
, the sweet
thers, have
tunc "SYOuld
e allowance
icr kindred
If those who
and moral
f mankind.
She
only now
Ished work,
Id care on
or. Exact
:iysiologist ;
ion receive
•ntact with
ch outward
l1 (j^ualities,

Igifts.

if the casket and the jewels are worthy of one another, then we
realize the force of the words —

A combination, and a form, indeed,
Where every god did sconi to set his seal,
And give the world assurauco of a man.

Aiiain it would almost seem to be a law of the animal creation,
that largo creatures should, comparatively speaking, be gentle as
well as generous creatures. They arc said to be less aggressive,
and they certainly are more easily entreated than animals loss
encumbered with perishable substance. Examples confirmatory
of this view will, on reflection, readily occur, but they need not
be cited in this place. The observation is made because it seems
to possess some application to the case before us. Mr. Hodges,
taken all in all, is commonly referred to as a fine typo of an
Englishman. Physically he possesses size, height, and strength,
which arc combinod, there can be little doubt, with prodigious
qualities of endurance. Calm and serene in temperament, he
carries in his face the marks and signs of that ind(.)mitablc
quality of courage, which is born of thought, allied to strength and
impelled by virtue, which no force can intimidate and no disaster
appal.

In more senses than one Mr. Hodges may be regarded as a
representative man, for he belongs to that class of self-reliant
self-made men, the history of whose ability and success have
beautified the last half century with noteworthy memoirs. We know
not in what English hamlet " his rude forefathers" may sleep ;
perhaps the village of his birth was the place of their abode, and
perhaps, too, could their individual history be traced ; they, as
" Men of Kent," may have claimed their accustomed post of
privilege and honor in the van of the Saxon armies. Ee this as it
may, it is, we think, probable that the subject of our sketch, like the
late Mr. Cobden, belongs to what Mr. D'Israeli, with great felicity of
expression termed " the pure middle class" of the English people.

I ^

272

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

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It is true that fortune did not appear to " smile on his humble bii-*^h,"
for such smiles were unnecessary, since the chariness of fortune as
avenged not only by the generosity of nature, but by the energy of
the man and the requirements of the ago.

With the establishment of Railways a new era dawned on the
world ; new needs were created, and men especially suited to such
needs were looked for more anxiously than they were found.
Besides engineers, contractors were required ; and besides contrac-
tors ; a class of men were absolutely called for, who, combining the
theoretical knowledge of the former with the practical skill of the
latter, might successfully carry out the plans of both. Foremost of
the last named class is Mr. James Hodges. It must not however
be supposed that the prominent position at which he has arrived
was reached without labor, and labor moreover of the most severe
and exacting kind. After completing a grammar school education,
he was fortunate enough to miss a Government appointment which
some influential friend promised to obtain, but failed to secure for
him. With patience somewhat exhausted, but with characteristic
determination, he cut the "painter" by which ho had been moored
to false hopes, and he laid his plan of life anew. On the healthy
principle of self reliance he determined to be, if not " the Rudolph
of his race," at least the founder of his own fortune. At the age
of seventeen he apprenticed himself to a builder at Brompton.
We quote from an article in the Illustrated London News of the
22nd September, 1860.

" Having served four years in this trade ho commenced his railway priicli(,'e
under Mr. John llowland.lhe agentof Macintosh, the contractor of tlic Greenwich
Railway, his first essay iu Railway work being the ccnterin;,' for the arches. After
this he went to Sliard, and, at the age of twenty-two, had charge of the building of
the union-houses of that place. These fmished, his next work was at the Shaks-
peare Tunnel, Dover, which he superintended at first as the agent of the contrac-
tor, Mr. Rowland ; but on his death Mr. Hodges assumed the charge of the work,
in concert with the resident engineer of the South-Eastern Railway , and it is not
a little remarkable that every ounce of gunpowder used in the huge blasts was
deposited in its place by his own hands. During the progress of this work ho

JAMES IIODQES, ESQ.

273

>rtunc as
1 energy of

iccl on the
ed to such
5ro found,
cs contrac-
ibining the
3kill of the
i^orcmost of
ot hoAYCver
las an-ivcd
aost severe
[ education,
ment ^vhich
i secure for
laracteristic
icon moored
the healthy
the Rudolph
At the age
Brompton.
[cNYS of the

xilway practice
the Greenwich

arches. After
the building of
,s at the Shaks-
of the oontrao-
;;e of the work,
and il is not

uge blasts was
of this work he

attracted the attention of Sir ■NVm. Cubitt, then onginccr-in-chiof of tho South-
Eastcrn llaihvay, to whom Mr. Hodges has frequently stated ho is more indebted
for his .subsoquont riso and progress in his profession than to any other man. Tho
pupil in this case is a worthy disciple of a very worthy master.

It was at this time that a curious resolve was made by young Hodges, and it was
this, that, if spared, ho would work until the ago of tliirty-five for whatever amount
of rcnumeration others might think his labor worth, but that after that time lio
should name the price at which his services were to be obtained. And to this end
he stciidily kept on progressing, so that by the time this period of his life was
reached— having superintended tho driving of tho Ablwtts' Clilf, Seahiun, and
Archchlf Fort Tunnels, and tho erection of tho Shakspcaro Viaduct, along with the
blasting of tho Eoundown Cliff and several other works in that neighborhood, as
well as the erection of swing bridges at Norwich, Ncedham, and Somerleyton, as
tho agent of Sir Morton Peto, 13art., with Avhoni about this time he became
acquainted — his resolve was no castle in tho air on his part, but a firm determina-
tion to work up by hard industry and integrity to the point which he himself had
chosen, and which he attained within tho time he had himself specified. A hand-
some testimonial from Sir William Cubitt at the termination of their business
relations as to his worth gave him a fresh start, as it were, in his upward tendency,
and tho next appointment he fdled was that of resident engineer, under ^Ir. G. P.
Bidder, on the Norfolk llailway. The trammels of daily routine, and on so limited
a scale, were not in consonance with his feelings, and, retiring from that position,
we next find him as the engineer of the Lowcsloft harbour, after which, in con-
nection with Mr. James Peto, tho brother of Sir .^lorton, he contracted for and
built fifty miles of the Great Northern Railway, on behalf of his principals, Messrs
Peto and Betts. After so many years of active life, under which his health sulfored
to some considerable extent, Mr. Hodges determined on retiring into private life,
and, with that view, purchased a small estate, near Bagshot, Surrey ; but no sooner
had he completed his arrangements, in 185.3 for enjoying his ollum cum dii/nitafe,
than the organization of the Grand Trunk llailway Company, with its Victoria
Bridge across the St. Lawrence, afforded him, as tho agent of the contractors who
had undertaken the work, the opportunity of handing his name down to posterity
associated with an undertaking which will last through all time. Such an
opportunity was not to be lost sight of by tho active and genial temperament of
such a man, and it was at once embraced."

Numerous, hut not dissimilar were the avenues of success in
Avliich tlie subject of our sketch had already walked. Moreover
their paths were pleasantly strewed with personal satisfaction, as
well as lightened and made musical with popular applause. Neither
were they undistinguished in the chronicles of science. Learned
men had taken note of them, and narrowly marked his career who

•rir'fmw^'iei,'*'^^ ■

214:

JAMES IIODQES, ESQ.

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trod thorn with the confidence of wisdom and the assurance of success.
Those lines on the hill of science converged towards one point, where
the traveller who climbed successfiilly would not only find himself
on the road of distinction, but bo l)roughtface to face with the Temple
of Fame. Thus it was with Mr. Hodges. Ilis march had been the
march of industry and success ; but others had travelled with him
thus fur, and ho was therefore compelled to bo content with divided
honors. Now, however, his quiet home in Surrey was visited with
a temptation which charmed while it flattered him. Its lovely
seclusion as well as the retired life on Avhich he had resolved, were
alike abandoned. He gave himself afresh to work, to science and
to fame. The view which now lay before him was supremely
attractive, not because it was wholly foreign to his experience, but
because it was an exaggeration and an enlargement of all his pre-
vious knoAvledgo, of all his past endeavor. The work moreover Avas
mapped out in the New World, and on the margins of its mightiest
River. It was associated Avith engineering projects of unprccudented
nagnitudc, including mathematical and scientific combinations of
gigantic proportions, which, if successfully completed, would place
those who promoted them, and those who performed them, among
the famous and distinguished men of the ago. How fairly Mr.
Hodges had measured his own powers will bo apparent by the
following extract from the paper already quoted :

" The iiliins of the bridge, whicli is nearly two miles iu lengll', and wliicli
occnpiod from 1853 to 1800 in its constnicf ion, were supplied by the ony;ineers of
the company, ^Icssrs. Stephenson and Iio.ss, all who know anythin;,' of such works
arc well aware ; but the mode of carrying them out being left entirely in the hands
of Mr. Hodges, the whole of the appliances used in the temporary works necessary
for the erection of the bridge were from his own models and designs ; and these,
when tlie novelty of tlie situation, and llie extremes of heat and cold incident to
the climate of Canada are considered, it may be readily inferred were of no ordinary
character. Indeed, if none but a master mind could plan the Victoria Bridge, it
required no less a master mind to carry the designs into execution ; and, to aflbrd
some idea of the task undertaken in this i*espoct, it is only necessary to mention
that the who'e of the temporary staging, and works generally, had to l)e removed
every autumn prior to the ice taking, and then ro-crected in the following summer

. K, I

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

275

rancc of success,
ono point, where
)nly find himself
! with the Temple
irch had been the
•avclled with him
tent with divided
' was visited with
him. Its lovely
id resolved, wero
k, to science and
1 was supremely
3 experience, but
mt of all his pre-
ork moreover was
ns of its mightiest

of (xnprccedcntcd
c combinations of
eted, would place
ned them, among

How fairly jSIr.

apparent by the

u Icn^'tl', and wliicli

5(1 by llie enij;ineer.s of

lylliint^ of sudi works

t entirely in the hands

orary works necessary

lI designs ; and these,

t and cold incident to

2d wero of no ordinary

ho A'ictoria Bridge, it

icution ; and, to aU'ord

necessary to mention

ly, had to 1)0 removed

the following suuuuer

when the ice had departed; so that in reality the labor at the luasonrj- at the
bridge in its earlier construction could only bo carried on between the mouths of
May and November; and, as all engaged in the ironwork wero inexperienced as to
the rigors of the Canadian winter and its effect upon that metal in erections of
this nature, the anxieties of him upon whom devolved the management of such an
undertaking, and amid such perplexities, will bo easily understood. But during
the whole time that those vast works wore in hand no exigency ever happened
(and many did happen) that Mr. Hodges, with his intuitive genius and
energetic action, was not ready to meet and to vanquish; and never will thowriter
forget the incessant labor and watchful anxiety displayed in tho winter of 18o8-'o9
by that gentleman, and not only by liiin, but, as showing the force of example, by
tho hundreds of men who wero working for him, at a time when the porfornianco
of their tasks soomod to be at the risk of their very lives, in order that what he had
promised, as regards work to be done within a given period, should be accomplished.
And to those who know him, it is not necessary to add that his promise was fully
redeemed. The circumstances wore these : — Tho importance of the Victoria Bridge
to tho Grand Trunk Railway system soon became so apparent as tho mileage of the
road began to bo opened and worked, that the Directors determined upon giving
tlie contractors a bonus of £G0,000 if they would deliver tho bridge to tho company,
completed, a year before the date fixed in the contract ; and the contractors, Avith
that spirit of enterprise for which Messrs. Peto, Brassy and Bctts are so univer-
sally known, and their knowlege of tho man in whom they had to trust, at once
undertook to complete the bridge so as to be ready for trafRc in December, 1859,
instead of in that month in the following year, as stipulated in the contract.
This arrangement was concluded so lato in 1858 that all, save the one man who
had to do the work, looked upon tho thing as next to impossilde, and so it appeared
to be. But with Mr. Hodges it was not only possible, but certain, and to this end
wero his best energies directed, and not only his, but those of all who wero with
him. At this time tho centre tube of 330 feet span had not been commenced, and
under the new state of things the previous appliances for the temporary work, such
as the cofferdams, &c., were no longer of any service, as the tube was to bo erected
during the winter months, with the ice as the foundation of tho works; and thus
had now arrangements, to meet the new phase of tho case, to be devised and
matured with no loss of time. Nor were the difficulties of this unexpected and
novel situation lessened by the fact that in former years instances were known of
the irjo moving early in March, and in just such seasons as that year promised to
be, viz., a mild winter ; and that, in the event of such a contingency happening on
the present occasion, it would utterly preclude the possibility of the completion of
the bridge, and be at the same time pregnant with disaster to life and property. So
much risk, indeed, surrounded the proposition to place tho tube of seven hundred
and seventy-one tons, and three hundred and thirty feet in length, at an altitude of
nearly fifty feet from the surface of the ice, which was to bo the foundation of the
temporary staging in situ within a couple of months, and this, too, in the depth of a

276

JAMES nODQES, ESQ.

Canadian winter, thnt few men would have ventured on the experiment at all ; but
Mr. JameH Ilodi^os was just the man for such a ta.sk in such an onicrgoncy. lie
revelled in the idea of having a diflloulty to surmount, and bravely did ho set
himself about it. On tho 31st .January the staging was ready to receive tlio floor
of the tube, when the first rivot was driven, and tho 20th day of March saw tho
tube in place completed, tho whole having been done in forty-seven days. Right
willingly did all employed to produce this result toil day and night ; and everything
during the first half of the period, during which time more than half tho work to bo
done was accomplished, wont ' merry as a marriage bell.' Tho men's hearts were
in their work, as each ono felt it to bo a feature in his life's history to have assisted
in tho erection of such a structure, and tho more particularly when they knew
that on their efforts solely depended the promised opening of the bridge. Thoy
wrought, indeed, with a will. Detonod by no adverse circumstances, they strove
bravely on ; and, when it is remembered that thoy were working in tho open air,
the thermometer frequently ten, fifteen, and twenty, aye, and thirty degrees below
zero of Fahrenheit, it will be admitted that tho men were working with no common
zeal, and that tho influoncos which kept them there under such circumstances
were of no ordinary character. Mr: Hodges, who has just given to tho world a
history of tho construction of the Victoria Bridge, thus pays tribute to the exer-
tions of his workmen in connection with tho erection of the centre tube. He
says : — ' Indeed, every man employed seemed to imagine that success depended
upon his own individual exertion, and all worked with this feeling as if for
very life, irrespective altogether of remuneration. I have frequently witnessed
in cases of emergency groat enthusiasm displayed by a few men, but with such
numbers as were hero employed I never saw anything so universal or so
continued as upon this occasion.' And their labors triumphed ; and though for
eight and forty hours just preceding the termination of their tiisk it was supposed
the ice was incapable, from its rotten condition, of holding together much longer,
such was tho faith of the men in their master's calculations that not ono left
his labor until tho centre tube rested on its stone foundationi. In a few hours
afterwards the ice moved, and parted in the centre of the river, carrying with it a
large portion of the temporary staging, of which time had not permitted the
removal ; an& thus completed within seven weeks, an amount of work which has no
parallel in the history of engineering. This tube in place, the remaining work to
complete the bridge was of easy accomplishment ; and therefore within tho time
agreed upon, under tho arrangement above referred to, the Victoria Bridge was
opened for traffic, through the exertions of the man whose name heads this sketch.''

In reading the foregoing narrative we call to mmd a remark,
prompted by truth and pointed with delicacy, which was publicly
made by that illustrious engineer the late Robert Stephenson.
" Having such men," such were his words, " as Peto, Brassy

JAMES nODGES, ESQ.

277

ixporimont at all ; but
h an omcrgenry. Ho
1(1 bravely did ho set
ly to receive tlio floor
liny of March saw the
y-sovon days. Right
[light ; and everything
lan half the work to be
LMio men's hearts were
listory to have assisted
larly when they knew
B5 of the bridge. They
lunstances, they strove
irking in the open air,
rid thirty degrees below
irking with no common
or such circumstances
it given to the world a
lys tribute to tho exer-
r the centre tube. He
that success depended
1 this feeling as if for
frequently witnessed
w men, but with such
ng so universal or so
iphod; and though for
eir task it was supposed
together much longer,
itions that not one left
ations. In a few hours
river, carrying with it a
lad not permitted the
nt of work which has no
the remaining work to
ireforo within tho time
10 Victoria Bridge was
aamo heads this sketch.''

to mind a remark,
which was publicly
lobert Stephenson.

" as Peto, Brassy

and Bctts, as contractors, with James Hodges for their ongniocr,
nothing was loft for liis mind to dwell on but tho poetical depart-
ment of tho profession." Beneath the weight of that engineer's
responsibilities it must have been assuring to possess the benefit of
such supports. lie knew and could trust his practical colleagues
to reduce to form and solidity tho creation of his own thought ; and
he was honest enough to say so.

There was a thrilling fascination in tho circumstances which
attended the progress of that critical portion of the structure
jcferred to in the foregoing extract. Divested of its poetical and
historical attractions, it was a spirited handicap against time
between aggressive nature and repellant art, in which it may be
said that science held tho stakes. That winter's struggle with
chance and change, against time and climate, against the caprice and
violence of the elements, to say nothing of the common and uncom-
mon hindrances which beset all great undertakings, was suggestive
of many hazards, and more than one issue. There is, all things
considered, much in the picture to awe the judgment, to excite the
fancy, and to (piicken the pulse. We watch the calm chief and his
resolute workmen unflinchingly pursue their patient labor of prepa-
ration, for placing the central tube. In imagination we see the
tube itself, black and forbidding, like some monster of the deep,
reposing on the crystal pavement of the river. We note, hour by
hour, the relaxing frost, and the encroaching thaw ; the cold duni-
nishing when labor can be performed, and the heat increasing by
which it may be destroyed. We watch with strange interest the
earlier rising and later setting of the sun. We observe his
increasing power, and endeavor to gauge his growing strength as
he draws nearer and nearer to, and then, radiant with wrath,
passes the vernal equinox. We see him burnishing liis arms and
inflaming his rays. We feel their exhibiting glow ; and, turning
aside from their glare, we curiously speculate on the extent of
their influence on the unfinished work. We inquire of ourselves,

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and then question mature age and wise experience ; will the
seasons wait for man, and if not, will the ice accumulated in the
dregs of winter, suffice to retard the approach of spring ? Will
the imprisoned waters of that passionate River submit much longer,
and for how much longer, to be cribbed and cabined in their
thrall of cold ? None can answer : we only know that for the
present, nature is benign, and we can only hope she will wait till
all things are ready ere she enters the lists for the mastery with
art.

All praise to the wise and patient builder, James Hodges, all
praise to his patient and skilled workmen. What man could do was
done will. Each finished part exactly suited its corresponding part,
each joint its fellow, each pin its socket, each bolt its rivet. The
day of triumph was fast approaching. On the 26th March, 1859,
tie painstaking and sagacious builder, with a^ grateful mind, we
doubt not, and a heart throbbing with pride and overflowing with
thankfulness, beheld the crown and climax of his work. He
saw before him what the dreamer on the Alpine height failed
to realize. He saw the reward of high endeavor, the actual
triumph of science, in the visible creation of art ; and the
treble victory was blended with his own work. He saw moreover
" amidst snow and ice,"' if not " the banner with the s+range
device," at all events a work, which was his work, fair in its propor-
tions, tangible in its parts, beneficial in its purposes, and as durable
as time. He saw the end of his anxious labors, his name wreathed
with bays, and graved forever on an enduring monument. " Excel-
sior," the attraction of the dreamer, had no charm for the worker;
like a dissolving view its figurative outlines retreated from the fabled
flag, and in its place there arose in forms imperishable other and
more alluring letters, the letters of success, fair as truth, bright as
hope, and musical with fame ; letters which grew to the shape and
syllables of that cherished word of love and triumph, the grace of

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

279

womanhood aad the glory of art, precious as a possession and truthful
as a prophecy: " Victoria ! '*

The successful progress of the vfork to this stage was a subject
for congratulation from one end of the Province to the other. The
Press rang its joybells, and " all parties agreed " to make much
of what, without extravagance, was regarded as one of the world's
wonders. A leading journal, in noticing the fact, thus specially
refers to the builder, Mr. Hodges :

*' These figures convey some idea of the forethought and practical combinations
which are necessary to carry out a design profitably to a contractor ; and there are
two »vays of doing this. There is the harsh overbearing inconsiderate selfishness,
which extends no thoughts to others, and views " the hands " in the cold material
view of wringing from their labor all the profit which could bo gained, without a
thought of their comfort and happiness ; and there is the zenith of this low view of
the matter, and it has to be said to Mr. Hodges' credit, that the latter is the prin-
ciple by which he has been guided. He has not contented himself with only
looking to the interest of the firm which he represents, but he has carried on the
work like a gentleman. There have been trying times during the last five years,
as any one may readily conceive, and Mr. Hodges may not have spared others,
indeed it was not possible to do so, but he never spared himself. "Where there was
difficulty and danger, there he was to be found, and no man has been asked to go
where he would not have had to follow. Disappointments and accidents and tem-
porary failures form chapters in the history of all such undertakings, when they
are written, but generally the world never hears of them. They come, and cost
anxiety, and pass away, and re-appear again to be triumphed over periodically; to
be met with only to create renewed energy."

On the occasion of the first Passenger Train passing through
that formidable tube, the Bishop of Montreal, in the courso of an
eloquent speech, thus alluded to Mr. Hodges :

" He, the Bishop, was there because he wished to pay the tribute of his personal
respect to Mr. Hodges, to testify his high sense of that gentleman's integrity, and
of the Christian principle with which he had provided for the education and
spiritual supervision of all the iwople connected with the work. He looked on
this gentleman's example, as one which all employers should follow. They had no
right to congregate large bodies of people without making provision for their
spiritual wants. Mr. Hodges, with the approbation of hia principles, had acted so

! ;

280

JAMES HODQES, ESQ.

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as to secure this great blessing for the people employed by him. Though this
mighty work would meet with the fate described by the great poet,

' The cloud oapp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea all which it inherit, shall dissolve.

And, like the baseless fabric of a vision.

Leave not a wrack behind,'
yet the integrity of character, high moral principles, and Christian philanthropy
which had actuated Mr. Hodges would remain on record for all eternity."

At a public dinner given to the late employees oi the Victoria
Bridge, after the departure of Mr. Hodges, one of the most distin-
guished Engineers in America spoke as follows : —

" It is my firm conviction, gentlemen, that the contractors, never in any of their
great enterprizes, displayed more wisdom and sagacity ; or greater ability to cope with
great difficulties, than in selecting Mr. Hodges for the arduous work of placing
the Victoria Bridge where it now stands, as firm as the rock it rests upon. It is not
enough to say, gentlemen, that no better man could have been found for the place.
I go farther, and assert, that in any community, however large, of intelligent and
able men, it would have been a difficult matter, a very difficult matter indeed, to
have picked out a man so eminently fitted in all the various qualifications it
required, as Mr. Hodges has proved himself to be, for conducting the great work
to a successful completion ; and, gentlemen, it was not only in his dealings with
the St. Lawrence that he proved himself a man of resource and a skilled and
patient workman, but, better still, in his dealings between man and man he has
proved himself to be that which the poet has termed 'the noblest work of God, an
honest man.' It is but negative praise, gentlemen, to say that a man has no
enemies ; of Mr. Hodges it is a simple truth to say that in every man with whom
he had dealings during his sojourn amongst us here in Canada, he secured a friend."

On the same occasion a Canadian Engineer, during the course

of his speech, in replying to the Toast ** Success to the Victoria

Bridge," thus alluded to Mr. Hodges, of whose staff he was a

member :

" Some few years since, the idea of such a structure spanning our noble St. Law-
rence, would have been laughed at, and to people acquainted with the force of the
c^irrent, and the millions of tons of ice to be hurled against this barrier, the scheme
seemed perfectly ridiculous ; but there were others who thought difierently ; men of
unrivalled genius pointed out the way by which the obstacles could be surmounted,
and soon found others willing and ready to furnish the 'sinews of war,' to aid
them in the untried conflict with the mighty river, and that that confidence was

JAMES HODOES, ESQ.

281

•y him. Though this

t poet,

ces,

bristian philanthropy
all eternity."

es ot the Victoria
)f the most distin-

, never in any of their
ter ability to cope with
uous work of placing
t rests upon. It is not
in found for the place,
ge, of intelligent and
ult matter indeed, to
ious qualifications it
icting the great work
Y in his dealings with
I'ce and a skilled and
aan and man he has
blest work of God, an
' that a man has no
rery man with whom
, he secured a friend."

uring the course
ss to the Victoria
Q staff he was a

not misplaced, this auspicious and happy meeting to celebrate its success abun-
dantly testifies. You will remember this gigantic work was commenced in the
year 1854, to be completed in 1861, in the short space of eight years, a time not to
be measured by the usual span in this rigorous climate, but each season to be com-
pressed as it wfcre into a few short fleeting summer months. You will also please
bear in mind that two of these years were nearly lost, owing to monetary difficul-
ties during the Crimean War, when works in all other parts of the world were
either paralyzed or stopped. I ask you, then, in the face of all this, with the bridge
open for traffic in the year 1859, nearly eighteen months before the time specified
by the most sanguine, if its construction has not been a success,— an achievement,
gentlemen, owing in great measure to the indomitable energy and ability of Mr,
James Hodges, ably seconded by yourselves, individually and collectively ? You
will perhaps allow me to pay more than a passing tribute to this gentleman, not-
withstanding that he has been so highly eulogized ou this and other similar
occasions. We, young Canadian engineers, owe him a debt which nothing can
cancel, one which will be transmitted to our children and children's children, for
the ready and helping hand he extended in placing us in positions to be associated
with this, our country's greatest work ; and now that the bands which united us
to him for the last five years are severed, never again to be reunited, we would like
if it were possible this evening, for an expression of our gratitude to be wafted on
the wings of the winds across the broad Atlantic, to his honored retreat in
Surrey ; telling him that the high and honorable precepts he both taught and
practised in our midst, will never be forgotten, but be forever cherished in memory
enabling us as far as possible in our future career, to follow in his footsteps. Gen-
tlemen, I have seen him in moments of disaster, and in hours of success, at times
when he was forced to bow to powerful and ruthless adversaries, and when gazing
with the calmness of a Christian philosopher upon the destruction of the works of
months ; in a few minutes, prepare resolutely again to enter the arena of conflict,
and eventua,lly eioerge victoriously. You have all lately seen him in the full flush
of triumph, with the victor's garlands encircling his brow, the crash of triumphant
music and the ringing cheers of a thousand spectators in his ears;— at a moment
like this, when conscious superiority and pride would have been pardonable if
ever ; and yet, with a modesty unparalleled, have heard him disclaiming all credit, and
in eloquent terms pointing to you as the men who did all, thereby shewing the
truth of the maxim, that 'genius and ability are always alUed with modesty'."

ng our noble St. Law-
with the force of the
is barrier, the scheme
ht difierently ; men of
sould be surmounted,
sinews of war,' to aid
t that confidence was

Before the subject of our sketch separated himself from the work
which had brought him to Canada, there remained for him another
honor to receive and some other duties to discharge. The formal
opening of that grand highway of British North America was to bo
maugurated by the Heir to the Throne in the name of the Queen.

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282

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

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We have not space to narrate the proceedings which took place at
the memorable festival which was given on the occasion to His Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales by the Grand Trunk Railway Com-
pany. We can only find room for that portion which more imme-
diately relates to the subject of our sketch.

On the arrival of the Prince at the Bridge, which thenceforward
was, by Royal command, to bear the Queen's name, and to be called
Victoria Bridge, His Royal Highness was received by James
Hodges, Esquire, the builder, who handed him a \fOoden mallet
and silver trowel, the Prince bowing and uncovering as he received
them. The trowel bore the following inscription :

TO COMMKMOUATK

THE COJtPLETIOX OF THE VICTOEIA BKIDGE BY HIS EOTAt HIOiZNESS,

ALBEllT EDWAED, PEINCE OF WALES.

UOKTBEAL, 18C0.

On the reverse was an engraving of the Bridge. The handle was wrought into
the form of a Beaver, which was attached to the blade'by a Prince of "Wales plume,
the edges of the blade being decorated with a border of the Eose, Shamrock, Thistle,
and Maple Leaf.

His Eoyal Highness took the trowel, and, with a few dexterous strokes, levelled
the mortar, previously roughly spread. The stone was then lowered under the
directions of Mr. Hodges' foreman. "While the tackle was being adjusted, His
Eoyal Highness looked with evident interest on the broad river-scenery before
him, and mtule smiling observations to the Duke of Newcastle and the Governor
General. At length the large mass was lowered to its permanent resting place. It
was a stone ten feet long by six broad and two deep, weighing several tons. The
Prince concluded this part of the ceremony by giving one or two formal taps with
the masonic gavel, and the Bridge was completed, to be henceforth known by
the name of "Victoeia Beidge." The band of the Eoyal Canadian Eifles
struck up the National Anthem as the ceremony was concluded.

The last stone having been laid. His Eoyal Highness, and a large number of the
ofilcial gentlemen in attendance upon him, took the royal car and proceeded to the
central arch, where the last rivet was still to be driven,--an operation which was
executed by the Prince with great spirit and good-will. Three rivets were first
driven by the men, the Prince having first selected the hole which he would fill.
This happened to l3 a tolerably high one — about the level of his head, and
some of the bystanders suggested that a more convenient one should be selected.
But the Prince adhered to his own choice. Those who have seen the rivets

1! ■
ill i

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

28a

vhich took place at

jasion to His Royal

unk Railway Com-

wliich more imme-

hicli thenceforward
ae, and to be called
received by James
Q a "Vfooden mallet
sring as he received
n:

} BOTAl HIOrNESS,

ALES.

andle was wrought into
Prince of Wales plume,
Rose, Shamrock, Thistle,

xterous strokes, levellod
hen lowered under the
ivas being adjusted, His
■oad river-scenery before
castle and the Governor
nanent resting place. It
jhing several tons. The
) or two formal taps with
)e henceforth known by

Boyal Canadian Bifies
icluded.

ad a large number of the
. car and proceeded to the
-an operation which was

Three rivets were first
liole which he would fill,
e level of his head, and
at one should be selected.
ho have seen the rivets

driven, know that it is dono with a very rapidly repeated stroke ; nnd Avlion Ilia
Eoyal Highness observed the dexterity of the wor'-mon, ho observed that ho was
afraid ho shoi. .i prove only a bungling hand. However, the last rivet being
pushed through, ho took tho small hammer, and, after giving two or throe taps to
steady the bolt, Mr. Hodges having applied tho cupping-tool, and given liim a
largo hammer of several pounds weight, ho speedily completed this very last touch
to tho great structure.

In noticing the scientific and material success which crowned
the labors of the " wise master builder," we should not lose sight of
the moral peculiarities of the undertaking. It was no now thing
for great works to be carried on in Canada. It was no new thing
to accumulate artizans, mechanics, and laborers, in one particular
place, to be used for the pecuniary advantage of their employers.
But it was a new thing to take thought of the moral as well as of
the physical well-being of those congregated persons ; and to
make provision for their intellectual life, as well as for their profit-
able employment. It was a new thing for a working man to sym-
pathize with and make sacrifices for working men. It was a new
thing for one who had practical experience of the form and meaning
of those words, the " sweat of the brow," to soften and alleviate
their common bitterness by separating ignorance from toil, and by
refreshing the jaded body from the treasury of the instructed
mind. Nor for the men alone was counsel taken and provision
made. The religious and educational well-being of their families
were the subjects of anxious sohcitude to Mr. Hodges. On his
recommendation, we believe, chaplains and schoolmasters were
appointed, and for the time being became stipendiaries of the con-
tractors. Buildings suited to the purposes of worship and educa-
tion were erected and set apart. The Reverend Mr. Ellegood, of
Montreal, one of the chaplains referred to, has often, in our hear-
ing and to our knowledge, spoken and written in terms of unalloyed
admiration and thankfulness on the gratifying fact ; that gentlemen
exercising the influence of contractors should have recognized their
responsibilities to the workmen in their employ, by making personal

284

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

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and pecuniary sacrifices for their moral and intellectual welfare.
The active quality of Mr. Hodges' sympathy was of that refined and
delicate kind which is commonly associated with pure and gentle
minds. *< Tell me, Mr. Ellegood, in what way I can aid you to
benefit my men." " I shall bo glad to bo useful in your service
and theirs." " It is for you to lead the way, and for me to follow
it if I can." In this legitimate and truly Christian manner it was
that the clergyman and the layman, the moral builder and the
material builder, sympathized with and understood one another.
Each according to " his vocation and ministry " sought to aid the
other ; one by inclining the wills and influencing the lives of " unruly
men," and the other by directing their industry and making plans
for their happiness. In morals it is commonly presumptuous to
trace arbitrarily the relation which exists between cause and effect,
but it may not be out of place to add, what wo believe to be as
unusual as it is noteworthy, namely that those years of labor
though beset with manifold difficulties, were neither blemished with
tumults, nor impeded by " strikes," on the part of the workmen.

There was still another duty which, before his departure to Eng-
land, Mr. Hodges had charged himself to perform. Victoria Bridge,
at the northerly side of the St. Lawrence, springs from Point St.
Charles, a point of land which may indeed be said to have been
peopled with memorials of sorrow. In the year of the ship fever
pestilence ; the site, being salubrious and detached, was selected by
the authorities for the erection of hospitals and for the burial of the
dead. Those hospitals were expressly built for the reception o
immigrants who, during that year, arrived in great numbers fron
Europe. Having served their purposes, the hospitals were removed
but the quiet dead were left to an undisturbed rest in their nameless
graves. They belonged to the humbler walks of life, to the class
of working men, on whom fortune had bestowed no smiles, and t(
whom industry had attracted little wealth. Weary at heart, an(
weakened in health, they seemed to be, and they were, fitting marki

JAMES nODGES, ESQ.

285

for those forms of ovil which tho spirit of pestilence scattered
about the land. Their arrival, their illness, and in too many cases
their deaths, succeeded one another with painful rapidity. A
hurried funeral and a shallow burial ended all. Thus the heirs .of
toil rested from their labors. In digging and preparing the works
for the Bridge, the laborers, like "old Kaspar" on the field of
Blenheim, turned up many a skull " for there were many there
about." "This dome of thought, this palace of the soul," though
eyeless and speechless, found in silence a language more eloquent
than words. It was the unsuccessful and unhonored working man
appealing to the successful and the honored working man. It was
the prayer of the poor supplicant who slept in the unmarked earth,
to one whose name was imperishably graved on the monument
hard by — and it was successful. There is an affecting interest in
the proceedings which words inadequately convey. Such ripe
humanity is not always met with. There is commonly on such
occasions want of thought if not want of heart ; for men who wear
the comfortable livery of the flesh are not always considerate toward
those whom death has stripped to tho bones. Here however
the chord of sympathy was struck with a master's hand, and it
awakened a befitting echo m the hearts of all the workmen. Vo-
luntarily they determined to erect from the products of their own
labor a fitting monument to the memories of men, who in other
days were workers Uke themselves. The ceremony of placing the
memorial stone represented we think, a picture eloquent in pathos.
We not only see the completion of the free will monument of suc-
cessful workmen to the memory of members of their own order, who,
for the most part, lived unnoticed and died unknown ; but we see
also present and taking part in the proceedings, the accredited
ministers of His gospel, who, when He humbled himself and veiled
his Divinity in flesh, chose for His condition a working man's
parentage, for His calling a working man's lot, and for His friends
those whose lives had been cast in the lap of toil.

280

JAMES nODGES, ESQ.

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Our sp.ico Avill not permit us to do more than to state that the
memorial stone, which is of an irregular conical shape, is of enormous
dimensions, and rests on an elevated pedestal of massive masonry.
It l}cars the following inscription : —

To I'lSKSErtVK I'KOJI DESECllATION

THE REMAINS OF GOOO IMMIGRANTS

WJIO UIKI) KUOM Sim* KKVEi;

IX 1847 AXD 1848.
THIS M0NU3IENT IS EIIECTED IJY THE

workmi<:n of messrs. peto, ruassy and betts,

EMlAtlKD IN THE CO:<STRUCTION OF

the VICTORIA BRIDGE,

A.D. 1869.

Mr. Hodges now returned to his quiet home in Surrey, and
addressed lumself afresh to the plan of life which was interrupted
when he left Bagshot five years before. Alas ! we forget that life,
like time, knows no renewing. Thus it happened to Mr. Hodges.
He had scarcely resumed his old pursuits when death withdrew his
wife, leaving him solitary, as well as desolate, for he had no children.
Utter seclusion was probably attended with the feelings of indif-
ference to passing events, which is common to those whose aim
in life is lost. In some moods life itself is weariness, and breeds
satiety. Whether mch was the case or not in the instance before
us, we have no means of knoAving. It is however interesting to
learn that if this state of paralysis did exist, the unhealthy spell
was broken by the utterances of one whose writings have become
household Avords, wherever the English language is read, or English
character is appreciated. The Reverend Charles Kingsley, Pro-
fessor of English History in the University of Cambridge, gave a
lecture to the working men of Bagshot. We can well imagine the
lecture to have been all aglow with the strong racy, vigorous
English thought of that thorough Englishman. The subject more-
over, from the scraps we have seen, was, we venture to think, a

111

JAMES IIODQES, ESQ.

287

congenial one. It insisted, as wo learn amongst other things, on
action as a condition of happiness as well as of uscfuhioss ; that all
men should be working men, that they should do, as well as be; for
that being, apart from doing, was existence merely, l)ut it was not
life. " Now I dare say," said the lecturer, " you arc all proud of
bein'T Englishmen, but you have no right to be so, you ought rather
to bo ashamed that you have not contributed something to tlio
welfare and greatness of England, which each of you might and
every one of you ought to have done." This hearty rating was not
without its effect on at least one of his auditors. The bolt was
driven home, and it found its rivet in tho person of Mr. Hodges.
He then and there resolved to act as well as think, to do something
not only for tho country of his birth, but for one of the Provinces
of that country in which he had passed some useful years.

When residing in Canada, Mr. Hodges had become possessed of
from twenty to twenty-five thousand acres of land. His acquired
interest in tho country probably inclined him to sympathize with
and share their regret, who, bowing uncomfortably to the decrees of
science, were obliged to accept, it may be with wry faces, the disa-
greeable dictum of geologists who remorselessly assert that there
are no coal fields in Canada. There was, in all probability, a kind
of muscular sympathy between the strong minded scholar and tho
strong minded Engineer, for vigorous thought and vigorous action
are nearly allied and seem naturally to belong to one another.
Besides, the latter was at that time, as we have said, in a state of
unhealthy despondency which required strong treatment for its
relief. He needed craggy subjects to think of, and gigantic ones
to perform. His mind was cramping his life and warping its
inclination. It was therefore desirable that the latter should be
beaten as on an anvil and welded afresh to occupation, in order
that the vigor of the former might be recovered. Like one who
saw his course and determined to keep it, Mr. Hodges shock off his
torpor, and did exactly what a person moved by true and healthy

'f ■

288

JAMES nOUOES, ESQ.

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thouglit, under audi circumstances, would bo apt to do. IIo turned
his back on civilization, and his face to the " wild woods." Ho
recalled purposes which had frequently visited him with respect to
the much discussed question of fuel provision in Canada. Has
nature, wo may suppose him to have asked, furnished no equivalent
for what she has withhold ? Are not the pco ogs capable of
supplying the place of coal fields ? The question was capable of
solution, and it was certainly worth solving. Mr. Ilodgcs deter-
mined to make tho attempt, and therefore, to satisfy himself of the
existence of a cheap and available fuel in Canada, he returned to
this country, whore, on his O'.vn property in the Eastern Townships,
he is now, and has been for the last two years, occupied in testing
by experiments the merits of his theory. Wo regret that our space
will not allow us to describe either the monstrous machine now in
operation, or the process by which peat is produced, and bog land
drained. It is enough to say that wo possess the testimony of Mr.
Hodges to the fact that with the by no means perfect machine
now in use, ho can, in the course of one year, excavate a canal
twenty miles long by twenty feet wide and six feet deep. One
who appears to know Mr. Hodges personally and has seen him in
his English as well as his Canadian home, has pleasantly noted his
impressions of the inventor and his latest invention.

" It was the good fortune of the writer, a few days since, in company with an
eminent engineer, to visit the scene of the experiment, and go over tho work done
by the projector, receiving his explanations of it. Taking the night train over the
Grand Trunk Railway wo reached Arthabaska in the early morning, and after
waiting some time at that station took the seven o'clock train over the Three
Elvers branch, reaching Bulstrode in about forty minutes after. Hero, upon a
little kuoll or sand hill in the midst of a great marsh or peat bog, we found Mr.
Hodges' very snug backwoods cottage, with only two other habitations in sight,
and no public road — except the railway leading out to the rest of the world. So
utterly is this "in the woods" — notwithstanding the pa.ssage through it of a rail-
way and a telegraph line — that the engine upon one of the trains not many days
before our visit had run against a cariboo and knocked it off the track. Not only
cariboo, but moose, and bears are still not unfrequent/iy seen here, besides any num-
ber of hares and other game. We received a cordial greeting from Mr. Hodges

-iiUIL

JAMES nODOES, ESQ.

289

do. IIo turned

ild woods." Ho

m with respect to

in Canada. Has

jhed no equivalent

ogs capable of

ti was capable of

r. Hodges deter-

sfy himself of the

ho returned to

lastcm Townships,

•ccupicd in testing

;rot that our space

s machine now in

ced, and bog land

I testimony of Mr.

1 perfect machine

, excavate a canal

feet deep. One

. has seen him in

leasantly noted his

3n.

0, in company with an
?o over tlio work done
le night train over the
ly morning, and after

train over the Three
I after. Hero, upon a
oat bog, we found Mr.

habitations in sight,
rest of the world. So
through it of a rail-
trains not many days
■ the track. Not only
lere, besides any num-
ing from Mr. Hodges

and hi« nopliow, Mr. T. Gooding, who passed last winter liero in preparations for
this Huniiiior's campaign. I could not help noting tlio contrast between the sur-
roundings of life hero and in that pretty suburb of London where the proprietor
has, in times past, mado so many of liis Canadian friends welcome and happy.
There tlio highest cul'ure, and all the surroundings which wealth and reflnod
tastes can afford ; hero the barren wilderness in its least inviting as))oct."

The recollection of Bagshot with its beautiful sotting of culti-
vated scenery, must indeed very strangely have contrasted with
Bulstrode and its accompaniments of primeval wildness. The
latter, however, seems to have possessed strange fascination to the
proprietor of the former, for the writer already referred to, thus
concludes his jottings by the way :

" I said there was no public carriage road away from Mr. Hodges' house, but he
has cut a road of his own through his own domain, for nearly five milos tlirough
the wilderness to the Becancour River, within a short distance from the falls on
that pretty river, not yet connected, however, with any settlement. AA'o drove
over it, on the way starting a good many partridges, some of which were shot by
the Engineer, who was happy, overjoyed at return to wood lifo— only declaring it
was a sham to call that the back woods where there was a telegraph lino. ' "When
off to the woods in earnest,' he said ' I always throw a stone at the last telegraph
pole, to mark my gratification at parting with civilization.' Un route wo were
shown by our host a very remarkable birch tree sending up seven slender stems
from one bole ; hence he has named it ' The Seven Sisters.' Notman has photo-
graphed it, as well as the cottage and the wonderful digging machine."

James Hodges of Queenborough, in the county of Kent, and

James Hodges, Esquire, of Bulstrode, in the wilds of Canada,

represent two very diflFerent passages in the history of the same

person. The energetic boy of the former place,

" The little curly headed good for nothing,
And mischief-making monkey,"

as we have no doubt he was, is outwardly at least easily recog-
nized in the calm, grave, "grey-eyed man" of the latter place.
" Hyperion's curls " remain ; whitened, softened, and made chin-
chilla like, by the sleet and drift of many winters and much thought ;
" The front of Jove " is there, shaded by the grace of sub-
duing charity, and the " eye of Mars," too, is there, radiant with
bloodless triumphs, the abiding victories of peace. All else is

©i

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290

JAMES HODGES, ESQ.

changed. In his outward parts it may not be difficult to connect
the boy with the man ; but in the inward part, in the intellectual
life, iii that which we call character, we lose all trace of the former
and only see a strong, self-reliant, persevering specimen of our race,
struggling successfully with adversity, and striving against the tide.

" The shout ! the song ! the burst of joy," which made musical the
days of his boyhood, have given place to deeper and more earnest
notes. The overture of life has been succeeded by the drama of
life. The curtain has fallen on the latter, and a sea of applause
informs us that success is crowned. The after-piece still remains
to be enacted, and we feel and know that it will add grace and
beauty to, and be no unfit commentary on, what has gone before.

" The good that men do, lives after them." Little children, or
children of larger growth, who are now receiving instruction in the
night school of Bagshot may one day rise up and " call him blessed "
who established that school; and the siruggling working man, who,
at the Mechanics* Institute of Bagshot, may catch his earliest
glimpse of " star-eyed science ;" will, in accents attuned to rever-
ence, express his thankfulness to the successful working man who
established that Institute ; and the acknowledgments of both will
meet in the person of the magnanimous subject of our sketch. In
this Province his name is chiselled almost beyond the reach of the
wear and tear of time on our greatest monument ; the scientific won-
der of this, and the admiration of the other continents. Should his
present experiment prove successful, his praises will be articulated
in exhilarating accents by tongues of flame. He will be remembered
with admiration at the fire sides of the rich, and with gratitude on
the hearth stones of the poor. Thus, whether here or elsewhere,
Lis life communion will be flavored with the recollection of works of
righteousness. No lees of memory will embitter the wine of enjoy-
ment. " His pleasing hope," his fond desire, his " longing after
immortaUty." will not be shadowed and made ludeous by the forms
of beckoning ghosts, which, like malaria, arise to curse, afflict, pnd
make them tremble who live aimless, hard, and selfish lives.

iiflBcult to connect

in the intellectual
:raco of the former
Bcimen of our race,
ig against the tide.
h made musical the

and more earnest
i by the drama of

a sea of applause
piece still remains
ill add grace and
has gone before.
Little children, or
; instruction in the
'call him blessed"
working man, who,
catch his earliest
5 attuned to rever-
working man who
ments of both will
•f our sketch. In
d the reach of the

the scientific won-
lents. Should his
will be articulated
nil be remembered

with gratitude on
iere or elsewhere,
lection of works of
the wine of enjoy-
lis " longing after
leous by the forms

curse, afflict, pnd
elfish lives.

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THE

HONORABLE JOSEPH HOWE,

OF HALIFAX, NOVA PCOTIA.

In speaking of himself the Honorable Joseph Howe is reported to
have said : " During the old times of persecution, four brothers,
bearing my name, left the southern counties of England, and settled
in four of the New England States. Their descendants number
thousands, and are scattered from Maine to California. My father
was the only descendant of that stock who at the revolution adhered
to the side of England. His bones rest in the Halifax church-
yard. I am his only surviving son."

We are not informed nor can we conjecture what number of
generations separated the father of our sketch from one of the four
brothers who in the unhappy days of persecution left England
because English rule was oppressive, and English thought intolerant.
Those four brothers were the progenitors of a prolific race, and were
therefore especially suited to the needs of a new country. They

were

among

the earlier

emigrants who,

for conscience sake.

forsook the old world for the new, turning from the church of
a fair land, to set up a tabernacle in the wilderness. It might
be instructive, could we do so, to follow the course of their histories,
and, if possible, read them by the light of individual experience. To

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292

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

trace, for example, the influence of old principle which like threads
of precious gold ran through one of those families, connecting the de-
scendants with the ancient English root and the sympathetic British
soil. Perhaps it might be discovered that this one " faithful among the
faithless found," whose bones rest in the Halifax church-yard, who,
as the sole representative in his family of the royal line, and the
father of the subject of our sketch, like the chevalier Bayard, was
in his sacrifice and poverty happier far than those, even though their
name was legion and their possessions great, who " forgot their
king, their country and their oaths." The reverent wish with which
Mr. Howe's communication ends has about it the brightness of old
wine, the ring of pure gold, the grace of a forgotten fashion, the
relish of a rare experience, the sanctity of a holy purpose ; for thus
the son speaks of his father, and promises for himself. " Whatever
the future n?ay have in store, I want when I stand beside his grave
to feel that I have done my best to preserve the connection he
valued, and that the British flag may wave above the soil in which
he sleeps."

With such antecedents we should look for and expect to find in
the subject of our sketch many strong and some apparently contra-
dictory traits of character. The habit of resolute thought and
fearless private judgment derived from his remote ancestors, and
the habit of intelligent loyalty inherited from his immediate one,
would equally manifest themselves in his opinions and character.
The former, in obedience to the law of liberty, would probably shew
itself extravagantly in a morbid fear of, and resolute resistance to
ecclesiastical authority, accompanied by a fixed preference for some
one of the nonconforming bodies which cherishes the most ardent
attachment to free and unfettered thought. We were therefore
prepared for the information contained in a speech of his on
collegiate education, wherein Mi;. Howe with trumpet tongue declares
himself to be an " Independent," a member of one of the fighting
families of the saints. " We are the Independents," he observes ;

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

293

wish with which

;tcn fashion, the

" and before this agitation ceases, it will be found that we are a
pretty large sect in Nova Scotia, not ashamed of our name, and
able to fight for our own opinions."

It was in obedience to those principles that Mr. Howe, imme-
diately on being returned to Parliament, upon the motion to appoint
a chaplain, submitted the following resolution :

" Ilesolved, that, representing the whole Province, peopled hy various denomi-
nations of Christians, this House recoj^nized no religious distinctions, andishomul
to extend not only equal justice, but equal courtesy, to all.

The principle enunciated in that resolution has been generally
recognized in British North America. At some future day, wlien
its practical effects are patiently examined, it may be found that
the application of the popular level to Protestant bodies was disas-
trous only to the cause it was designed to serve. In dejiressing the
forces of the reformation to the standard of the smallest member of
the reformed family, little was effected for the cause of religious
liberty, for that liberty was not menaced ; and nothing for the
interests of Scriptural truth, for those truths were not challenged.
Whether the enforced depression of the protestant churches has
not been attended with a corresponding elation of the Church of
Rome, is an inquiry which will probably be made some day and in
a place more suitable than the pages of this work.

If however his attachment to the Church of England was conspi-
cuous for its weakness, there was no weakness in his love towards
the Throne of England. There are some who, denying the eccle-
siastical dogma of church authority, accept the theory of Divine
right in the person of their temporal rulers. Others who withliold
allegiance from their King, admit without controversy their fidelity
to their Church. Now although Mr. Howe woidd willingly take
the oath of allegiance, and fulfil without flinching the obligations
it entails, we do not believe that any power would induce him to
subscribe the Thirty-nine Articles, or confess, without wincing the
Athanasian Creed. Presuming on the accuracy of these distinctions,

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HON. JOSEPU HOWE.

it will not be difficult to place Mr. Howe. We should not expect
to meet him at the sign of " the mitre" ; he would prefer the hospi-
tality of " the crown." We should not look for him in a Cathedral
Close or with the Bishop and Chapter, but rather amidst the estates
of the realm, and near the person of the Sovereign ; not in the Abbey,
but in the Palace of Westminster. " I am," said Mr. Howe proudly,
" a Nova Scotian, the son of a loyalist, a North American, a true
subject of the Queen, but one whose allegiance to be perfect must
include every attribute of manhood, every privilege of the Empire."
The crown " on a bramble" would inspire in him little respect ; it
would certainly fail to attract every attribute of manhood. It might
stimulate his fancy, but it would not move his heart. His loyalty
is addressed to a person and not to an emblem ; and therefore he
felicitates himself as a true subject of the reigning monarch, rather
than as a true subject of the hereditary monarchy of England.

Turning to his personal narrative we learn that Mr. Howe's
father, of whom he always speaks in terrns of passionate devotion, and
who died in 1835 at the age of eighty -three, was for many years
King's Printer, and Postmaster General of the Lower Provinces.
That gentleman is represented to ,have been a fine looking man, of
great courtesy and intelligence. He wrote with elegance, and,
avoiding all questions of poUtinjal dispute, he spoke with eloquence
rarely equalled on i the various religious subjects of the day. The
subject of our sketch was born in 1804, in a cottage pleasantly
situated on the North- West Arm. There he spent the first thirteen
years of his life, and acquired in open air occupations the robust
constitution which has thus far befriended him and defied fatigue.
In that cottage>, and amidst the charming scenery of his native
Province, on the margin of her rivers, on the bosom of her lakes, or
with the "jocound day" "on the misty mountains' tops " he
imbibed his love of nature. There he courted the spirit of " divine
poesy," which prompted him in his earlier writings to attune his
syllables to song, and express his thoughts in verse. No regular

HON. JOSEPH HCWE.

295

education interrupted his enjoyments. From the treasury of his
father's knowledge and experience he learned enough to make
the long evenings seem short, and he remembered enough almost
to compensate him for what he failed to learn. To excellent parts
were superadded the discipline of severe manual exercise, of desul-
tory reading, and pure companionship, above all the society of
that parent whom the son always loved and never ceased to rever-
ence. Those memories belonged to the sunny period of early
youth, to that heavenly time in human life whose perfumed beauty
never dies.

" Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from tho depth of some divine despair
Eise in the heart, and gather in the eyes,
In looking on the happy autumn fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more."

At thirteen the clouds began to gather, for life in earnest opened
to his view. He was placed in the " Gazette " ofiice, as an appren-
tice to the printing business. When thus employed, he published
a small poem entitled " Melville Island." This was followed by
fugitive contributions of a similar kind to the newspapers. Of their
merits we are unable to speak, but the practice of composition which
was commenced then was, there can be little doubt, a discipline
of wisdom.

In 1827, at the age of twenty-three, Mr. Howe, in connection
with another, purchased a newspaper which he named " The
Acadian." Thus he made his bow as a public writer. In those
days there were few questions of local politics to disquiet men's
minds. The home news must have been somewhat scanty, and the
foreign intelligence travelled with trying deliberation. The editor
in his search for literary entertainment fell back on his early expe-
riences of rural life, and, mixing poetry with sketches of natural
scenery, he exercised himself in the practice .of writing, and gave
the public the advantage of his literary compound. At the close of

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HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

the year, Mr. IIowo sold hia sliaro in " Tho Acadian," and pur-
chased the more ambitious " Nova Scotian " newspaper from the
then proprietor, Mr. G. 11. Young. The step Avas deemed by many
to be full of hazard, for the paper had acquired literary repute as
well as largo influence, and both, it was thought, would suffer by the
transfer from the hands of a skilled and experienced staff, to those
of one who was regarded as an unskilled and inexperienced young
man. Tho result, as is commonly tho case, disappointed tho gain-
saycrs. The oracles confessed themselves to be at fault, while the
public voice, which exclaimed " Avho would have thought it ? "
exactly articulated the universal astonishment. Though the volume
of 1828 contained little reference to politics, there Avas no deficiency
of spicy and stimulating higrcdients in the shape of numerous witty
contributions, and it must bo added, contributions not free from
uncomfortable personalities. In 1829, the subject of our sketch
made considerable advance in his public career. Having dabbled
on the shore, and waded in the shallows, he now struck out into tho
deep sea of political discussion. The question was one of privilege,
and the editor of the " Nova Scotian," while admitting that Mr.
Barry, a member of the Assembly, had done much to provoke the
hostility of that body, nevertheless considered that tho House had ex-
ceeded its powers in depriving that gentleman of his i)rivileges, and
his constituents of their member. Of course, the deprived member
was promoted to tho ranks of a persecuted individual, and also, as a
matter of course, received the solace of popular sympathy. Thus,
when Mr. Barry was liberated from gaol, he was not only conveyed
in triumph to his own house, but the newspaper which had befriended
him received, we have little doub*;, a perceptible augmentation
to its list of subscribers and a still greater increase to its influence.
In 1830, the editor of the "Nova Scotian" began a series of Legis-
lative Reviews, which, being continued from year to year, kept the
writer's mind familiarized with the measures before the country.
Before the end of the session of ihat year a spirited discussion,

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

297

whicli ended in a dispute, arose out of the " brandy question ;" tho
two Houses in Parliamentary i)hraseolo;:;y came into collision, and
the revenue bills were lost. A general election followed. Into this
exciting contest Mr. Howe threw all tho strength of his literary
and political knowledge. lie criticized tho proceedings, and
summed up the evidence 1 y giving the popular party the advan-
tage of his judgment and what was of the more importance, tho
support of his paper.

Up to 1835, Mr. IIowo had been a writer merely. To that
time he had never made a speech. Now however tho period was
about to arrive when, in the capital of his own Province, his namo
was to become a power ; when thought, from its hidden wells, was to
overflow in words, and moreover with such fatal effect, as to over-
whelm in ono day a municipal system which had existed for nearly a
century. Wo have not space for minute explanation. It must
suffice to say that in those " good old times" the city of Halifax,
being unincorporated, was ruled by magistrates very likely as good,
and it may be almost as old as the city itself. Such magis-
trates were the nominees of the Crown ; and their offices, and we
suppose the civic duties which attached to them, determined only
with their lives. They ruled in the good old way, with strong wills,
quick tempers, and good intentions. It was sacrilege to question their
wisdom, and it was treason to deny theii* power. No one had the
temerity to do either one or the other. They governed Halifax as
Venice may have been governed, substituting a Chairman and a
given number of Magistrates, for a Doge and a council of ten. It
was at this terrible and immaculate tribunal, Joseph Howe, a pre-
sumptuous young man, fired through the columns of his newspaper,
a series of shots, shaped according to regulations of his own, and
after a pattern that was particularly objectionable. Those missiles
moreover were of such a rasping and venomous description, and so
exactly aimed, as to cause those comfortable justices to spring from
their cushioned chairs, and indict the writer criminally for libel.

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Tlio following extract U mado from a vrork which ought to bo
known hotter than it is, '^ Spocchus and Public Letters of the
Honorable Joseph Howe." The fact it relates is creditable alike
to Mr. Howe's courage and ability. The Editor says :

I did not hoar Mr. IIowo'h dofonoo, but 1 havo hoard him laiiRliingly dcHcribe
the circuiiiNtancoH which ooiupolled liinv to its i^roparatiun and doUvory. ' I wont,'
Haid ho, ' to two or throo lawyors in succoHsion, showed thoin tho Attorney Oenorar«
notice of trial, and aukod tliem if tlie ciiso could be HUccesHfuUy dofcuded P Tho
an§wor wan, no, tlyero wnn no doubt that the letter was a libel. Tliat I nuint make ray
poaoe, or Hubmit to tine and imprisonment. I asked them to lend mo their books,
gathered an armful, threw myself on a sofa, and road libel law for a week. J)y that
timo I had convinced mysolf that thoy were wrong, and thht there was a good
defence, if the caso woro properly presented to the court and jury Another week
was spent in selecting and arranging tho facts and public documonts, on which I
rolled. I did not get through before a lato hour of the evening ))efore the trial,
having only had time to write out and commit to memory tho two opening para-
graphs of the speech. All the rest Wiis to bo improvise^ as I went along. I was
very tired, but took a walk with Mrs. Howe, tolling her as we strolled to Fort
Mossy, that if I could only get out of my head what I had got into it, the Magis-
trates could not get a verdict. I was hopeful of the case, but fearful of breaking
down, from tho novelty of the situation and from want of proctico. I slept soundly
and went at it in tho morning, still harassed with doubts and fears, which passed
off, however, as I became conscious that I was commanding tho attention of the
court and jury. I was much cheered when I saw the tears rolling down one old
gentleman's cheek. I thought he would not convict me, if he could help it. I
scarcely expected a unanimous verdict, as two or three of the jurors were connec-
tions, more or less remote, of some of the justices, but thought they would not
agree. The lawyers were all very civil, but laughed at me a good deal, quoting the
old maxim, that " he who pleads his own case has a fool for a olieut." But the
liugh wiis against them when all was over.' "

Immediately after Mr. Howe's acquittal, all the magistrates of
Halifax resigned, and the old system which those venerable oflScials
represented, after flickering for a while, was snuffed out by an act
of incorporation. A handsome piece of plate, with a suitable
inscription, was presented to Mr. Howe for his services to the city
on the occasion.

IIOX. JOSEPH IIOWR.

290

Towards the close of the year, ho lost his father by death. Tiio
boroavomcnt is thus touchiuijly referred to.

" For thirty : oarn ho was my in'<tru(!tor, my playfellow, nimost my diiily «'(im.
imnion. To him I owo my fomliioMs for roiidini^, my fumiliiirity with tlio Miltlc, my
kno\vlo<lKO of old Colonial and Ainoriivm incidontnund characloriHtics. Ho loft mo
nothing l>ut his oxamplo and tho moinory of hit many virtuo.s for ail that ho over
oarnod '.van givon to tho poor. Ho was too good for this worM ; l)ut tho roinoin-
branco of his high i)rinciplo, his (ihoorfulnoss, his child-Iiko Hiuipli<'ityi and truly
Christian charactor is novor absont froju my mind."

At the general election in 1836, Mr. Howe first presented him-
self as a candidate for Parliamontary distinction, when he was
returned for tho county of Halifax. Ho took his seat on tho red
benches with tho advanced liberal party of tho Province. To the
questions — What aro, liberal opinions ? What is constitutional
government ? — ^lie boldly answered " a system of responsibility to
the people extending through all the departments." This answer
supplies tho key to his opinions and his policy.

" In England, gontlomen," he added, "the people can breathe tho hronth of life
into their government whenever they please : in this country tho governmont is
like an ancient Egyptian mummy wrapped up in narrow and antique prejudices
dead and inanimate. We aro desirous of a change, not such as shall divide us from
our brethren across the water, but which shall insure to us what they enjoy."

In the spring of 1838, Mr. Howe left Nova Scotia, accompanied
by the late Mr. Justice Haliburton, for England. It was his first
visit. They were passengers on board the " Tyrian," a ten gun
brig, which had been appointed to carry the mails. On her pas-
sage, she was overtaken by the "Sinus" steamship, which had been
on a trial trip to America, and was then returning, and within a
few hundred miles of the English coast. As she came to, along-
side of the " Tyrian," the commander of the latter determined to
send his mails on board the former ; he did so and the " Sirius "
steamed off towards the white English cliffs. There was not a

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HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

breath to stir the stillness or ruffle the calm of tLat calm day. The
" Tyrian " with flapping listless sails lay becalmed like " a painted
ship on a painted ocean." The " Sirius," becoming " small by degrees
and beautifully less," was rapidly lost to sight. The question of
ocean steam navigation was then and there discussed, and with
such earnestness that on the arrival of the travellers in England,
they addressed to Lord Glenelg a joint letter on the subject of sub-
sidizing a line of ocean steamships, to ply between the old world and
the new. Their representations to the Home Government were
speedily followed by the promulgation of tenders, when the late Sir
Samuel Cunard seized the opportunity of winning fame and fortune
by successfully competing for the performance of the service.

On his return to Nova Scotia, Mr. Howe addressed himself with
renewed energy to the accomplishment of his early purpose of secur-
ing responsible government in Nova Scotia. We cannot dwell on
the manner of his proceeding or on the arguments he made use of,
nor is it necessary, since the result at which he aimed has become a
part of the constitutional system, not only of that Province, but of
the greater portion of the English colonies. His mode of proceed-
ing appears to have been fiercely energetic, and not wholly free
from the intolerance of those pilgrim fathers whose blood flows in
his veins. Any attachment to ancient rule, any prejudice in favor
of the statu quo, any type of fossil conservatism was insufferable,
and only fit to be trampled in the dust. Sir Colin Campbell, the
Lieut. Governor, though personally unobjectionable, was considered
to be politically dull, and would not or could not learn the lesson,
which Mr. Howe, and those who thought with him, were anxious
to impart. Therefore Sir Colin was deemed to be unequal to the
occasion, and therefore his recall was importunately demanded.
Lord John Russell, however, declined to present the address to
Her Majesty, which the Assembly had passed. Sir Colin was conse-
quently nominally sustained j but his retirement followed shortly

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

301

afterwards, and Viscount Falkland arrived as his successor. A scene
occurred at this time, which is thus related ;

" Passing out from Lord Falkland's levee, Mr. Howe bowed to Sir Colin Camp-
bell, and was moving on; Sir Colin called to him, and, extending his hand,
exclaimed, "We must not part in that way, Mr. Howe. "We fought out our
differences of opinion honestly; you have acted like a man of lionour; there is
my hand." It was shaken in all sincerity, and on the old soldier's departure, a
graceful tribute was paid by his opponent to his chivalric characteristics."

Mr. Howe, tho colonial reformer, the passionate advocate of
popular rights, the conspicuous leader of an ardent opposition, now
entered upon a new phase in his public history. He became a
responsible minister to the new Lieutenant Governor ; and we can
readily understand that the latter had much difficulty in keeping
pace with the views of his imperious counsellor. On this point
the editor, whom we have already quoted, somewhat amusingly
states that

"His (Mr. Howe's) difficulties were great. He had to instruct, satisfy, and
control within constitutional limits, a nobleman of his own age bred in the school
where pride and heady impulses are spontaneously developed, married to a King's
daughter, and remarkably good looking. He had to assert and maintain, in the
Cabinet, the general principles which he had advocated outside, and he had to
satisfy the country that he was doing so, and that its interests would not be jeopar-
dized by his acceptance of the seat."

A dissolution of Parliament followed, and Mr. Howe felt himself
called upon to address the country through his constituents. There
^s a very curious passage in this address. The allegory will amuse
many who may not be convinced by the argument. The style of
thought and metaphor not unfrequently appear in Mr. Howe's
speeches.

"Upon another topic allow me to say a few words. It has been objected by
some that a spirit of hostility has been manifested to the Church. I \vill frankly
explain to you my views and feelings on this subject. The beautiful streams that
intersect our country in all directions, roll past the dwellings of Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, and Methodists, and shed an equal charm upon their children

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302

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

playing on the banks. In passing by their orchards, I cannot observe any richer
tint upon the blossoms, or finer flavour in the fruit of the one than of the other;
nor is there any (listinction in the verdure with which nature clothes their fields.
The mackerel run as freely into a Catholic's or Baptist's net as into any other,
and I naturally enough ask myself why, as a legislator, I should make distinctions
which God in his own good providence has not made."

On the meeting of Parliament the Honorable Joseph Howe was
elected Speaker by a majority of two votes over Mr. LTniacke. At
that time there was no rule to prevent a member of the Executive
Council being at the same time Speaker of the Assembly. Mr.
Howe was both. At the close of that session, he visited (Janada.
We wish we had space to reproduce his impressions; his des-
criptions are very graphic and very suggestive. On his return
to Nova Scotia, he was oflfered and he accepted the post of
collector of Colonial Revenue. He consequently resigned the
office of Speaker, still however retaining his place as a member of
the Assembly. In the following session, he supported resolutions
to discontinue the endowment of denominational Colleges. The
discussion of this question gave rise to much agitation in the
country, and much ill feeling in the Executive Council itself. So
much that Viscount Falkland was advised to dissolve Parliament,
and he assumed the constitutional responsibility of doing so. After
the elections, Messrs Howe, Uniacke and McNab tendered their
resignations, and retired from the Council. What followed, we havo
not space to narrate. In its earlier passages it reads like a comedy
of errors, in which the stage manager was moved by some such ideas
as Rasselas may have cherished in the Happy Valley. Those ideas
were colored by benevolence rather than responsibility, for the
Viscount evidently thought that a paternal Government was better
suited to Nova Scotia than party Government. Not so thought the sub-
ject of our sketch, who had through life been struggling for principle
and not for charity. Still his part in the transaction was, we think,
by no means free from blame. The exercise oi" a constitutional
right might have been met, and frustrated, by the exercise of a

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

303

constitutional remedy. Apart from this fact which ought not to
have heen lost sight of, Mr. Howe appeared to forget that intellects
less impulsive than his own could scarcely accommodate themselves
to his pace in the race of constitutional and responsible Govern-
ment. With great ability for work, he had little patience to wait. The
unfortunate differences between the Governor and himself resulted
in Mr. Howe's return to hterary and newspaper life. The announce-
ment of such intention was more racy and characteristic than tem-
perate or discreet. The transaction included an adroit somersault,
not of opinion but of position, in which the writer desired to sink the
titles, attractions and responsibilities of an Executive Councillor whom
Her Majesty had delighted to honor, and to advance in the manner
of a republican the attractions of a Halifax citizen. " Welcome me
as an old friend ; " thus he wrote " welcome me as a guest, and say
as you read this, ' Why here is Howe" (he did not say citizen
Howe) "amongst us again ; not Mr. Speaker Howe, not the Hono-
rable Mr. Howe, but "Joe" (that was the word) "Joe Howe as he
used to be, sitting in his editorial chair,' " and no doubt "Joe Howe "
received what he expected, a homely but hearty reception ; it could
not have been otherwise. On his part he welcomed his old chair,
and his old habits and his old gossips, and his old independence and
his old warfare and the charming irresponsibility which such inde-
pendence conferred. We can imagine him to have rubbed his
hands with recovered zest, to have nibbed his pen with renewed
earnestness, and to have cut his quired foolscap with nervous vigor,
as he again meditated congenial work. Yf e can imagine also that h^j
balanced approvingly his old whip, that he recognized the elastic
music of its well remembered cracky that he gleefully experimented,
and found that his hand had lost none of its cunning and his eye
none of its skill, that he was still master of the road, and could as
dexterously as ever distantly touch up, or closely flagellate, a
dronish, a baulky, or an ill-broken member of the state team. The
Lieutenant Governor did not escape his lash. Certainly there was

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some provocation, and His Excellency offered himself temptingly to
the thong of the smiter. Still we care not to dwell on the newspaper,
and other passages of this period, for it is not possible to read them
apart from the recollection that the writer had been an Executive
Counsellor, and a sworn adviser of the nobleman whom he scourged.
That nobleman moreover was the representative of his Queen. The
irreconcilable differences between Viscount Falkland and Mr. Howe
were however brought to an end by the promotion of the former to
the Government of Bombay. His Excellency left Nova Scotia on
the Isfc August, 1846, and was succeeded by Sir John Harvey. In
the folloAving year Parliament was dissolved, and the election which
took place in the month of August resulted in the triumph of the
reform party. At the next session Mr. William Young was, on the
motion of Mr. Howe, elected Speaker. Afterwards on the resolu-
tion being proposed for an address in answer to the speech from the
Throne, Mr. James B. Uniacke moved an amendment expressing
want of confidence in the administration, which was carried in the
affirmative. The motion Avas note worthy as being the first of the
kind made in the Parliament of Nova Scotia. It resulted, as it was
intended it should do, in the resignation of Ministers, and the forma-
tion of a new Government under the Honorable Mr. Uniacke, of
which the subject of our sketch was a member.

Having successfully struggled to attain important constitutional
rights, Mr. Howe now turned his attention to subjects of practical
utility, and among them to the necessity of an inter-colonial Rail-
way to connect the Maritime Provinces with Canada. It would be
interesting, could we afford the space, to give some extracts from the
numerous speeches made by him in these Provinces and elsewhere
on this interesting question. The duties and responsibilities of
Government, as is commonly the case, had tempered his zeal ; wis-
dom was now as conspicuous as intellect. Closer contact with
mankind, and a deeper insight into the springs of human action, had
taught him forbearance as well as generosity.

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

305

"VVe find, for example, in a speech of great force made by him at
a public meeting at Halifax, the following confession, bearing the
appearance of apology for the heat and extravagance of his more
passionate appeals : " The smoke of past contests has perhaps at times
clogged my own mind ; like an old chimney, the soot of controversy
may have adhered to it after the cooking of constitutions was over ;
but the fire of this noble enterprise has burnt it out."

Mr. Howe's political speeches are illustrated by striking meta-
phor, and always glow, frequently with anger but generally with
eloquence. They are probably more suggestive of debate than
discussion ; of contention than enquiry : and seem, if we may make
such a distinction, more related to the schools than to the senate.
They breathe defiance rather than argument ; they provoke rather
than persuade ; they aim at victory rather than success. They possess
the quality of fervent heat, and create many blisters, while they
mollify none. And yet, it must be confessed the master of such
powers restrains his hand and puts a bridle on his tongue. What
he says, we "fairly may compute;" what he resists saying, we
can only imagine. Take, for example, one passage of an impromptu
speech. No public man in Canada, except perhaps the Honorable Mr.
McGee, could have pronounced its equal. The Honorable James
Boyle Uniacke, the gentleman referred to, was not only a statesman
of celebrity in Nova Scotia," but he was also a personal friend of
Mr. Howe, and an exceedingly handsome man. The extract from
Mr. Howe's excoriating speech will explain the rest.

" Had the Provincial Secretary honored me only with his notice, I should not
perhaps, have addressed the House again. But he has defamed other gentlemen>
who are not here to defend themselves. Among thorn one, who, for many reasons
might have been spared. Sir, a more able, honorable, and distinguished man never
graced the floor of this Assembly, than my late lamented friend, the Honorable James
Boyle Uniacke. His noble form, easy deportment, graceful manners, and ready
flow of language, are familiar to many who listen to me to-day. No man Avho ever
grappled with him, as I did in the early part of my life, would underestimate his
powers. A mind ever fhiitful, a tongue ever eloquent, humor inexhaustible, and
pathos which none could resist, were among the gifts or attainments of my honor-

306

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

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able friend. His colloquial powers were oven more marvellous than his forensic or
parliamentary display. He charmed the senate by his eloquence ; but how delight-
ful was ho when surrounded by a knot of friends beneath the gallery, or seated at
the head of his own hospitable board. How often have I thought, when meeting
abroad the choice spirits of both continents, how rare it was to find a man in all
respects a match for James Boyle Uniacke. But he was not only distinguished as
a legislator. His means and his intellect were embarked in every enterprise which
promised the advancement of the common interest, or the growth of public spirit.
Such was the man, sir, to whom, and to the management of whoso department,
foul language has been applied here by members of the government; even at the
very moment when my honorable and learned friend wa^ in the agonies of death.
The sepoy and the savage, it is true, torture their victims in that hour, but a
Christian warrior turns from them with disgust or slays them for their barbarity.
The hawk and the kite may peck out the eyes of the noblo steed who has run his
course, even while the heart is still palpitating and the blood is warm. What shall
I say of such foul birds as the Provincial Secretary and the honorable member for
Victoria, who have settled upon the reputation of my departed friend, even while his
great heart was breaking and his noble spirit was winging its upward flight ? What
need be said ? We all knew him, and we know them. A seri)ent may crawl over
the statue of Apollo, but the beautiful proportions of the marble will yet be seen
beneath the slime. That my friend may have had his errors, I am not here to deny ;
but I rejoice that, whatever they were, God in His infinite mercy, and not man in
his malignity, is hereafter to be his judge."

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The great and versatile talents displayed by Mr. Howe, had won
respect and commendation from Ministers of State in England, and
it is probable that in selecting him for an important state appoint-
ment growing out of the Reciprocity Treaty of 1854, the Imperial
Government had been moved only by their opinion thus acquired
of his fitness for the delicate duties he would be required to perform.
Of the way in which Mr. Howe has discharged these duties, it does
not become us to speak. It is however gratifying to observe that
his withdrawal from political life has neither clouded his intellect
nor blunted his eloquence. His address at the Great Inter-
national Commercial Convention at Detroit, made on the 14th July,
1865, is too well known both in this Province and the United
States to require notice in this place. We recognize the old notes,
and feel the glow of the old fame. The SpeaAcr has admira-

HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

307

tion for America, but love for England. He has compliments for the
republic, but devotion for the monarchy; a good deal to say about
the three great branches of the British family, but a good deal to
feel about the particular branch, through whoso generations of faith
and loyalty his own especial house has descended. "Tholine"
with which he " is blended " is the line of his aflFection and his
pride. Change of time and change of scone have wrought no
change in him. We seem to hear the old clarion tongue attuned
to the old AYords —

" strike, for your altars and your fires ;
Strike, for the greon graves of your sires;
God, and your native land ! "

Hush! let us listen to Mr. Howe himself; for he too has
" touched the harp with a thousand strings," and has moved the
living while breathing a dirge for the dead.

OUR FATHERS.

Eoom for the dead ! Your living hands may pile

Treasures of art the stately tents within ;
Beauty may grace them with her richest smile,

And genius here spontaneous plaudits win.
But yet, amidst the tumult and the din

Of gathering thousands, let me audience crave :
Place claim I for the dead. 'T were mortal sin.

When banners o'er our country's treasures wave,

Unmark'd to leave the wealth safe garner'd in the grave.

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The fields may furnish forth their lowing kine,
The forest spoils in rich abundance lie,

The mellow fruitage of the cluster'd vine
Mingle with flowers of ev'ry varied dye ;

Swart artisans their rival skill may try.

And while the rhetorician wins the ear,

The pencil's graceful shadows charm the eye;
But yet, do not withhold the grateful tear
For those, and for their works, who are not here.
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308 HON. JOSEPH HOWE.

Not here P Oh ! yes, our hearts their presence feel,

Viewless, not voiceless ; from the deepest shells
On memory's shore, harmonious echoes steal ;

And names, which, in the days gone hy, were spells,
Are blent with that soft music. If there dwells

The spirit here our country's fame to spread,
While ev'ry breast with joy and triumph swells.

And earth reverb'rates to our measured tread ;

Banner and wrea'b. should own our reverence for the dead.

Look up, their walls enclose us. Look around,
Who won the verdant meadows flrom the sea ?

Whose sturdy hands the noble highways wound

Through forests dense, o'er mountain, moor, and lea P

Who spanned the streams P Tell me whose works they be, —
The busy marts where commerce ebbs and flows ?

Who quell'd the savage ? And who spared the tree
That pleasant shelter o'er the pathway throws P
Who made the land they loved to blossom as the rose P

Who, in frail barques, th,3 ocean surge defied,

And trained the race that live upon the waveP

What shore so distant where they have not died P
In every sea they found a watery grave.

Honor, forever, to the true and brave

Who seaward led their sons with spirits high,

Bearing the red-cross flag their fathers gave ;
Long as the billows flout the arching sky
They'll seaward bear it still ; to venture or to die.

Eoman gather'd in a stately urn.

The dust he honor'd— while the sacred fire,
Nourish'd by vestal hands, was made to bum

From age to age. If fitly you'd aspire.
Honor the dead ; and let the sounding lyre

Recount their virtues in your festal hours ;
Gather their ashes— higher still, and higher

Nourish the patriot flame that history dow'rs ;

And o'er the Old Men's graves, go strew your choicest flowers.

>ells,

for the dead.

id lea t
hey be, —

ra?

ie rose ?

iioicest flowen.

(or<) »-

•Aiwucww

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TUE

HONORABLE RiSnE EDOUARD CARON,

OF QCKDEO.

" This is is not tho first time we have differed in opinion, I wish
most sincerely that it may be tho last." Such arc tho words with
■which the subject of our sketch, addressing the late Sir Louis
Lafontaino, closes tho somewhat celebrated " Drapcr-Caron " cor-
respondence. Though colored by foeling and evidently made at
a moment of excitement, the observation, which contained more
sting than honey, revealed a truth susceptible of a wider appUca-
tion than the particular occasion seemed to afford. Indeed, the
correspondence is instructive as well as amusing. It enables us
more accurately to observe the position which Mr. Caron, with
great consistency of purpose, endeavored to take for his party,
both before and after the union of the Provinces.

The somewhat overlooked truth should be borne in mind that
party Government is not necessarily Government by one of two
parties. Where such Government exists, we should, generally
speaking, and as a matter of course, expect to find public affairs
for the most part administered by the representatives of one or
other of the two great parties which commonly divide a state.

810

nON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

i|!,i

iii'i''

M' ^' i'

Such division lines will usually be found to bo boldly drawn,
deeply colored, and broadly marked, so much so that they are
commonly and not inaptly called lines of separation. There is,
moreover; little hope of approximation on the part of the forces
which commonly entrench themselves within such lines. Their
uniforms are distinguishable, their principles are opposed, and
their attitude is the attitude of opposition. But between those
hostile lines there may be, and there usually is, a certain portion
of debatable land, which, belonging to neither of the parties already
referred to, is generally occupied by a third party, less influential it
mtiy be, but not less attractive, or less worthy of consideration than
the other two. This party — for we do not speak of a faction — will
in all probability consist of men of independent circumstances
as well as of independent opinions, conspicuous for moderation of
thought, and for tolerance of sentiment, who know how to be true to
their friends, and at the same time fair to their opponents, who
can be loyal to their own traditions and can respect the traditions
of other people. They may as a party be inconsiderable in num-
ber, only a "philosophic few," but they will be noteworthy for the
untrammelled quality of their thought, for generosity of opinion, and
for temper in debate. They will represent those pure and pas-
sionless attributes of wisdom and justice, which are symbolized
by that unfortunate but happily fabulous female, who, with sightless
serenity and an unwearied hand, is compelled evermore to hold tho
scales of impartial justice. Men of extreme views do not appreciate
other men who are neither with nor against them, but their aversion,
however much it may injure, destroys neither the political existence
nor the political value of such men. Acting together as a party of
observation and control, they may be called the salt of the state by
means of which a country is not unfrequently saved from destruc-
tion. We think we shall do no wrong to history and truth by placing
the subject of our sketch in the category of such men.

I'"|;|iMJ||i
■|iiill

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

311

oldly drawn,
hat they are
There is,
of the forces
lines. Their
opposed, and
etween those
rtain portion
arties ah-eady
3 influential it
deration than
faction — will
jircumstances
noderation of
r to be true to
jponents, who
the traditions
rable in num-
vorthy for the
f opinion, and
pure and pas-
re symbolized
with sightless
re to hold tho
lot appreciate
their aversion,
tical existence
' as a party of
f the state by
from destruc-
ith by placing

\ -J

The Honorable Ren^ Edouard Caron is the son of the late Mr.
Aufustin Caron, a farmer of consideration and substance, who for
two Parliaments represented the old County of Northumberland in
the former Province of Lower Canada. Like his father, the subject
of our sketch was born in the parish of Ste. Anne, Cote de Beauprd.
He received his earlier education at the College of St. Pierre,
Riviere du Sud, where he met with several student friends who
have since distinguished themselves in the Province. Afterwards
he entered the Seminary of Quebec where he cultivated the
higher branches of classical study. His college life being
ended, Mr. Caron was, in the year 1821, articled as a student at
law to Mr. Andrd Hamel of Quebec. In the year 1820, he was
admitted to the Bar of Lower Canada. The period of his admis-
sion was to Mr. Caron exceedingly opportune, for from one cause
and another, it happened that the Quebec Bar had then suffered
the loss of several of its prominent and successful practitioners.
Clients who were thus suddenly cast adrift from their legal moorings
were glad not only to welcome but to confide in a gentleman of
Mr. Caron's address, ability, and good repute. Thus his business
and his briefs accumulated with enviable rapidity.

An Act to incorporate Quebec having been passed by the Par-
hament of Lower Canada, Mr. Caron, at the instance of many
fi'iends, was, in the year 1832, elected to represent the St. Lewis'
ward in the City Council. In 1833, he was elected Mayor, an
office which he continued to fill until 1837, when the Act under
which the city was incorporated expired by Hmitation. Honors
and duties now began to gather about his path with almost embar-
rassing rapidity. In 1834, he was invited to become a candidate
for Parliamentary honors, and such was his popularity that he was
returned by acclamation as representative of the Upper Town of
Quebec in the Legislative Assembly. Thus at a very early age
was ambition gratified. Honor, power, and distinction, had sought
for and had followed after him. It was not necessary for him to

^im^m

312

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

u»

■111'

it M
4 liff 1

climb, he had been carried without cvfort of his own to coveted
heights. The work was accomplished moreover in dangerous times,
and when he was surrounded bj circumstances of an unstcadying
kind. Would his fame bear the ordeal through which he was about
to pass 'r Would he escape " sin free," and fulfil his duty to his
party and to the Province, to his countrymen and to his country ?

It should be borne in mind that when Mr. Caron entered Parliament,
the flush of youth had not passed from his brow, and the fire of
youth had not died out of his heart. The desire to live in the
grateful recollections of his race was the animating law of his life.
His ambition was to raise the political condition of his countrymen
and to secure for them an equal share of the rights and trusts,
privileges and emoluments, which were enjoyed by the British sub-
jects of the crown in Canada. It was no easy course, which Mr.
Caron had set himself to steer. It was no easy warfare he had
undertaken to wage. His aim was to reconcile loyalty with
patriotism, to be true to his allegiance and true to his race.
To fight successfully he was compelled to show a double
front to his opponents, to face at the same time in opposite
directions. When addressing the British party, he was obliged
to speak as a French Canadian. When addressing his own
countrymen, he could not do otherwise than speak as a British
subject. In rebuking the English party, he would fail to win their
favor, or the smiles of the Court. In rebuking the French party,
he would be suspected of unfaithfulness to those principles to which
that party appeared to be committed. Nor should it be lost sight
of that the delirium of passion which seemed to possess Mr. Papi-
neau, and which gave light to his speech and force to his periods,
was a dangerous substitute for reason, for it flattered and beguiled,
it allured and misled. Though deficient in argument, Mr. Papi-
neau's speeches were conspicuous for oratory. They were a
dazzling mixture of feeling and passion, a dangerous compound
which issued seething hot from his heart. It was such oratory as a

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

313

to coveted
erous times,
insteadying
e was about
duty to his
I country ?
Parliament,
. the fire of
live in the
ir of his life,
countrymen
and trusts,
British sub-
, which Mr.
are he had
)yalty -vvlth
) his race,
a double
in opposite
was obliged
ig his own
IS a British
to win their
ench party,
les to which
36 lost sight
s Mr. Papi-
his periods,
id beguiled,
t, Mr. Papi-
ley were a
} compound
oratory as a

tribune of the people would practice, who would move men to
strife, such oratory as a statesman would avoid, who would rule
men in peace. Though a fanatic, Mr. Papineau was a sincere
one ; though self-deceived, he was no deceiver — he believed what
he said. Possessing a commanding presence and unrivalled rheto-
rical power, he was arrogantly wedded to the pride of his own
opinions and the revolutionary aims of his own policy. Holding as
the first commoner of Lower Canada the highest position which his
countrymen could bestow, he cared Uttle for any obligations which
had not their centre in his own imperious will. Constitutional
usage, the courtesies of debate, the restraints of parliamentary
forms were nothing to him if they presented obstacles to the duties
which, in the intolerance of his convictions, he thought would
minister to the advantage of his race. His judicial duty as Speaker
of the Commons did not restrain him from sneering at the Court,
scoffing at the Crown, and defying the governing party of the
Province. His measured eloquence like balanced music fell on a
listening house, or leaped Uke devastating flame in congenial
stubble through the heated minds of his auditcry ; and whether
it persuaded or appalled, it was acknowledged gratefully by
unpremeditated cheers. If, however, there was vitriol as well
as virtue in his wrath, the former was especially reserved
for such of his younger countrymen who would not think as
he thought, dream as he dreamed, hope as he hoped, say as he
said, and do as he did. Mr. Caron was one of those. He not
only displayed the courage to think for himself, but he had the
audacity to give to the Assembly the advantage of his thoughts.
There had, it may be observed, been some defections in the ranks
of those who had theretofore supported Mr. Papineau, including,
besides others, such men as Messieurs Neilson, Bedard, Vanfelson,
and Huot of Quebec, and Messieurs Quesnel and Cuvillier of
Montreal. Mr. Lafontaine, we may note in passing, whatever
he may have thought, voted steadily with Mr. Papineau,

314

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

?iii

and, of course, " differed in opinion " with Mr. Caron. The
seceding members recognized the existence of an anxious desire
on the part of the Home Government to enquire into alleged
grievances, and to redress established wrongs. Mr. Caron gave
his adhesion and support to the sagacious few, and took occasion in
a speech of considerable force to counsel the policy as well as the
duty of receiving gracefully and patiently the Imperial projects of
amelioration. This speech, proceeding as it did from a youthful
member of what he had regarded as the enthusiastic section of his
party, gave Mr. Papineau dire offence, and occasioned an answer
which, though not creditable to one who was Speaker of the House,
and an eloquent advocate of the theory of liberty, produced a
telling effect beyond, as well as within its walls. A large number
of the elector^ of Quebec assembled at some place of convenient
resort, and from thence walked in procession to Mr. Papineau's
lodgings where they presented that gentleman with an address, in
which they had, it is scarcely conceivable, the abject folly to thank
him for having soundly rated their representative in the House of
Assembly. Mr. Caron had, when the occasion required, shown
that he was not deficient in wisdom. He now determined also to
show that he was not deficient in spirit. The honor of representing
the Upper Town of Quebec in Parliament was not of his seeking ;
it would cost little to give back again what he had not asked for.
The privileges of Pariiament, including the liberty of speech and
the right of free discussion, were a part of his birthright as a British
subject, which he determined should not be sacrificed in his person.
After the gratuitous affront which his con8tituer>*^s had gone out of
their way to offer, he took the earliest opportunity which the forms of
the Assembly permitted to vindicate his own opinions, and to rebuke
the Speaker for his unparliamentary attempt, by direct and extra-
neous pressure, to encourage a system of terror and to stifle the
freedom of debate. He concluded a speech of telling force by
resigning his seat in the Assembly.

n i

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

315

aron. The
ixious desire
into alleged

Caron gave
|k occasion in
,s well as the
il projects of
a a youthful
lection of his
d an answer
)f the House,
, produced a
large number
)f convenient
r. Papineau's
m address, in
folly to thank
the House of
[uired, shown
•mined also to
r representing
F his seeking ;
lot asked for.
)f speech and
tit as a British
in his person,
id gone out of
jh the forms of
and to rebuke
ect and extra-
l to stifle the
ling force by

^ 'a

The straightforward conduct of Mr. Caron was followed by con-
sequences, directly as well as remotely, beneficial to him. When
the events of 1837 culminated in bloodshed, man}^ who had
scarcely reflected that such effects could have flowed from such
causes, found themselves to be hopelessly involved in the wretched
calamities of those calamitous times. Happily for Mr. Caron, the
breath of suspicion had not dimmed the brightness of his career.
He had kept two purposes steadily before him, fidelity tolas country,
and fidelity to his race ; and the time was about to arrive when,
in the interest of the former, his influence would be welcomed to
secure equal justice to the latter. In the meanwhile he addressed
himself to the duties of mercy, and earnestly sought, by judicious
intervention, to soften the weight of those judgments which were
about to fall on such of his countrymen as had been overtaken in
their inconceivable follies. On the advice of the Earl of Gosford,
he was summoned by royal mandamus to a seat in the Legisla-
tive Council — a seat which he had no opportunity to take, for
the troubles intervened, and the old Parliament of Lower Canada
was not again destined to assemble. The history of those unhappy
times must in many ways be associated with sorrowful memories,
yet we venture to think that to the subject of our sketch the retro-
spect is not without solace. In his own court of conscience, as well
as by the general judgment of his countrymen, no stain of blood-
guiltiness rests upon his name. None were led astray by his
counsels, and the wisdom of his opinions has been illustrated by the
logic of events. His faith i ' . triumph of British justice has been
amply vindicated, for the alleged wrongs of his race have been fully
and satisfactorily redressed. The period was a dark one in the annals
of Canada, but it preceded the dawn. We can now, by the aid of an
untroubled light, read a fairer page of her history.

On the revival, in an altered form, of the Act incorporating the
City of Quebec, Mr. Caron was nominated by His Excellency, Lord
Sydenham, to the office of Mayor ; and when the law was further

316

HON. RENE EDOUARD CAROX.

I'M!

amended, and an elected "was substituted for a nominated chief
magistrate, the choice again fell on the subject of our sketch. It
is not often that tlie two opposite modes of appointment meet in the
same person. In the present instance, royal favor and popular
choice agreed together in preferring Mr. Caron to the office of
Mayor, an office which ho continued to fill until 1846.

The destruction by fire of the greater portion of the city of Quebec
in the months of May and June 1845 not only entailed unusual labor
and responsibility on him in his office of Mayor, but it gave occasion
to his being called upon to exercise as the elected Chairman of the
relief committee of the citizens, those qualities of tact, courtesy, and
impartiality by which he has always been eminently distinguished.
While thus occupied, Mr. Caron seems never to have lost sight
of the fact that he and those who were associated with him were
engaged in works of equity and justice, as well as of benevolence
and charity. That they were the almoners of the bounty of other
people, the stewards of wealth, ungrudgingly given by many
nations, and transmitted in currencies so diverse that perhaps not
one member of that committee could have counted it in the
coinage in which it was contributed. As the trustees of such
unparalleled benevolence it was Mr. Caron's anxious care that
their counsels should not be blemished by any words of violence ;
by any act which Avould show a forgetfulness of the divine grace of
charity wliich had moved the givers, and which ouglit to govern the
dispensers of the gifts.

" The charities that soothe, and heal, and bless " in Mr. Caron's
practice do, and in his opinion, should " shine aloft " like stars.
It was this controlling principle, this power of gentleness which
caused the labors of that committee to diiFuse themselves in labors
of love. While thus working for the material benefit of others, it
is probable that Mr. Caron Avas receiving wealth into his own
soul. In his direct intercourse with other people and other
races, the representatives of various denominations and different

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

317

nominated chief
Dur sketch. It
ncnt meet in the
or and popular
to the office of

c city of Quebec
fd unusual labor
it gave occasion
Chairman of the
t, courtesy, and
T distinguished.
Iiave lost sight
with him were
of benevolence
»ounty of other
ivcn by many
at perhaps not
ted it in the
istees of such
ious care that
s of violence ;
livine grace of
t to govern the

n Mr. Caron's
't" like stars,
itleness which
elves in labors
; of others, it
into his own
le and other
and different

origins ; his thoughts would become enlarged, while a more exten-
sive view of mankind must have softened many prejudices,
created juster thoughts and perhaps have changed hereditary
aversion into actual sympathy. It may have taught his
gentle mind to see " good in o very thing, " and " hating no
one " to discover excellence in all. It is pleasant to note that
Mr. Caron's fellow citizens did not fail to detect in him the qua-
lities he had discovered in them. With the conclusion of his
labors as chairman of the comniitteo of citizens, he also deter-
mined his official connection with the city by resigning the office of
Mayor. All classes concurred in presenting him with an address
which is too affectionate in its terms to be described as complimen-
tary merely. It was accompanied with a handsome presentation
of plate, the inscription on which we are permitted to extract :

PR ES EXT ED

TO TIIK HONORABLE

RENE EDOUARD CARON,

SPEAKER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COLXCIL
OF CANADA;

BY HIS FELLOW CHIZENS OF BOTH ORIGINS,

AS A TOKEN

OF THEIR IIIfiH PEUSOXAL ESTEEM

A:,D Al'PUODATION, AS WELL AS OP THE UNIFORM

SUAVITY AND BENEVOLENCE WHICH HAVE

MARKED HIS INTERCOURSE WITH

SOCIETY, AS OF HIS PUBLIC

CONDUCT AND ZEAL IN THE

DISCHARGE OF

HIS OFFICIAL DUTIES

WHILE MAYOR OP TUB

CITY OF QUEBEC,

DURING A PERIOD OF- «

TEN YEARS.

WY"'f^.-^T^7'

318

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

'i.

■■^. :;'':i

In 1841 Mr. Caron took his scat in the Legislative Council of the
United Province. His is the first French Canadian name on the mem-
bers' roll of that honorable house. In] 843, when the important ques-
tion was discussed of selecting a place for the permanent Seat of Gov-
ernment for Canada, twelve Legislative Councillors, including the
Speaker, marked the fact of their defeat by an act of petulance, and
a strong protest, supplementing both by retiring in a body from the
House. The transaction wore a dramatic appearance at the time,
and, as a kind of state pantomime, it was not without merit. Whether
it was as conspicuous for senatorial wisdom as it was for picturesque
effect, are questions which need not be discussed here. It is
satisfactory to know that the members who deserted in a brigade
returned to their duties in single files, and it is consoling to bcheve
that they were not reproached for their astonishing eccentricity.
The peculiar transaction was at the time exceedingly inconvenient,
for it brought legislation to a close, as the recusant members included
not only half of the actual body of the House, but the whole of its
official head. His Excellency Lord Metcalfe was immediately obliged
to take measures to repair the loss of the latter by appointing a new
Speaker. The difficulty of doing so was increased by the circum-
stance that the misunderstandmg had then commenced which led
shortly afterwards to the resignation of Mr. Sullivan's adminis-
tration. His Excellency therefore took measures of his own to
mend matters in the Legislative Council, by requesting the vener-
able Mr. John Neilson, of Quebec, to accept the vacant office of
Speaker. The proffered honor was, for reasons with which we are
unacquainted, declined by that gentleman. Then the Governor
General sent for Mr. Caron, and stated frankly the difficulty in
which he found himself, and asked that gentleman to fulfil the duties
of the office until the end of the session, when other arrangements
would be made. With every disposition to assist His Excellency,
(Mr. Caron, for reasont which he considered sufficient, did not feel at
liberty to accept the temporary duty ; but, at the request of Lord

^!-

HON. RKNE EDOUAUD CARON.

319

Mctcalfo, ho deferred till the following morning returning a final
answer. In the meanwhile Mr. Cai n and Mr. Neilson, who were
old and fast friends, met, and on comparing notes, discovered an
important variance in the Governor's offers. The ofhce was oftbred
to Mr. Neilson unaccompanied by any limitation. To Mr. Caron,
it was offered only for a specified period. The latter very naturally
regai-ded the difference in the two proposals with great disfavor,
not on account of the pecuniary advantages of the post, for at that
time no salary was attached to the office; but he fancied the
distinction included in some way a slight to him, and, through him,
to his origin. On the following day, therefore, accompanied by
Mr. Neilson, Mr. Caron waited on the Governor General, when
His Excellency frankly explained that the distinction was attribu-
table to the fact, that, as the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
was a gentleman of French origin, it would he thought appear
fairer if the Speaker of the Legislative Council were a gentleman
of British origin ; but His Excellency added that he would gladly
waive such objection, if by doing so he could secure the services of
the subject of our sketch. Mr. Caron thereupon signified his
wiUingness to accept the office. The conversation is noteworthy,
because it showed, on the part of Mr. Caron, a statesmanlike wish
to maintain, for all the purposes of Government, the absolute unity
of the Province. The incipient sectionalism which found expression
in Lord Metcalfe's benevolent intentions, and which since then has
been more fully developed under the action of Sir Louis Lafontaine's
policy, received no countenance at that time from Mr. Caron.
Before the close of that session the threatened rupture between
Lord Metcalfe and his advisers actually took place, and those
embarrassments commenced, which continued, with more or less
aggravation, to the close of His Excellency's rule in Canada. On
the formation of Mr. Daly's Government, which included Mr. Vigor
and Mr. Draper, Lord Metcalfe sent for Mr. Caron, and invited him
to accept office, with a seat in the Executive Council. Mr. Caron,

320

HON. IlKNI-; EDOUAUD CAUON.

iliii

ill (lecrurni<^ tlio lionor, reminded His Excellency that Mr. Vi;^er was
now a very a^^ed man, who was more rcapected for his past, than relied
on for his present services to the liberal party of LowerCanada ; that
in joining such a Government, ho (Mr. Caron) wonld not only fail
to win support, but he would lose any influence ho now possessed
Avith his countrymen; and he added that any French Canadian
who imitated Mr. Vigor's mistake, would only share in his disap-
pointment. Before leaving Kingston for Quebec, Mr. Caron waited
on Lord Metcalfe to take leave. On that occasion His Excellency
spoke kindly, and without reserve, on manysu1)jects of public interest.
AVhen shaking hands, he said, " Mr. Caron, I wish you to watch my
government, and to follow my career ; you will not find that I shall
do injustice or wrong to your countrymen."

It was, however, difficult to rule with a ministry of three members
only, and none knew better than those gentlemen that if they would
succeed in governing the country, they must increase as well as
strengthen the administration. On the 10th of March, 1844, by
command of His Excellency the Governor General, Mr. Vigor was
directed to invite the subject of our sketch to accept the office of
Attorney General for Lower Canada, adding, in the event of his
doing so, that it Avould be necessary for him to secure a scat in the
Legislative Assembly ; the offer was supplemented with the condition
that, should the necessity arise, a way of retreat to the Legislative
Council should be kept open. Mr. Caron, however, had no greater
reason then than he had five months before, to take an encoura^iino:
view of the Ministerial i)ro3pects. He therefore expressed graceful
regret at his inability to share Mr. Vigor's hopes, and added a
polite apology for declining to participate in Mr. Vigor's responsi-
bility.

In September, 1844, the Government was strengthened by the
accession of three members in the persons of the Honorable Messrs.
AVm. Morris, D. B. Paianeau, and James Smith. New elections t jok
place immediately afterwards, which gave the Ministry a small ma-

llOiV. RKNI'l UDOUARD CAUON.

321

liat Mr. Vi;,^oi- was
is past, than relied
)werCana(la ; tliat
oiild not only tail

10 now possessed
[*'rencli Canadian
larc in liis disap-
Mr. Caron waited

11 Ilis Excellency
of public interest,
you to watch my
' find that I shall

)f three members

liat if they would

reaso as well as

larch, 1844, by

, Mr. Vigor was

3pt the office of

lie event of his

•c a scat in the

th the condition

the Legislative

had no greater

an encoura^'in'i

•esscd graceful

, and added a

;or's responsi-

thencd by the

orable Messrs.

elections t jok

rj a small ma-

jority in the House of Assembly, and enabled them, with some diffi-
culty, to get through a Session. Parliament was prorogued on the
20th March, 1845. It was, however, apparent to the administration,
that the country was not being satisfactorily governed, and that it
■was absolutely necessary to obtain increased support in Lower
Canada. The "Quebec party" was therefore again thought of,
ami the Ilcmorable Mr. Draper, instead of Mr. Vigcr, was invested
with the duty of negociating with Mr. Caron. This nogociation
was carried on by letters, intended to be confidential, between
Messieurs Draper and Caron. In the course of its progress other
persons became parties to the correspondence, till at length it i)assed
in some not easily ex})laincd "way, without the consent of the
prhicipals, into the possession of Parliament. As a collection of
state papers, the letters will at this day amj)ly repay perusal. The
point from which Mr. Caron seemed to start, though subse([»iently
modified in deference to the expressed oiiinions of Sir Louis
Lafontuinc, may, after all, have been the more statesmanlike one.
At all events the experiment of substituting the princij)lo of duality
for the principle of unity in the Government of the Province has
not satisfactorily stood the test of experience. Mr. Caron, as he
had done on a previous occasion, seemed naturally to assume that
a united Province with but one Parliament should possess Ijut one
Government. Sir Louis Lafontaine, on the contrary, a}>peared to
think that a Province which iiad been united for the purposes of
Legislation, should be divided for tlio purposes of Government, and
though a wiser plan may have been prueticablo, his view, it
must be confessed, was supported by arguments not deficient
in plausibility. The experiment has, however, been tried, and
with but indifferent success. One half of the recommendation, the
" double majority," has been abandoned as unserviceable ; and evils
which -vere not provided against, have so seriously depreciated the
value Ox the other half, that statesmen are obliged to look abroad
for remedies which they are unable to discover at home. The dual

^■^^s"pi^|| *m ■ "^1 1 l i ^i* t i«« T * MM^ . ->

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822

HON. RKn6 EDOUAIU) CAllON.

1^1

■'I

plan involved a conventional if not a stututorj rc-division of the
Province according to ita former boundaries; but the separated
part.s, being u!iO(iual in population and territory, the measure has
resulted as it was calculated to result, in a revival of enmities ; in
hostility instead of harmony ; in sectional discontent instead of
general tranriuiUity. Had no such division been insisted upon, had
unity instead of separation been provided for, it may be (piestioned
whether an Upper and Lower Canada representation cry would
have been raised. By creating two sections, their respective popu-
lations Avero provoked to compare those sections, and the comparison
being followed by the discovery of important inequalities, a cry for
adjustment inevitably followed. Thus, the creation of sections for
political pur[)03e8 led to the comparison of sections by persons
interested in those purposes, — the comparison, to the discovery of
inequalities, and the inequalities to the passionate cry for redress
and adjustment.

The Draper-Caron correspondence was productive of no advan-
tage. It was, we suppose, intended to be beneficial, th ';h it
seemed to lack heartiness and sincerity, as if ino writer not

thoroughly trust one another. As between Mr. Caron and Sir Louis
Lafontaine, it is probable that Mr. Draper failing to win both, would
have been happy to accept cither ; he was not apparently embar-
rassed by any passionate preference. The whole affair suddenly
collapsed, and the only result was to intensify the political atmos-
phere, and aggravate the quarrel between a weak government
and a powerful opposition.

Mr. Caron however still filled the office of Speaker of the
Legislative Council. His intermediate political position enabled
him to retain the confidence of his own party, and to be persistently
courted by the opposite one. The Government in the meanwhile
continued to live, but their existence was a very precarious one. The
reasons which induced Mr. Draper, in 1845, to open a correspon-
dence with Mr. Caron prompted Mr. Cay ley, in 1847, to repeat the

P|r

HON. RI^;n15 EDOIIARD CARON.

828

rt-division of tho
it tho separated
tho meastiro lias
of enmities ; in
iitcTit instead of
iSisted upon, liad
ly bo (questioned
ation cry Avould
respective popu-
:l tho comparison
lalities, a cry for
11 of sections for
ions by persons
tho discovery of
) cry for redress

vo of no advan-
ficial, til 'i;h it
3 writer not

•on and Sir Louis
> win both, would
jparently embar-
j affair suddenly
J political atmos-
eak government

Speaker of the
position enabled
to be persistently
n the meanwhile
earious one. The
)en a correspon-
■47, to repeat the

effort. Tho " Cayley-Caron " correspondence was followed by no
better result to the country than tho one which preceded it. It
ended differently however to one of tho parties. Tho position of
moderator, which Mr. Caron had theretofore filled, was no lon;^er to
bo enjoyed by him. Since they could not win him, tho Govern-
ment of the day determined that they would lose him ; as he was
not for them, they decreed that ho should be a;];ainst tlioin. On the
18th May, 1847, Mr. Daly, by command, was instructed to inform
Mr. Caron that the office of Speaker of the Le^^islativo Council was
in future to be a political one, and " that therefore His Excellency
had found it necessary to direct the revocation of his coniiiiission as
Speaker of tho Lo;^islative Council." This act, while it did not
8tren;L5then the Government, had the effect of increasin;^ the cohe-
sion and consequently the force of the opposition.

Seven changes were made in tlie component parts of tho
Executive Council during tho year 1847. ^leinbers were added,
and members were withdrawn, iind certainly if a rapid series of
stimulating experiments could i)romote longevity, that anxious and
much perplexed administration ought to have arrived at a good old
age. Moreover it had faith in itself and in its recuperative powers ;
but this fiiith, though boldly professed was not justified by tlie result.
To be sure it was lively, but then it was dwarfed and shrivelled and
confined only to the cabinet ; it was not shared by the country.
Ministers did not however appear to lose heart, they very pluckily
determined to go to the country, and to this end they advised His
Excellency the Earl of Elgin to dissolve Parliament. The result
of the elections led to the mortifying discovery, that they were in
a hopeless minority. They met Parliament on the 25th February
1848, and on the 10th March, following resigned their offices. Sir
Louis Lafontaino was then charged with the duty of forming an
administration which included, among other arrangements, the
appointment of Mr C.iron, as a member of the administration,
and his restoration to the position of Speaker of the Legislative

iiiBtiiwnn

.«

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324

HON. RENE EDOUARD CARON.

Council ; a position for which he was eminently qualified by patient
study, by previous experience, as well as by the tact and temper
which had governed his presidency, and the grace and courtesy which
appear to be inseparable from every act of his life. This office
he continued to fill until 1853, when he was appointed Judge of the
Superior Court and afterwards of the Court of Queen's Bench. In
1859, h" was chosen as one of the commissioners for codifying the
Laws of Lower Canada, the important duties of which highly re-
sponsible situation he still continues to discharge.

With the determination of those duties it is probable that he will
resume his old place in the Queen's Bench, and the public and
the profession will thus again enjoy the advantage of his pre-
sence in a court in which he is said to preside with great address
and efficiency. One regret must associate itself v.'ith our reflec-
tions on Mr. Caron's public career. As Speaker of the Legislative
Council, he studied patiently and with profound respect for English
authority, the somewhat intricate principles of parliamentary law
and practice. Constitutional usage with him possessed the force
of law. He knew how much the principles of public liberty were
to be ascribed to the forms in which they were clothed and to
the conditions by which they were governed. The necessities of
his office obliged him to study those forms and those conditions, and
the clear quality of his mind inclined him to respect them. Should
the future constitution of the Legislative Council include the nomi-
nation of judges as ez-offieio members, the public will probably indulge
the hope that the subject of our sketch will not decline to give to
that Council the advantage of his great experience and wise example.

■i^ 111
M ' n

II ii

ii^

qualified by patient
10 tact and temper
B and courtesy which
lis lite. This office
lointed Judge of the
Queen's Bench. In
rs for codifying the
of which highly re-

robable that he will
ind the public and
mtage of his pre-
with great address
elf with our reflec-
r of the Legislative
respect for English
parliamentary law
ossessed the force
public liberty were
re clothed and to
The necessities of
ose conditions, and
ect them. Should
1 include the nomi-
ill probably indulge
b decline to give to
! and wise example.

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LIEUTENANT COLONEL IRVINE,

PROVINCIAL AIDE-DE-CAMP.

"A man he seems of cheerful yesterdays,
And confident to-morrows."

If there be a class of mankind addicted to dreary thoughts and
maudlin imaginings, to whom the notes of joy are distraction, and
the mutterings of discontent a charm, who seek for sympathy in
tears, and for happiness in groans, no one of that inconsolable
tribe could have been present to the mind of Wordsworth when he
wrote the lines which preface our sketch. If, however, there be
any such individual of the Canadian type, who, from physical
infirmity or intellectual derangement, is disposed to dwell in a
moral fog, to whom cheerfulness is crime, and mirthfulness rank
lunacy ; who, from a sense of duty walks on the shady side of
the hedge, or from a feeling of despondency looks at the dark side
of the clouds, it may be for his health to make the acquaintance of
the bright and sunny character, whose familiar features have been
limned by the sun on the opposite page.

Of course it may be objected that a dismal aide-de-camp would
be as much out of place as a cheerful mate ; that staff officers are

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■ 1

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32G

LIEUT. COL. IRVINE.

expected, at least in the drawing room, to bo as bright as their
uniforms ; for in their lighter and least important duties they
are official contrivances, especially adapted to abate care and diffuse
joy. In the ordinary sense, such opinions may be correct. Staff
officers, with ill-defined general duties, may nevertheless be said to
have well-defined special ones. On occasions of state and ceremony,
at balls and festivals, they arc burdened with certain cares. It is
charming to observe with what unselfish heroism a well educated
staff officer will sink his preferences, and almost sacrifice himself,
to give zest to the entertainnxnt of the official on whose staff ho
happens to be. It is edifying to note with what well dissembled
pleasure he dances with the awkward girl, and waltzes with the
plain one ; with what easy, high-bred address he makes the neglected
girl feel that for the moment she is envied, or the shy one forget
her shyness. He is perfectly aware that the success of a ball
depends on the active movement of what may commonly be
regarded as its immovable parts, and that, this heavy difficulty
being provided for, the festive gathering will, as a matter of course,
go off with applause and be remembered as a triumph. These,
and such as these, may be among the social obligations of the
younger staff officers, still they are not matters of indifference
to more experienced persons. Official entertainments are, it is
to be feared, generally given as matters of duty, and perhaps also
as a means of popularity. They should, therefore, be so given and
so managed as to re-act gracefully on those who give them. Such
desirable results will very much depend not only on the graciousness
of the host and hostess, but on the knowledge and address of the
staff in attendance on the occasion.

In this, as in some other matters, the greater includes the less.
The higher duties of the Provincial aide-de- imp include the less
responsible ones of the youngest member o( ;he staff. Still it is
not because Colonel Irvine, with cheerful condescension, makes him-
self useful at a drawing room, that his office and its responsibilities are

i -%

bright as their
nt duties they
care and diffuse

correct. Staff
eless be said to

and ceremony,
n cares. It is
. well educated
acrifice himself,

whoso staff he
well dissembled
^altzes with the
es the neglected

shy one forget
ccess of a ball

commonly be
leavy difficulty
atter of course,
umph. These,
igations of the

of indifference
lents are, it is
id perhaps also
)e so given and

e them. Such

le graciousness

address of the

eludes the less,
nclude the less
aff Still it is
on, makes him-
3onsibilities are

LIEUT. COL. IRVINE.

327

not of serious concern to the Province. In truth, it is alike difficult to
define as it is to exaggerate the importance of those duties. It
is not easy to parry a sneer, and it is impossible to gauge a slight.
History informs us of the baneful influence of the former, and of
the fatal consequences of the latter: and it is, we believe, con-
sidered to be the especial province and duty of the Provincial Lord
Chamberlain to exert his high official influences to prevent a recur-
rence of evils which, however remotely, might tend to an uncom-
fortable repetition of history.

Socially, the Provincial aide-de-camp is in Canada the channel
of communication between the crown and the subject. Though
not the Lord Steward, he is, in a Provincial sense, the chief
officer of the vice-regal household, the Provincial prime coun-
sellor and confidential adviser of Ilis Excellency the Governor
General in matters connected with the grace and benevolence of the
crown. His suggestions arc supposed to give inclination to the
hospitalities of the court. His thought and experience should,
therefore, be so wisely exerted that none are neglected whom it is
customary to honor; that none are slighted whom it is usual to
remember. Again the Provincial aide-de-camp is the duly
accredited intermediary between the representative of the sove-
reign and the Queen's subjects in the colony. No matter how
extensive may be the personal staff of the Governor General, it is
the especial duty of the Provincial aide-de-camp to present persons
desiring to be introduced and to a certain extent he is responsible
for the propriety of such presentations. On more important occasions
he is expected to possess the tact of a diplomatist and the address of a
courtier. He is required to be acquainted with the flexible
qualities of both languages, to possess a graceful aptitude for
decorous writing ; for, like an expert lapidary, he is supposed to
know in what manner to put a polished interpretation on an
unpolished instruction ; how to say a disagreeable thing agreeably,
a rough thing smoothly, a stingy thing gently. Indeed the

■^"T"

r\ '■'

•'■4.

I' '-K

328

LIEUT. COL. IRVINE.

uninitiated may well bo excused if they can better admire than
understand the process through which the curt notes of a com-
manding officer are filtered and clarified, and made fit for repro-
duction and service in some one or more of the many kinds of state
sentences which are especially familiar to the experience of the
staff.

If, for example, Colonel Irvine, like charming old Pepys, jots
down his experiences, may we not forestall time, and, in a weak
way illustrate our meaning by tearing an imaginary leaf from

•r '

1 '^ '^

L^^ _^ 1

THE PROVINCIAL AIDE-DE-CAMP'S DIAllY.

" "Wednesday. — In waiting to-day, Lacklatifl and Poyntz came in for a gossip.
Mr. Mucilaginou.s Burr called, and requested a further interview on his theory of
applying pneumatics to Legislation. I entered the cloth doors, and informed His
Excellency. "Whereupon the Governor General being moved to temper, said,

in tones of much anger, 'Mr. Ikirr he blessed.' (My evil mind misgave

me, I fear it was another word that rushed to the tip of the vice-regal
tongue ; but I was pleased to note that His Excellency had the grace to stifle it
with his lips.) 'Pray, get rid of the adhesive creature,' quoth His Excellency,
' tell him to go to Anticosti and apply pneumatics to himself I drive at two.'
On returning to tho waiting room, I informed Mr. Burr, that the Governor
General was urgently engaged and could not see him then, but, I added cheer-
fully, ' Ilis Excellency is moved by your zeal, for he has directed rao to
recommend you to pay tho fine day a compliment by going somewhere to take tho
air. His Excellency will do the same, he drives at two.' Mr. Burr was touched
and grateful, and retired in a charitable frame of mind. Lackland and Poyntz
who heard my rendering, laughed heartily when I told them exactly the direction
I had received."

It is true that Colonel Irvine was not educated for the duties
which he has displayed such tact in discharging. On the contrary,
it is probable that his father, the Honorable James Irvine, who,
for upwards of forty years, was a leading merchant of Quebec, a
member of the Legislative Council, and President of the Board of
Audit, may have wished his son to continue the career of honorable
commerce in which he had so well succeeded. Be this as it may,
the subject of our sketch was at an early period of life animated

LIEUT. COL. IRVINE.

820

■with the martial spirit so common to the youth of Canada, whicli
inclined him as it has done many besides, to cultivate military tastes,
and indulge in military studies. Having, as a militia officer, learnt
something of a soldier's duties, the Colonel found no difficulty,
when the troubles occurred in 18.^7, in raising a company of Volun-
teers. This, "svith other companies, were formed in a bjittalion,
under the command of Colonel Baird of the GGth Regiment. In
1888, at the desire of Lieut. General, Lord Seaton, Colonel Irvine
raised a regiment of one thousand strong for active service in
Canada. The duty was accomi)lished with such alacrity, that
within ten days after he had received the order, the rcgimeut was
reported to be, and was ready for garrison service. It was disbanded
in 1840, on which occasion Colonel Irvine was highly and
deservedly complimented in district orders by Major General,
Sir James McDonnell, and in general orders by Lieut. General,
Lord Seaton. In the same year he was appointed Dcjiuty
Quarter Master General of Militia. It was not however at this
time that Colonel Irvine received his first staflF appointment, i\n' in
the year 1837, he acted as extra aide-de-camp to His Excellency
the Earl of Gosford. Three years afterwards he Avas officially
appointed extra Provincial aide-de-camp, and in 1850 he was
gazetted as ful! P'v^ /incial aide-de-camp. Being thus brought into
contact with the different nol)lemen and gentlemen who have
successfully governed, or administered the Government of Caniida,
the subject of our sketch has we believe had the great good fortune
to be appreciated and trusted by them all. In truth, it could scarcely
be ov,iicr»vise, for the Colonel appears to combine in his ])crson
qualities that do not always meet in the same character. He is a
cheerful and a genial man, and yet a discreet and a guarded one.
He is fond of soc'iety, delights in its innocent amusements, and enjoys
with a pure relish the charms of social intercourse. And yet it is
to be observed that he is as prudent as he is popular. People will
learn nothing from him which he ought not to communicate. The

F , r

380

LIEUT. COL. IllVINE.

ties of honor anil cotifiilcncc, by which ho is bound to all Governors
and to all Governments are held to bo inviolable, jind they arc
therefore always guarded with religious respect.

In 1800, Colonel Irvine was appointed to attend His Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales, on his official tour through Canada.
The duties on that occasion were necessarily arduous as well
as varied, but they were discharged in such a way as to win the
approval of the Prince, who was pleased to express his high sense of
those services. Among Colonel Irvine's many qualifications, there is
one which should not be lost sight of. It is a royal, and at the same
time an invaluable gift to one whoso duties include the obligation
of accurately remembering persons ; he appears never to forget
a face, and he is rarely at fault in recalling a name. In fact
official forgctfulness is not an infirmity of his ; he remembers
things as well as persons. The practical military knowledge, for
example, which he acquired in 1840, had not escaped him in 18G0.
The proper authorities appear to have been so avcU impressed with
this truth, that they selected Colonel Irvine for the temporary duty
which the case required, by appointing him acting Adjutant General
of Militia, in attendance during the tour of the Prince of Wales.
The Volunteers in different parts of the Province were, we believe,
well pleased at the manner in which their organization was turned
to account by the acting Adjutant General, and we have been
informed that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, as well as
His Excellency the Governor General, expressed unreserved satis-
faction at the successful way in which Colonel Irvine had carried out
the duties of his appointment.

f 4 ^' ^ '

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to all Governors
c, fkud they arc

ttcnd Ilia Royal
through Canada,
irduous as well
ay as to win the

I his high sense of
fications, there is
1, and at the same
ie the obligation

never to forget
, name. In fact
; he remembers
y knowledge, for
pcd him in 18G0.

II impressed with
e temporary duty
Adjutant General
Prince of Wales.
were, we believe,
sation was turned
id we have been
Wales, as well as
unreserved satis-
e had carried out

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THE

HONORABLE THOMAS TALBOT,

FOUNDER Off THE TALBOT BETTLEMENT, UPPER t'A:NADA,

It wa» in the royal days of the more recent history of the
Emerald Isle, after freedom was conceded, and before restraints
were imposed, when her Parliament was supreme, and legislation
and cojH'iviality, wisdom and passion, clor^uencc and eccentricity,
held their carnival on college green ; Avhen the Lord Lieutenant
was ex-officio and for the time being almost a regal personage, when
the Castle was a court, and Dublin a city of national and political as
well as of collegiate and commercial importance. It Avas in those
halcyon days of fiction, those miserable ones of experience, that two
young men of noble Irish birth, of considerable class influence and
great military promise, were attached to the Staff of the Lord
Lieutenant. In their persons they were young enough to be loved,
and in their position they were exalted enough to bo envied, while
their prospects were bright enough to form subjects of valuable
speculation to mercenary men and manoeuvring women. They
were precisely those darlings of fortune around whom many
thoughts fluttered. Fathers had opinions with respect to them
which they kept to themselves. Mothers had hopes v. liich they
were less able to conceal ; and daughters, too, being neither devoid
of reason nor deficient in fancy, found their happiness accelerated by
the discovery that the reflections in their mirrors agreed with the
reflections of their minds, and added strength to the inclination of
their hearts to " doat on the Staff"."

The first of those favored youths was Arthur Wellesley, aged
nineteen, a younger son of Lord Mormngton ; and the second was

■/i :

■^

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

• ■ : !

Thomas Talbot, aged seventeen, a scion of the noble family of the
Talbots of ^Nlalahide, in the County of Dublin. Though a younger
man, the latter at that time Avas the senior officer. Ho received
his commission of ensign at the early age of eleven years, and,
when a little over t\Yenty-four, he commanded as Lieut. Colonel
the fifth regiment of the line. Arthur WcUcsley did not attain
to similar rank until a period somewhat later ; for it was not till
1704, when he Avas twenty-five years of age, that he was, as Lieut.
Culoncl, preferred to the command of the thirty-third Regiment.
Historically and by descent young Talbot came of a martial race ;
for the Irish branch of that great family derive from a common
stock with the illustrious English house whose representative now
enjoys the premier Earldom of Shrewsbury ; and consequently
they blend with their line directly or collaterally the blood of that
great Captain of the feudal age ; perhaps the greatest Captain
of that age ; by means of whose terrible name the matrons of
France were said to menace their refractory children to rest.
The Countess of Auvergne, in Shakespeare's play of Henry VI,
is represented as saying,

"What! isthisthoiiKiu?

I.s tliis the scourge of rrunce ?
Is this the Talbot, so much fear'd abroad,
That with his name the mothers still ';heir babes ? "

There was, too, another ancestor of the subject of our sketch who
is referred to in less complimentary terms. He was the " lying
Dick Talbot " of Macaulay's history, who, during the reign of James
the second, was Duke of Tyrconnel. This title died in his failure
to render Ireland independent of the British Crown.

It might be instructive to trace the careers of the two Staff
officers of 1788. Their course, commencing at the same point, was
strangely dissimilar, and their ends widely different. In their
separation each went opposite ways ; and when they last met, after
sixty years, the notes of their contrary lives, if they compared them,
must have suggested very diffei?nt and very dissimilar reflections.

;i M

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

Qf>0
O'JO

From 1790 to 1794 the life of Arthur Wellcslcy is chiefly
marked by exchanges and promotions from one corps to another,
the usual struggles and contrivances of men -who, possessing
the means, are not unwilling to purchase preferment. At
length he arrived at the command of the thirty-third re<>imont
a regiment with which his name is, and will he evermore united
in fame. After leaving the staff of the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland, being then only a subaltern, Mr. Talbot joined the twenty-
fourth regiment, then stationed at Quebec. Li 1793 lie obtained
his company, and his majority. Previously, in 1701, he was
attached to the staff as private and confidential secretary of the
first Governor of Upper Canada, Lieut. General Siracoe. In 1799 lie
returned to Europe where the two staff officers of 1788-90, Arthur
AVellesley and Thomas Talbot, if they met, may have congratulatev''
each other on attaining the command of a regiment. Those yomi"
officers with their regiments were in tlie year last mentioned ordered
abroad. They served under the Duke of York in the uufurtunute
campaign in Flanders. Each had therefore the opportunity of
acquiring in the school of adversity his earliest lessons in the art of
war. But those lessons were not apphed alike. The thoughts of
one, in obedience to the law of duty were, we may oonjcctnre,
addressed to the consideration of the manner in which victory
may be wrung from disaster, triumph from misfortune, and glory
from disgrace. The thoughts of the other, in obedience to the law
of taste, eluded die contemplation of such subjects, and meditated
on other and far different themes. If we would follov; the career
of til former, we must turn over the pages of history and march
in the ^rack of human civilization and national persistency. We
must read it on the coral strands of India, in the sack of Seringa-
patam, and in the victory of Assaye. We must read it in the
agony of Europe, in the heroism of Portugal, in the desolation of
Spain. We must read it, written in blood, by the rivers, fortresses,
and hill sides of the Peninsula. We must read it from that tlirob-

■f.

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834

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

' «■■.

i ■ V

bing point of time when Lieutenant General Sir Arthur Wellesley,
cahn and self-possessed, unfurled the battle flag of his country on
the banks of the Tagus ; till that other time when, rapturous with
victory, he bore it in triumph on the bosom of the Seine. We must
read it in his subsequent career of earnest continuous self-deny-
ing duty, in those paths of peace and usefulness which ceased not
until his mortal remains, honored, wept and lamented, were placed
side by side with the precious dust of Nelson ; where the victors on
both elements, in their shrouds of glory, " with all their country's
honors crown'd," sleep peacefully together in the tomb which a
grateful nation has set apart for their rest.

The lessons acquired by Colonel Talbot in the school of adversity
appeared to leave a very different impression, and were certainly
turned to very different account to those above referred to. The
science of war apparently possessed no attraction to him, and it
ceased to be a study. The arts of peace and the occupations of peace
increased in favor as the fascination of arras declined. The adven-
turous spirit remained, but the field for its display was not such as
the Netherlands had presented to his experience, or such as a state
of war, and of reverses consequent on war, recalled to his memory.
The weapons of the camp were sheathed or exchanged for the
implements of the farm. A career which had been commenced in
civilization, and was carried on amidst the whirl of human passion,
was felt to be unsatisfactory. With the impetuosity of youth, acting
under the guidance of a strong will. Colonel Talbot determined to
abandon what he seemed not to care for, and to seek amidst the
wilds of nature, and the unbroken solitude of a new world, for a more
attractive and congenial way of life. The charm of the Canadian
climate, and the simple habits of the Canadian race, were remem-
bered by one to whom civilization had probably become Aveariness,
and to whom the prizes which success confers had lost their attraction.
The state of the times and the state of his thoughts seemed to
harmonize ; for at this particular period the Treaty of Amiens was

> I

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

335

ratified, and consequently there flashed before the muuls of some a
vision, illusive and of short duration as it turned out to be of
European tranquillity and universal peace.

Colonel Talbot, having chosen his course, sold his commission. He
then put himself into correspondence mth General Simcoc, on the
subject of returning to and settling in Canada. Thus we find in
the month of February, 1803, the last named officer writing to Lord
Hobart in terms of friendship, on the character and claims of
Colonel Talbot, not only to the usual grant of five thousand acres
of land, which was commonly made to field officers on their settlin"-
in Canada, but, for reasons specially stated, requesting that it should
be supplemented by what was equivalent to a further and a much
more considerable allotment. The nature of the transaction will
be better understood if we make an extract from General Simcoe's
letter.

Somerset Street, Porlman Square,

„ ^ nth Eebriiury, 1803.

My Lord,

In consequence of Mr. Talbot having acquainted me that Mr. Sullivan, on his
presenting a request for a grant of land in the Province of Upper Camida, had
intimated it would be proper 1 should inform your Lordship of Mr. Talbot's
especial services, I took the earliest opportunity of waiting ujion your Lordship,
and in consequence of the interview which I had the honor to hold with you
yesterday, I obey your Lordship's command in detailing Mr. Talbot's views, and
the nature of his claims to the protection of His Majesty's Govcrumont.

Upon my arrival in Canada, to carry the constitution which had been gi anted
to that Colony into effect, ^Ir. Talbot accompanied mo as my private and confiden-
tial secretary into Upper Canada, lie remained in my family four years, when he
was called home as major of the fifth regiment then ordered to Flanders. During
that period he not only conducted many details and important duties incidental
to the original establishment of a Colony, in matters of internal regulation, to my
entire satisfaction, but wa^; employed in the most confidential measures necessary
to preserve that country in peace, without violating, on the one hand, the relations
of amity with the United States ; and on the other, alienating the alfectiou of the
Indian nations, at that period in open war with them.

In this very critical situation, I principally made use of Mr. Talbot for the most
confidential intercourse with the several Indian Tribes; and occasionally with His
Majesty's Minister at Pliiladeli)hia. These duties,without any salary or emolument,
he executed to my perfect satisfaction.

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336

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

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I consider these circumstances, my Lord, as iiuthorizini! mo in gonial terras
to recommend Mr. Talbot to your consideration and protection. Mr. Talbot's
specific application, which I bog leave to support to the utmost of my power, con-
sists of two points. The first is the grant of five thousand acres of land as a tiold
officer, actually and honajide, meaning; to reside in the Province for the purpose
of establishing himself therein. Tlie king's bounty having been extendeil to the
field officers, who had served during the American war, in grants to a similar
extent (exclusive of an allotment of land for every individual which their fiimilies
might consist of), it was judged expedient by myself, Mr. Chief Justice Osgoode,
and other confidential officers of the Crown in that Colony, to extend the provision
of five thousand acres to any field oflicer of character, who, hona Jlde, should
become a settler therein, it being obvious that it was for His Majesty's interest
that a loyal set of European gentlemen should, as speedily as possible, be obtained
to take the lead in the several districts. This principle, my Lord, was acted upon
at the time of my departure from the country, and should I to this moment have
remained in the Government thereof, I could have seen no reason whatever for
departing from it. In consequence, had Mr. Talbot been totally iniknown to me,
except by his character and the high rank he hud borne in the king's service, I
should have thought him a most eligible acquisition to this Province, and "h this
public ground, without hesitation, have granted him 5000 acres on the same
principles that had been laid down and acted upon, — this is the first part of Mr.
Tall)ot's rc(iuest. The second icqpcst of Mr. Talbot is that these 5000 acres may
be granted in the Township of Yarmouth, in the County of Norfolk, on Like Erie,
and that the remainder of that Township maybe reserved for such a period as
may appear advisable to Government, for the purpose of his settling it on the
following specific plan, namely: that 200 acres shall be allotted to liini for every
family he shall establish thereon, fifty acres thereof to be granted to each family in
peri)otuity, and the remaining 150 acres of each lot to become his property for the
expense and trouble of collecting and locating them.

The recommendation of General Simcoe appears to have been
received with favor, for General Hunter, then Lieutenant Governor
of Upper Canada, was instructed to carry it out. Thus Colonel
Talbot became the proprietor of a considerable tract of land in his
own right, and at the same time he received a kind of license of
occupation, with conditions of appropriation, of a territory which was
in fact a principality in extent, for it comprized we have been
informed about twenty-eiglit of the present townships, and embraced
more than half a million acres of land.

As secretary to General Simcoe, Colonel Talbot had accompanied

mo in goiii'ral tenns
ction. Mr. Talbot's
9st of my power, con-
cres of land as a fiold
'ince for the purpose
been extended to the
I grants to a similar
1 which their families
liicf Justice Osj;oode,
extend the provision
^ho, hona J'ule, should
lis Majesty's interest
3 possible, be obtained
Lord, was acted upon
'. to this moment have

reason whatever for
)tally unknown to me,

1 the kinij's service, I
Province, and mm tliis

00 acres on the same
the first part of Mr.
these 5000 acres may
S'^orfolk, on Lake Erie,
d for such a period as
his settliuij it on the
itted to him for every
nted to each family in
ae his property for the

•ears to have been
eutenant Governor
ut. Thus Colonel
tract of hand in his
kind of license of
territory which was
sed we have been
hips, and embraced

>t had accompanied

nON. THOMAS TALBOT.

837

that officer in his tour of inspection through the Province, where he
had probably been sensibly struck with the picturesque .canty of
that portion of tho shores of Lake Eric which is now included in
the counties of Norfolk and Elgin, and where he sul)se(picntlv
endeavoured to found an estate whicli would in Canada support
the hereditary dignity of the Talbots of Malahide.

On the twenty-first of May, 1803, Colonel Tulbot, accompanied by
several men, landed at a place which was then named by him, and is
now designated on the map as Port Talbot. There, at a distance of
sixty miles from all traces of civilization, the adventurous youn"-
officer began tho work of founding the " Talbot Settlement." Tho
project thus commenced was continued with little interruption for
we believe, a period of nearly forty years, and with such success, that
at the present time the population resident on the land comprized
within the original allocation exceeds one hundred and fifty thousand
persons.

The peculiar undertaking was, there can be little doubt, carried
out in a peculiar way. What the instrument may have been
which bound the Home Government to the individual, iiow it was
phrased, where it was lodged, or what its actual value wo cannot
undertake to say. It sufficed to cover the rights which the Colonel
exercised, and to defy the interference which the colonial authorities
did not hesitate to threaten. Surveyor Generals might shake their
heads, Crown Lands Commissioners might remonstrate, and Com-
mittees of the House of Assembly might inquire and report too, but
to no purpose, for the Colonel was 'ndilFerent alike to all. He
attracted settlers in his own way, sold lands in his own way, and
kept registers in his own way. Those ways, it is true, were more
remarkable for originality than for exactness, and were untpiestion-
ably opposed to the laws of order and precision, which are usually
observed in transactions relating to the purchase and transfer of
real estate. They seemed, however, to answer the purpose. No
cumbrous books with elaborate entries and exact folios were

7-S

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338

HON. THOMAS TAL130T.

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needed. Sheet maps alone were made use of, and those were, we
beUevc, prepared by a surveyor of repute who afterwards resided
in the neighbourhood. Those maps appeared to have been ahnost
the only records which the Colonel troubled himself to keep. They
were the history of the locality and the narratives of his land trans-
actions, the registers of the settlement, and if not the title deeds of
the settlers, they were at least the only guarantees the landlord
chose to preserve that title deeds would be issued at later periods.
Thus the maps showed the outlines of each separate lot, and were
legibly indicated by distinct numbers. The minute white space
enclosed within the four lines sufficed for the entry of the transac-
tion. On a bargain being struck between the Colonel and any new
settler, the name of the latter was written in pencil on tlie lot
which he elected to take. The retentive qualities of the Colonel's
memory added depth to the coloring of his crayon, and probably
increased the value of the record. When transfers of property had
to be made, instead of long documents full of words pcrplexingly
repeated, descriiitivc of the land and its boundaries ; the parties
had only to present themselves at Port Talbot and state the nature
of their wisli. If such wish appeared to be honest and fair, and if
the Colonel was in a pleasant frame of mind, and approved of the
transaction, a piece of india-rubber, in addition to the well worn
lead pencil, sufficed for the operation. A was rubbed out with the
end of the former, and B inserted by means of the latter. This
displacement of names was adopted in the interests of the appli-
cants alone ; for il' the Colonel thought that either one or the other
was attempting to drive too hard a bargain, his india-rubber became
immovable, and his old pencil, like a rusty sword, continued to be
obstinately sheathed.

It may be here mentioned that the Colonel's residence, com-
monly called " Castle ]\Ialahide," was neither more nor less than a
group of rough log l)uildings. The main structure was of a very
primitive kind, and consisted of three divisions, viz., a granary.

HON'. TlIOMArt TALliOT.

i)P,^^

which Ava.-i iilso a storo room, lui oilicc, which was also a (liiiiii;^
room, and a kitchen, which was C(jnviMiiently attached to tlic two
forinor. JJcsidcs thi.s central huihhug, there were otliers cou-
tainin,^ hcdrooms, to which, however, it is unnecessary especially to
refer. To prevent hitrusion, the Colonel had one of the \)\\nvn of
glass iu his ollice window removed, and, after tlie maniu'r of a [)ost-
officc, a little door was su1)stitated for the removed [jane. Through
this hole in the window he would talk tt) those who wished to see
him on husiness. Having fully inspected them, and arrived at conclu-
sions of his own, he would determine whether s\ich persons should
or should not he admitted to his more innnediate presence. The
chief functionary of the ostahlishmcnt next to the Colonel appears
to have hecn his faithful and attached servant, Jclfery Hunter, wlio
seems to have discharjged, in addition to the re3[)onsi'»le duties of
house steward ami hutler, the more im[)ortant ones of clerk and
keeper of the maps. Thus placed and thus attended, the Colonel
held his levees, and j^avc audience to all who sou;:5ht him. ]>y way
of exam})le let us pause for a moment by the hole in the window,
and note his manner of doing business.

"What do you want':"' said the Colonel, peering through the
open trap, to an Irishman Avho presented himself for an interview.

" I have a hirge rising family. Colonel, and I have come to see
■whether you couldn't give mc two or three hundred acres of land."

" Not a sod."

" Well, but I Avas thinking. Colonel, if you would grant the land,
I coukl improve the settlement."

" [ dare say you coukl ; but listen. Sir, I have no land for you."

"Ah! well. Colonel," said the politic IrisiiUian, softly and with
a touch of reproach in his tone, " I always heard you were a good
friend to the poor, and — "

" I want none of your blarney ; you can have one hundred acres
in Tilbury West."

" West ! och by this, and by that, but haven't I come far enough

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:]40

JION. THOMAS TAUIOT.

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West nirendy ? may bo y'cr honor could give mo two or tlireo lots
in tlio town of LondDii."

'' Tiu'V :u'o all granted; l)ut .stop, here, .lelVery, hand me the
map."

Whereupon Jeftery spread the ])aper plan of the town hcfore the
Colonel, who, after some time, said to the applieant :

'" Here arc two lots on Simeoe street ; you can have them."

" Siiiu'oe street! and where may that he, in the woods most
likely; now, Colonel," here the tone heeamc coaxing and eompli-
mentarv. •• like yoiuvself I am an old soldier, and always wish to
look my enemy in the face at close (piarters ; coiildn't you give mo
some lots just convanient to the Court House and (jaolV"

Colonel Talhot had little fancy for that sharp, wide awake class
of hybrids. " white oak " Canadians, and '" hickory " Yankees,
and it was therefore no [lart of his plan to encourag(> slips of those
stocks to take root in the Talbc^t territory. ►Such [)ersons otVended
him, because, as he said, " thcv made their fortunes by whittling
chi[)S. " They will," so it was hi., practice to avow, " trade a shingle
for a blind })np, then 'swop' the pup for a goose, and then
change the goose for a ' sheep,' and at length, by a process of
dexterous transmutation the original shingle will become metamor-
phosed into one of the best farms of the Talbot Settlement where
the cunning ncgociator -will, confound him, continue to annisc
himself l>y whittling me."

A fellow of this class, whom we shall call Scrabble, ^vas desirous
of ol)taining some land from the Colonel, but knowing the aversion
of the hitter to the human type represented in his person, he took
comisel of his ingenuity, and thought he could gain by his wit what
he AvouM fail to obtain by his appearance. Meeting with a
newly imported Englishman, fresh from the rural scenes and
clad in rustic attire of the old country, including a low crowned
hat, knee breeches, " highlows," and a smock frock, Scrabble
thouglit the opportunity favorable to gain the weather side of

HON. THOMAS TAIJiOT.

841

so or tlu'co lots

', IkukI 1110 the

own Ix'luro the

tho (.'oloiicl. lioiTowiii;^ the clothcM of the ('oiiiitryman, Scrnhhlo
appoiiri'd at the iiudioiicc window, niid assmniii;r as well jis he
conhl tho pecidiar diah'ct of the West of Ku-land peasantry,
he hifonned tiie Cohnielof \\\a wants. The hitter eyed him an^n-ily
tlir()u-;h tho hole, and tluMi in stentorian tones ealled alond to the
keeper of the maps— " Jell'ery ! Jetlery! set (»n the do^^s ! set on
the do;^s! here's a wolf in sheep's riothin,:.;." «cral>l)le vanished,
and we have little (h)uht whittled ehips and shingles nntil he forgot
the Colonel's indii^nity and his own elia;,n"in. This kind of adven-
ture was no unnsual one, for we learn tliat " JelVery and the do;^s "
Avere not nnlVeipiently called on to eiirh insolence, or chastise
impostors.

lUnstrations mi;^lit 1)e ninlti[ilied, were it necessary to do so, of
the pecnliar way in which (.'olonel Talhot of Malahide dischar"-ed
the duties he had undertaken to perform. There is a stroii" vein
of the ludicrous runnin;^ through those performances. AVe doubt
whether transactions respecting tiie sale and transfer of real estate
were, on any other occasion or in any other place, carried on in
a similar way. Pencil and india-riihber performances were, we
venture to think, never before promoted to such trustworthy dis-
tinction or called on to discliar;5C such responsible duties as those
which they described on the maps of which Jellery and tlie doixs
appeared to be the guardians. There is something irresistibly
amusing in the fact that such an estate, exceeding half a million of
acres, should have been disposed of in such a maimer, with the help
of sucli machinery, and, so far as we are aware, to the satisfaction
of all concerned.

It merely shews that a bad system faithfully worked is better
than a good system basely managed. " Character is the best
security ;" no human contrivance can make up for the want of it.
The Colonel was scrupulously exact in all business transactions,
whether they related cither to money or land. jNIen trusted him,
and were careless of the mode in which he manajicd his trust.

U'2

[ION. TIIOMAH TAMIOT.

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WluMi tlio Coloiic'l i)ljmt('(l his llii;^' stiilVjit Port Tall.nt In IHO:],
it is i'alr t<» ,sii|nii»se that lie had fully comitod the cost of his own
resolve ; and yet there are |iassa;^es in the history of those early
times which arc sii;^i^estive of extreme privation and ji^reat hard-
ship. The nearest flour niill, for example, was situated at a
distance of sixty miles from the settlement ; and it was connected
with it ))y no road. The mill improvised hy the settlers was, wo
incline to think, of the earliest pattern. The stump of a larf^o
tree was selected and hollowed hy heated iron to the shape of a
mortar. In this mortar, hy means of a wooden l)cetlc, the settlers
pounded their wheat into a eoai'so description of meal. In 1S07,
the Colonel huilt a mill in the township of Dunwicli, which, how-
ever, was destroyed hy the Americans in the war of 1S12. It was
not until fourteen years after his arrival that any regular store was
esta])lishcd at the port.

Cohmel Talhot was, of course, the Agamemnon of his locality,
the man of men. His hirth, his wealth, his estate, and his })Osition,
gave him an influence at that time prohahly second to none in
Canada. lie was peculiar in his tastes and eccentric in his
manner of life ; and though nuich moved by impulse he was by no
means deficient in judgment. With warm feelings of his own, he
attached people warmly to him. Always just, ho Avas frccpiently
generous in his transactions with others ; and be appeared to be
quite content if pco})le would only let him have bis own way in bis
own settlement. In bis way be became a kind of idol in the loca-
lity, the pivot of tbeir social system, the centre of all their business,
and the source of all tbeir pleasures. No wonder, therefore, that
the inhabitants resolved to establish a festival in bis honor.
They unanimously determined to mark tbeir sense of the " friendly
patronage and patriarchal care " of Colonel Talbot, by keei)ing the
twenty-first of May, bis birth-day, in each year. This festival
seems to have been observed for about a quarter of a century. One,
however, who appears to remember the first gathering, and who saw

HON. THOMAS TAI,110T

n4'i

nilar store was

tlio liist, has noted soincwlmt sii.lly the cliaii,L,'03 ^vrou,^'llt l.y time
ami ta><tc. Education an.l inipn^vcd nrtMimstaiico.s have, it seems,
siM»ii«'(l the hearty liomesiMin (.f tin; iuslitiiliuu. - (I ivy ;m(l hlue
Htoekiii,:^^," the writer iiiouniriilly remarks, luive '/wcu phiee " to
silks" !i,nd "every variety of laslilon," 'vlnsteiid," tlms the
ehroniider with some pathos :iiid ii i^ood (hid ,,[' disre^^'ard to the
arl^itrary ohli;^ationa of syntax, adds—" Instead of shewinir tiieir
jiartners how to out the fi^Mire of ei;n;ht, erossin-' lum.ls witliout
gh)ves, castinr^ them off to dance ontsi(h', and then insi(h! the
row, (h)\vn the miihUe and hack a^ain, eatehini^ a ;i;l!inee at eaeli
other thron^di a hmg line of hroad slioulders, and all this to the
inspirin.g music of the " Soldiers' Joy," '•(Irci^/s i'ipes," or
"The Triumph;" now they look on witli astonishment at tlie
hihyrinth of (piadrilles and the whirling waltz set to the nuisio of
Straus." " Tiiis is no fancied picture," he tearfully continues, and
contrasthig the old with the new times, he holdly alHnus that the
settlers " were better pleased to see their wives and mothers
smoking a i)ipe than the fashionahlo belle snilling a vinaigrette."
The anniversary, taken all in all, appears to have been a very
hearty and si)irited allair. It counncnced early and with a dinner,
at which loyal toasts were always given, and a speech bv the
Colonel was always made. However genial the speech, or varied
the subject, and the Colonel relished his joke even though it was
occasionally more broad than pointed, the speaker always ended
devoutly, in the same affectionate and reverent words '' (iod
bless you all." After diiuier, the chronicler, whose recollections
have proved very serviceable to us, rising with the scene, informs
us, in the language of a court intelligencer, that " each rustic
youth bowed to the blooming lass whom he selected for his part-
ner," and then, oh rapture ! " the cightsome reel, the coinitry
dance or the cotillion employed the legs, while the arms," lucky
arms, " enjoyed a holiday." The lads amusing themselves ever and
anon, " clipping something in the style of the Spanish fandango"

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344

IIOX. THOMAS TALBOT.

■r:|

(probcablj castanets) " to cliccr up the dance." Tlierc seems
to have been a good deal of fun, and very little formality on
those occasions. Much muscular exertion and very probably a
strong chorus at the close, in ^hieh tlie words " we won't go
home till morning" Avere, avc venture to think, sung with marked
emphasis by the "rustic youth" and "blooming lass," -who, in
the earlier part of the entertainment, with expressions of
expectant, if not of ripe tendeniess, bowed delight to one another
in the "eightsomc reel."

Turning from subjects of a social chra'acter, Ave must not omit to
mention that in the early days of th'^ settlement, before any clergy-
man was stationed in the vicinity, Colonel Talbot deemed it to be
his duty to celebrate Divine Service on Sundays, lie not oidy
read the Church prayers for his own edification, but he invited the
settlers to attend and be edified with him. There was, however,
one feature of the Sunday ceremonies Avhich was original in itself,
mstructive a^^ a lesson, and may be ■worthy of consideration on the
part of those avIio Avish to jiopularizc Divine Service and make it
exhilarating as Avell as attractive. At the time Ave Avrite of, some-
times referred to as the " dry church period," the Colonel's
innovation possessed the dangerous reommendation of being
popular, and in the interests of truth, Ave are constrained to add,
not in tlie least degree objectionable to the mnjority of the Avorshi}>
pers. Service being done, the congregation Avas heartily hivited
to p-'i.rtake of a liipiid re])ast in the shape of Avhiskey and Avater ;
the Colonel being aj)}/arently of the ofyinion that people might
go home hungry, but they should not go home thirsty from Castle
]Malaliide.

Colonel Tal))ot Avas a baclielor. The gentle reader Avill probably
•wonder Avhy, with such exemplary persistency, he should have clung
to a state of social solitude. The S[)eculative reader of the rougher
sex will ponder on the means by Avhich he Avas enabled to escape
the snare of tlie foAvI'T, and at the same time keep his conscience

HON. THOMAS TALIJOT.

345

clear and \m condition " sole." rersons whoso coura,c,'c is equal
to tlieir curiosity sometimes put direct taxini^ (questions, but they
rarely receive encouraging answers. Perhaps the individuul inter-
rogated has no story to tell, perhaps 'tis his '• hiunour " to be
silent, or perhaps he considers it to be consistent with morulity to
exchange deception for impertinence, and return misleading answers
to rude (piestions. All we have to record is that the subject of our
sketch was a bachelor. Whetiier he passed through liie without
scathe or wound, we cannot tell. Perhaps in the CDre of his heart
he had built a shrine, and in tlie shrine had placed a name, the
name of " a maiden fair to see." Perhaps with tlie pas<inn of a
devotee he had hoardcl relics and hi<l them too in out of tlio way
places; perhaps in some glory hole of that (pieer log structure
there may have been a })iece of colorless ribbon faded by time, a
small glove of a forgotten fashion or a crushed flower whieli bloomed
long ago ; could they have found voices, they might have to'd tales
and explained riddles. But if the ribbon, the gluve, or the
flower had existence, they have eluded our knowledge, and are
passed with the miscellaneous sweepings, and other atoms of idolatry,
into the aching void of tlie irrevocable past.

Colonel Talbot had nearly reached the mature age of four score
years, when the desire to visit his native land once more took firm
possession of his mind. At the time, liowever, it was most
ardently cherished, the Colonel appeared to be hopelessly ill. The
new desire, it would seem, appe;n*ed to possess renewing properties,
and acted as an elixir. It was scarcely received into the mind,
when new life animated the body. To the surprise of all, the
patient rallied, and, following the guidance of his will, he journeyed
by easy stages till he reached and then safely crossed the Atlantic.
What Colonel Talbot's reason may have been for making that
voyage, it is idle, and it would be ill-mannered to in(piire. It is,
liowev3r, interesting to know that among the pleasant incidents of
that v-isit, was the circumstance of finding himself an honored i^uest

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340

HON. THOMAS TALBOT.

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at Apslcy House. Wo may well wonder what the two staff officers
of 1788-00 talked about, or how they unravelled the webs of their
different lives from the common point at which they both started
sixty-throe years before. Each in his Avay had done some service
to the state, but one only had become distinguished. Thomas
Talbot of 1788 still bore his honorable but untitled name. Arthur
Wellesley, on the other hand, blazoned by heralds, and luminous
with honors, had become Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington,
and Commander in Chief of Her IMajesty's forces !

Having, as we may suppose, effected all he wished to accomplish
in England, the old Colonel turned his face Avestward once more.
He arrived safely In Canada, and reached, without accident, the
neighbourhood in which he had so long resided. His public career
closed when the Crown conferred a pension on him, and his life
was now rapidly following his career. He died at London, Canada
West, on tlte Gth February, 1853, regretted by many and respected
by all. Few men in their day have exerted a greater influence in
Upper Canada, ami none have sought more kindly or more zealously
to advance the interests of the early settlers than the subject of our
sketch. His friends and neighbours loved and honored him. His
heart was in tlieir fortunes, and his sympathies were coeval Avith
their happiness. He lived for them more than for himself, and the
aim, as well as the pride, of his honorable life were fittingly
expressed in the few engraved words on the memorial tablet of his
oak coflfin. They communicated all that he had to tell of a Hfe of
stru^f^le crowned with success.

THOMAS TALBOT,

FOCNDKIl OF TIIK TAMJOT SETTLEMENT,
DIED (jriJ I-ICBKL'AUY, ISoo.

.ilitl

staff officers
webs of their
f both started
! some service
led. Thomas
ime. Arthur
and luminous
tf WeUington,

to accomplish
d once more,
accident, the
public career
I, and his life
)udon, Canada
and respected
ir influence in
iiore zealously
subject of our
cd him. His

coeval Avith
uself, and the
were fittingly

1 tablet of his
ell of a life of

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CFIAULES JOHN BllYDGES, ESQ.,

MANA(iIN(l OIKKCTOK OK TilK < ;1! AM) TltlNK KAII.WAY COAirANV Ol'

CANADA.

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" The Achreans got to Troy, there's no tlonyiii;,'
All things arc done, as they diil tli;it, liy trying."

Mu. CiiAiiLivS Joiix Brydue.s, the Managing Director of tlie (trand
Trunk Railway Company of Canada, may be regarded not only as
the Grand Voj/er, but as Le plus Grand Voijcr, of the Continent.
The modest title " Managing Director" very inadetjuatcly con-
veys a just idea of Mr. Brydges' duties, although it may express
a tolerably accurate one of his position, lie has to govern as avcU
as to manage, to rule as well as to direct, to exert despotic power as
well iis exerci.se administrative ability. Ilis domain, stretching as it
does across many lines of latitude and longitude, would more con-
veniently be measured by degrees than by miles, and yet it may be
questioned whether the wonderful highway over which it extends,
has by any means reached its natural tcrnniti. Its western point
may ta^) Lake Huron, but it has yet to feel its way, in railroad
fashion, to those wonderful granaries of the West which are
fed by the inexhaustible prairie lands of America. The central
point of its triple })rong can go no further, for it touches the Atlantic
Ocean at Portland; while the third, stretching eastward, has, ibr
a while only, pau.sed at the lliviere du Louj) on the St. Lawrence,
from whence it exhibits a praiseworthy desire to push its tendrils
through the adjoining Provinces, and, regardless alike of obstacle

348

CHARLES JOHN BIIYDGES, E8Q.

[*!)

■■;; ■"(

and (liscoura^cracut, of prejudice and resistance, to connect the Royal
Harbour of Halifax with the inland Avatcrs of Lake Huron ; and thus
establish a solid, in addition to the li(iuid, highway from the ftir West
througli the British possessions to the Atlantic seaboard. Looking
at the length of the line of road which is now subject to, and the
greater length which may at some future day be subject to his
management, wo scarcely exaggerate either his influence or his
office when avo say that AFr. Brydges is not only the Prime Way-
warden of America, but that he is the Prince of Waywardens,
with no superior in the past, and no et^ual in the present history of
public roads.

Lord Macaulay has observed " that, the alphabet and the
printing press alone excepted, those inventions which abridge
distance have done most for the civilization of our species." The
moral influence of railways is at })resent a subject of specu-
lation only. It is not possible to forecast the social, political, or
religious effects of the increasing mtercourse of all tribes, nations,
and tongues ; the probable absorption of the smaller in the greater
states ; the altered manners of their inhabitants ; the loss of provincial
dialects, accompanied, it may be, by the gradual extinction of the
languages of those races, at least, whose literature is comparatively
local, and whose population is numerically small. Without specu-
lating on such subjects, we may be allowed, in passing, to observe
that railways, and indeed joint stock companies generally, have
given rise, if not to a new profession, at least to a new order of men,
of whom our forefathers were almost wholly ignorant. Such i)ersons
appear to be the legitimate offspring of the new order of things. They
come of a sturdy parentage ; for they are the direct issue of science
and commerce, of intellectual enthusiasm and of sagacious thrift. It
is not enough that the Engineer should make the plans and contrive
the means by which a highway, for cxami)le, should be built through
a nuirsh, a tunnel bored through a mountain, or a bridge stretched
across a river. It is necessary that the Manager should extract

CHARLES JOHN liRYIXlKS, ESQ.

840

meet the Royal
urou ; and thus
»m the far West
)ard. Looking
ect to, and the
subject to his
ifluencc or his
10 Prime Way-
f Waywardens,
3sent history of

hahet and the
>Yhich abridge

snecies.

The

)ject of spccu-
ial, political, or
tribes, nations,
f in the greater
OSS of provincial
xtinction of the
s comparatively
Without spccu-
sing, to observe
generally, have
w order of men.
Such persons
of things. They
issue of science
acious thrift. It
ms and contrive
jc built through
)ridge stretched
should extract

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profit from science, and demonstrate that the conceptions of genius
arc consistent with the conditions of trade. The study of the
Engineer is to build the road, the study of the ISIanager is to make
it remunerative ; pnd the latter object is, we incline to think,
more easily attainable when associated Avlth some knowledge of
practical engineering. The selection of the Manager is as important
as the choice of the Engineer ; for the connnereial capabilities of a
railway almost wholly depend on the skill and ability with which
the Manager can economize and regulate the movement of trains ;
and thus extract a maximum of profit from a minimum of outlay,
and probably obtain as much work from one pair of rails as a less able
officer could obtain from two pairs of rails. The want of such experi-
ence has given rise to grave mistakes and serious losses. Therefore
it is that those who control railway companies have learnt by the
discipline of suffering the absolute necessity of educating the class
they have occasion to employ. To this end young men are usually
chosen for such service. Careful note is taken of their fitness,
and, irrespective of all other considerations, they arc generally
appointed to such posts of trust as they may display fitness to fill.
This policy is calculated to add, so far as the employed are concerned,
an incentive to industry by crowning success with distinction. It
enables the comparatively friendless to determine the conditions of
his own career, and as little as possible to be determined by those
conditions. It makes him the master, not the slave of circum-
stances ; the architect of his own, and not the instrument merely
of another's fortunes.

The subject of our sketch may very fairly illustrate our view, for
he may be said to have taken high honors on matriculating for rail-
way service. Mr. Brydges, who is still a young man> for he was born
in February, 1827, was neither indebted to personal nor family influ-
ence for what we may be allowed to call his success in life. It is true
that his family treasures with commendable pride the tradition that
their great ancestor, Sir Simon de Brugge, accompanied " William

1. M

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sno

CirAULES JOHN IMIYIMIKS, ESQ.

tho Pnirliascr," or " William the CoiKjuoror," it matters not ^vlli('ll,
to Kii;:;lan(l, that he f'ou^'ht at llastint^s, and had therelbro a hand in
dof'oiitin.iij as {gallant a K'mrr as ever drew s'.vord for the ^^axon.
Sir Simon, like some modern raiders of less notejiavin;^, as we may
conjecture, a relish for ;^ood f[narters, ajtpears to have appropriated,
or to have had allotted to him, certain (hiinty possessions in the
ancient Kinp;dom of Wessex ; for time out of mind the race, \uidcr
tho name of lirydges, has held land in Dorsetshire. But thou<^h
Mr. Brydges' remote ancestor lived in Dorsetshire, his innne-
diate ones resided near London, ^vherc he -was born. Their
parental care was b\it of brief continuance, for his father died before
ho was two years of ago ; and before six more years had elapsed, liis
state of or[)hanliood was so complete that ho had not a relative of
his own name in the Avorld. Thus early disci[)lined in the school of
self-reliance, it may easily be conjectured that young Brydges made
tho most of his opportimities. He was sent to a i)rivate academy,
where he remained until he attained the age of fifteen years, lie
then obt'.iined service in a merchant's office. A year afterwards,
in 184->, ho was appointed to a junior clerkship in the London and
South-Westcrn Railway Comi)any. Here his Railway experience
commenced. lie fo\uid himself in the opening of an honorable
career, and though it may have been at the outset the reverse of
encouraging, he nevertheless hoped to see, perhaps he then saw,
beyond the mere routine drudgery of subordinate toil, through a
vista smiling and attractive, a time Avhen his name would be honored,
his services sought after, and his fortune assured.

The period was unquestionably favorable to such dreamers. The
visions they saw were not wrought of baseless fabrics. Tlic Rail-
Avay system, Avhich has since grown up with such wonderful ra[)idity,
was then in the early stage of its development. If the subject of
our sketch did not foresee the extraordinary expansion of which it has
proved itself to be capable, or the gigantic proportions which it has
since attained, he at all events discerned enough to justify a policy

CHARLKS JOHN liUYDOKS, ESQ.

851

of persistent exertion, to win wliat he could, and to np|»ly wliat lie
won. Thus for nearly ten years lie remained in tlio service of
tho C()nn)any, i)as.sing in tliat conij)aratively short period throti<rh
all the lo^Yer de;<;rees and dilferent departments of that service,
until he was preferred to the post of Assistant-Secretary. Ilavin;^
arrived at the position of heir apparent to thr hrst (»flic(> in
tho «;ift of tho comi)any, most persons would have found reason
for contentment. Not so with Mr. Bryd^es. Ac(|uired l<now-
ledgo of railway matters represented in his estimation acc\nnulatcd
capital Avhich it was his right, as well as his inclination, to place to
the best account, and invest in the most remunerative manner.
The period of pupila.i^e was past ; the time had an-ivr-d for him to
stamp witli his own name the modern chronicle of railway history ;
to rclin([\iisli all secondary positions, and assert his intellectual
right to a place among the chief men. Thus he who had worked
successfully at home, now looked eagerly abroad ; for in the Kastern
and Western possessions of the British Crown there arose simul-
taneously an ardent desire for railway accommodation, a>id a
corresjuniding demand for experienced railway officials. The
East, in the first instance, attracted the su1)ject of our sketch ;
perhaps it was natural that his eye should be first turned to the
rising, before it was directed towards the setting sun. The
^ladras Railway Company was established, and Mr. ]»rydges
determined to apply for the office of General Manager, lie com-
municated such intention to the Directors of the Company in whose
service he was, and thereupon learned, on the individual and
concurrent testimony of those gentlemen and of the chief officers
of the Company, what indeed he had no previous cause to doubt,
their lUKpnUificd appreciation of his merits, their high regard for
his character, and their unfeigned regret at the prospect of his loss ;
for he wag considered to be an officer of no ordinary merit, and a
friend of no ordinary value.

The post in India eluded him ; it was given to another. A month

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352

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

afterwards his connection with the London and South-Western Rail-
way Company ceased on his appointment to the office of Managing
Director of the Great Western Railway Company of Canada. It was
natural that one possessing the tact, temper, and taste for work,
combined with the equability and gentleness of disposition, the wis-
dom and generosity of character, which appear to be inseparable
from the subject of our sketch, should have won good opinions alike
from his official superiors, and from his official associates. The
former put their sentiments on record on the minutes of the Com-
pany in the following words :

" YORK BOAD STATION. Idth Nov., 1852.

"Mb. Bbydges,—

The Directors desire to express to Mr. Brydges on his q-iitting the service of the
London and South- Western Railway Company, their warm approbation of his
long, faithful, and able services, their regret at his quitting the Company, their hope
that he may be equally successful in rendering efficient services to the Company
by whom he is engaged, together with their belief that he will be equally fortunate
in securing the esteem and good will of all with whom he is connected."

Wishing moreover to supplement their expression of official regret
with a perpetual memento of their heartfelt regard, they adopted
the resolution of which the following is a copy, and presented it to
Mr. Brydges, accompanied with a tea service of silver.

" Mr. A. Beattie moved, and Mr. F. Godson, seconded : " That this Meeting
deeply regrets the loss to the London and South- Western Railway Company and
themselves, of Mr, Brydges' valuable services ; and in order that his associates and
friends may have an opportunity of evincing the sense they entertain of the talent
which he has displayed, and the admirable manner in which he has performed the
onerous duties devolving upon him during the long period he has been in the
service of the London and South- Western Railway Company, and also to mark
their appreciation of his private as well as official worth, propose to present him
witli such a testimonial of their friendship and esteem, as will be valuable to him in
the responsible position he is about to occupy in another country, and be a perpe-
tual memento of the heartfelt regard with which they bid him adieu."

While Mr. Brydges was looking abroad for higher and more respon-
sible employment, the Directors of the London and South- Western
Railway Board appear to have been considering in what way they

cstern Rail-
)f Managing
mda. it was
te for work,
ion, the wis-
inseparablc
pinions alike
3iates. The
of the Com-

Nov., 1852.

le service of the
robation of his
lany, their hope
} the Company
jually fortunate
;ted."

official regret
they adopted
esentcd it to

it this Meeting
y Company and
is associates and
ain of the talent
IS performed the
las been in the
ad also to mark

to present him
luable to him in

and be a perpe-
eu."

more respon-
outh-Western
hat way they

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I
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CHARLES JOHN IJBYDGT'S ESQ.

353

could give him promotion at homo. Between the time of his applica-
tion for service in India, and the announcement of his engagement in
Canada, the Secretary of the London and South- Western Railway had
resigned. The Directors of that (-ompany at once determined to offer
the vacant post to Mr. Brydges ; and so desirous were they to retain
his services, that on learning he had actually engaged himself in
Canada, they sent a deputation of two of their Borrd to the Re-
presentatives in England of the Great Western Railway Company
of Canada, to request that Mr. Brydges might be released from that
engagement.

The sagacious representatives of the latter company saw in
the anxiety of their English rivals to recover the services of
their lost officer nothing but a compliment to their own discern-
ment in securing those services. Therefore those gentlemen,
we have no doubt with the becoming smiles which those who Avin
generally wear, very courteously bowed the deputation through the
proper loopholes of retreat, if not with Avords of polished regret, at
least Asith a pantomime radiant with gratification. Certainly it was
very complimentary to the subject of the conference, and something
to be proud of, that the representatives of two great Railway Com-
panies should have met for official negociation on the (piestion of
acquiring or retaining the services of a gentleman as their chief
officer who was not twenty-six years of age.

The management of large interests appears to foster large
thoughts. Without neglecting themselves, the chief attention of
persons occupied with such interests appears to be to consider in
what way they can most effectually benefit other people. The
object may be to advance the attractions of a locality, to augment
the power of a Company, or to increase the dividends of share-
holders ; or it may be to attract an efficient staff, or to retain
enthusiastic workmen, or to secure contemporary fame. Such
aims to be thoroughly accomplished, mu&t be associated with large-
ness of mind, a kind heart, and an open hand. Two personal qua-

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354

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

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litics at least slioukl bo possessed by him who wouhl successfully
rule largo boilics of men. He must be scrupulously just and habi-
tually generous in his transactions. Large interests and small
minds are ever at issue. With one littleness is incompatible, to
the other greatness is mystery. Both have their uses, however,
and each in its })laco may serve the state. The small mind may
occupy itself with sifting fractions and sorting details. The large
one Avith analyzing princiijles and apportioning issues. The danger
is when ])y any accident the order of safety is reversed, and the
small mind is l)urdened with the great duties. It is probable that
the subject of our sketch, when a very young man, saw clearly that
education, social iniiuence, cultivated taste, self respect, temper-
ance, and prudence were among the (pialifications to be arrived at
and the h.ibits to be observed by those who would succeed in life.
Being in a position to exert a certain amount of personal influence,
he took advantage of it to work for the benefit of those who were
employed inliailway Companies. Thus he was, we believe, mainly
instrumental in establishing a " Friendly Society" for the benefit of
the workmen of the London and South- Western Railway Company,
which still continues to be a popular as well as a flourishing institution.
For the like reason, in 1850, he took an active part, by newspaper
contrilnitions as well as by a pamphlet under his own signature, to
promote the formation of a Superannuation Fund for railway clerks
and other [lersons who»Avere connected with railways. The subject
is not without interest in Canada, and especially to those who, being
in the position, are desirous to i)romote the efficiency as well as the
economy of the public service. Mr. Brydges' plan appears to have
been to establish a " Superannuation Society" for the benefit of all
who were paid by annual salaries ; and "Benefit Societies" with the
like object for all who received weekly wages. The contributions
to the fund to be borne in equal proportions by the Bailway Com-
panies and by the Railway officials.

Not only did Mr. Brydges occupy his thoughts with projects for

would successfully
ously just and habi-
utci-csts and small

is incompatihlo, to
heir uses, however,
lie suiall mind may
details. The large
ssues. The danger
3 reversed, and the

It is probable that
an, saw clearly that
elf respect, temper-
ons to be arrived at
)uld succeed in life,
f personal influcnco,
t of those who were
), we believe, mainly
kr" for the benefit of

Railway Company,
)urishing institution.

part, by newspaper
is own signature, to

d for railway clerks
ways. The subject
r to those who, being

iency as well as the

Ian appears to have

br the benefit of all

Societies" with the
The contributions

r the llailway Com-

ts with projects for

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

355

■M

the future welfare of the class employed by Railway Companies ; he
contrived plans for their instruction and amusement. He was, we are
informed, one of the promoters of a literary and scientific institution
which was established in connection with the London and South-
western Railway Company. The attractions of this institute were
appreciated. The men had a place of ready and agreeable resort,
where there was an excellent library, wliere classes were formed
for special branches of education, where mechanical and other
drawings were kept, and where lectures were given once a week.
In the course of time the promoters of the institute succeeded in
connecting with and attaching to it an excellent school for the educa-
tion of the children of the members. The school became very popular,
and the results which attended its operations were highly beneficial.
In separating himself from the London and Sorth-Western Rail-
way Company, Mr. Brydges would of course have also to separate
himself from the literary and scientific society, which was a kind of
social offshoot of the Company. The members of that society and
the subject of our sketch were endeared to one another by the
magical interchange of sympathy and kindness. The former there-
fore determined thai the latter should not leave them without
carrying with him some abiding mark of their friendship and
regard. The vellum on which the following resolution is en-
grossed is inscribed with the names of ninety-five contributors.
The document is interesting on account of the apparent equality
which pervades it. All contributed, each according to his ability,
but no distinguishing sums blemish the roll by being aflfixed to
the names of the donors.

London and South-Westeen Litebaey and Scientific Institution.

Nine Mim,—^ oxemher 26th, 1852.

We, the underwritten members of this Institution, wishing to testify to Charles
John Brydges our appreciation of his conduct, whilst filling the important office
of Honorary Secretary to this Institution, present to him, with every mark of
esteem, a silver inkstand, on the occasion of his retirement from that office.
* 48

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356

CHARLFS JOHN BRYDQES, ESQ.

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Gifts and testimonials accumulate in the paths of some people
The subject of our sketch may perhaps be referred to as one t
whom the observation may very pertinently apply ; and yet it ma
be questioned whether among the various mementos of rcgar
which have from time to time sweetened toil, and added zest t
exertion, any have touched him more sensibly than the simpl
parting gift which grew out of the institute, which he, with others
had striven to establish, and the school which he, with others, ha^
succeeded in connecting with it.

In January, 1853, Mr. Brydgcs arrived in Canada, and entered
on his duties as Managing Director of the Great Western P.?.ilwa;
Company. The line was not then completed, nor was it opened fo
traffic till January of the following year, and that time was far to
soon. Rolling stock and other appliances had not been, and could no
be procured with sufficient rapidity, while an experienced staff wa
altogether unattainable. To make matters worse, those drawback
to the working of the road were aggravated by the large traffic wit!
which it was immediately required to be burdened. Such incor
veniences, however, were but temporary. The line soon took it
natural position as a great avenue of trade, and acquired the com
mercial influence which it still enjoys. So great was the earlj
success of the Company that in the year 1856 the shareholder
received a dividend of eight per cent.

Our space will not permit any special reference to the subsequen
history of the Railway, nor need we discuss the question whether i
was, or was not, for the interests of the Company to extend thei
line. Privileged Companies, like privileged individuals, have thei
duties as well as their rights ; and it may be incumbent on hot]
that they should occasionally undertake responsibilities whicl
in themseWes are not immediately, and never can be otherwis
than indirectly, remunerative, but which nevertheless may be poli
tically sagacious or morally commendable. Great Companies more
over have negative as well as positive interests ; evils to avert a

:SQ.

laths of some people,
'cferred to as one to
pply ; and yet it may
mementos of regard
11, and added zest to
bly than the simple
rhich he, with others,
he, with others, had

Canada, and entered
■eat Western P.?.;lway
nor was it opened for
that time was far too
ot been, and could not
experienced staff was
orse, those drawbacks
J the large traffic with
'dened. Such incon-
the line soon took its
,nd acquired the com-
great was the early
J56 the shareholders

nee to the subsequent
le question whether it
ipany to extend their
ndividuals, have their
e incumbent on both
responsibilities which
er can be otherwise
rtheless may be poli-
reat Companies more-
sts ; evils to avert as

CHARLES JOHN BRYDOES, ESQ.

357

w^n as advantages to secure ; and a due regard to the double duty
may occasionally include an unremunerativc expenditure of profits.
Young countries, like young persons, rarely possess the patience to
wait for success. They are apt to account investments Avhich
yield no immediate advantage in the light of money hopelessly
lost. AVith them an immediate tangible return is the sole con-
dition of a wise investment ; and the absence of such return is
construed to be a reproach to the sagacity of the investor. The
year 1857 was the first year of the financial crisis, and it was
followed by many years of bad harvests. At that critical time
the Great Western Railway Company carried out, as a measure of
prudence, the plans which had engaged the thoughts of some of its
earliest friends. Some sort of alliance was entered into with the
Detroit and Milwaukee Railway Company, that Company stipulat-
ing as a condition of the agreement that the Great Western
Railway Company should lend it X 250,000. It is no part of our
purpose to discuss the merits of that measure. We only refer to it
because it is prominently mixed up with the history of Mr. Brydges'
management, for the transaction is one which he regards with com-
placency and to which he always refers with sentiments of unalloyed
satisfaction.

Great excitement was occasioned at about the same time by an
effort which was made in Canada to establish what was called the
Southern Railway, and this project was the more noteworthy from
the fact of its being encouraged and supported by a considerable
section of the Great Western Railway Board. It was however,
for reasons considered by him to be sufficient, warmly opposed by
the subject of our sketch. Into the merits of the discussion it is
not necessary to enter. Suffice it to say that it became so sharp
betAveen the Managing Director and the Local Directors, as to make
a reference to the shareholders in England necessary. The report
of the proceedings of the 14th October, 1856, at a General Meeting
held to consider that reference, is alike amusing and instructive.

TT^

358

CHAllLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

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The English shareholders were unanimous in their condcmnati(
of the majority of tho Canadian Board, and in their expressions
admiration and thanks to the subject of our sketch, who, we mj
add, represented in his own person the minority on that memorab
issue. The resolution, which was moved by Mr. Iloyes, ai
seconded by Mr. Charles Carpenter, is as follows :

" That the best thanks of tliis meeting are due to Mr. Brydgea.^the Managii
Director in Canada, for the zeal, integrity and judgment which he lias uniform
displayed in conducting the business of the Company."

The speeches on the occasion, in so far as they referred to M
Brydges, were one unbroken panegyric : his character, hi i jud^
ment, and his courage, were subjects especially noted for commend?
tion. All expressed approval of what he had done, and still mor
strongly did they express approval of his refusal to do what he ha
not done. The Directors in Canada, who had thus been censured b
the shareholders in London, took the earliest opportunity of retirin
from the Board, leaving the subject of our sketch for the time bein
the sole Director. Votes of thanks and expressions of confidenc
on the part of the English shareholders to Mr. Brydges were c
frequent occurrence. We believe indeed that he never appeare
at the meetings, or addressed the shareholders in London withou
receivmg such marks of approval.

The depression which had commenced in 1857, became aggrs
vated in 1860. With reduced or suspended dividends, ther
followed depreciated and unmarketable securities. Shareholder
experienced loss of income, and were menaced with loss of capital
Distrust everywhere prevailed, and men whose minds had beei
irritated by losses, or whose properties had been impoverished b;
mistakes, were exactly in the condition to listen to promptings, ni
matter whence they came, which hinted that their interests were il
cared for and worse managed, which suggested suspicion and coun
soiled scrutiny. Thus it was that the management of the Grea
Western Railway Company had to pass through an ordeal of attack

ESQ.

CHARLES JOHN BRYDOES, ESQ.

859

n thoir condemnation
in thoir expressions of
sketch, who, we may
ity on that memorable
by Mr. lioyes, and
lows :

[r. Brydgea, the Managing
tt which he has uniformly

1 they referred to Mr.
character, his judg-
j noted for commenda-
i done, and still more
isal to do what he had
thus been censured by
opportunity of retiring
itch for the time being
ressions of confidence
Mr. Brydges were of
at he never appeared
rs in London without

1857, became aggra-
ied dividends, there
irities. Shareholders
i with loss of capital,
lose minds had been
)een impoverished by
en to promptings, no
heir interests were ill
i suspicion and coun-
^ement of the Great
an ordeal of attack,

■M

which lod, at the request of the persons assailed, to a searching en-
quiry by a Committee chosen, if wo may use such a phrase, in the
interests of the assailants. After cloven months of elaborate labor,
the report, which was exceedingly voluminous, was published and
circulated. The answer of the Board of Management was in like
manner printed and distributed. The case, and the answer were
in due time submitted to the shareholders for judgment. From what
actually transpired, we incline to think that the opinion of the
irregular tribunal on the comparative value of the two documents
must have been somewhat scornfully as well as very emphatically
expressed. The Report was rejected and the Committee dis-
charged, while the Board of Management, including the subject
of our sketch, received a renewed expression of confidence, and
were, by an almost unanimous vote, triumphantly re-elected.

Experience acquired in passing through what Mr. Brydges, in
a very forcible speech, compared to "waves of calumny," enabled
him to discover that his friends, though less active, were more
numerous than his enemies. Though all men had not spoken well
of him, yet the majority had, as it turned out, thought well of
him. The latter class, having waited for the judgment of the
Court, felt themselves called upon to give expression to their
own judgment. The time for doing so had in their opinion arrived,
when, after a somewhat lengthened absence, Mr. Brydges re-
embarked for Canada. The Mayor and citizens of Hamilton,
together with many friends and admirers from distant places in
the Provinces and the United States, availed themselves of the
opportunity to give Mr. Brydges an enthusiastic welcome home.
The reception — we quote from the Toronto Globe of the 2nd May,
1861 — took the form of a banquet of exaggerated proportions. It
was given in the Exhibition Building, Hamilton, and it was, as we
conjecture, accompanied with more than the usual allowance of
exhilarating accompaniments, for we read, though we do not under-
stand the new feature of the chorus, that on Mr. Brydges' health

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CHARLES JOHN DUYDOES, ESQ.

being drunk, " tlio whole Company rose, and gave cheers, th
times three, with an enthusiastic " tiger" at the end, perforn
by the " Railway boys" present." Speeches of complime
speeches of kindness, and speeches eloquent with feeling, w<
spoken. And lest the festival should cloy from the overflow of swe
or the lack of contrasts, there were pungent speeches, stingi
speeches, and speeches of refreshing bitterness, which wo can caln
enjoy since we are not required to express an opinion on th
merits. But though different in form and diversified in flavi
their aims were identical, to crown their guest with unqualifi
praise, and to confound his defamcrs with indiscriminate censui
A festival commemorative of a triumph would have been inco
plete, had it not included some tangible memento of persoi
regard. The esteem and affection cherished towards their Ch
by the officers and servants, including the " Railway boys " a
the " tiger," in the employ of the Great Western Railway Co
pany, had prompted them to appropriate to themselves this expr(

sive feature of the welcome.

We again quote the Crlobe ncAvspaper :

"The most interesting portion of the evening's proceedings then took pla
Upon a Pyramid covered with crimson cloth, was placed for presentation to '^
Brydgos, the most handsome and costly service of plate ever given to any gent
man in Canada hefore. The service consisted of seventeen pieces ; esich one
marvel of artistic excellence. An ice bowl, which surmounted the whole, ^y
supported by miniature blocks of ice and by three polar bears of solid silv
Four elegant fruit dishes had for pedestals silver cupids, most beautiful spccime
of workmanship. The remainder of the articles were two silver drinking cu;
two silver salvers, one of them beautifully cha.sed, a cake basket and knife, a sih
kettle and stand, a toddy ladle and ice spoon. The following inscription w
engraved on several of the articles :— " Presented to Charles John Brydges, Esqui
Managing Director, by the employes of the Great Western Iluilway of Canada,
a token of their respect and esteem. Hamilton, May 17th, 18G1." The service w
supplied by Messrs. Tiffany, of New York, and cost no less a sum than $3,000."

And, as if to show that the feelings which moved fifteen hundrc
employ<iS of the Company to unite in making such a representati(
were pure and disinterested, wo learn that, on the same occasio

, ESQ.

and gavo cheers, three
at the end, performed
ecchcs of compliment,
icnt with feeling, were
m the overflow of sweets
;ent speeches, stinging
!ss, which wo can calmly
3SS an opinion on their
il diversified in flavor,
guest with unqualified
indiscriminate censure,
vould have been incom-
memento of personal
ed towards their Chief
" Railway boys " and
iVestern Railway Com-
themselves this expres-

roceedings then took place,
ced for presentation to Mr.
to ever given to any gentle-
renteen pieces; esich one a
iurraounted tlie wliole, was
polar bears of solid silver.
s, most beautiful specimens
) two silver drinking cups,
ke basket and knife, a silver
) following inscription was
rles John Crydges, Esquire,
stern Ilailway of Canada, as
th, 18G1." The service was
less a sum than $3,000."

moved fifteen hundred

such a representation

Dn the same occasion.

CHARLES JOHN DRYDOES, ESQ.

861

other persons, who had once served under Mr. Brydgos, but who
were then employed elsewhere, had obtained permission to add a
mark of their own to the feast of tributes, by presenting Mr.
Brydgos with " a splendid gold watch and chain," purchased for
him by some of the " old cmploy(53 of the Great Western Railway."
Space will not permit the insertion of the addresses on that
interesting occasion. They probably meant more than they said.
They were intended to defend the right and to challenge the
wrong. To Mr. Brydges they were a congratulation as well as
a solace. To those who had sought his injury, they were a
rebuke as well as a caution. The memory of that May day, and
of the transactions which beautified the day, is not likely to be
forgotten. Indeed, Mr. Brydges possesses " material guarantees "
I of great worth and beauty, not only to remind him of " friends in
council," but also to suggest that he must either be wisdom's child,
or fortune's favorite to possess such friends.

As we have already said, Mr. Brydges is a representative man,
educated and brought up in a railway age for railway use. Not
only has he studied minutely the management of such roads in their
relation to the interests of a Company, but he has studied gene-
rally the economy of such roads in their relation to the interests of
the public. If the aphorism of a writer in the Westminster Review
be correct, that " the public loses accommodation by competition,"
then as Railways are or should be carrying companies only, it is the
interest of the public to discourage competition, and make plans for
accommodation. The policy of amalgamation, which has obtained
favor in England and the United States, has been thoroughly
studied and made familiar to the mind of Mr. Brydges. He
was, therefore, in the autumn of 1861, quite prepared to discuss
with Mr. Watkin the expediency of applying such policy to
Canada. Thus, informal negociations were entered upon by those
gentlemen representing respectively the Grand Trunk and Great
Western Railway Companies, for the fusion of the two lines ; and with

862

CHAniiES JOHN nilYDOES, ESQ.

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such adroitness and succosa woro thoy conducted tlmt a prcllmii
undorstaniling was, wo belie vo,coino to between the Enj^lish Direc
of the two Companies. During tiie currency of those uegociati
the situation of Managing Director of the Grand Trunk Hail
Company became vacant by the resignation of the late
Blackwell, and as the proposed i iiion of tiio two lines cont
plated the appointment of only one officer of that rank, the si
tion was offered to, and was accepted by the subject of our skc
Ho continued to manage both lines until September, 18(52 ;
the celebrated fusion bill having, in the previous month of ^
been withdrawn from the consideration of Parliament, Mr. Br^d
resigned his seat as a Director of the Great Western llaih^
Company.

The following minute wiU explain the terms on which the se
ration took place :

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

Extract from Minutes of the Board of Directors on the \tt September, 1862.

Mb. C. J. Bbydoes.

Read :

Letter from C. J. IJrydgcs, dated this day, resigning his i)osition as a Direo
of the Great AVestern Itailway Company, which was aoccpted.

It was moved by ^Ir. Juson, seconded by Mr. Gates, and

Itesul red, —That Mr. C. J. Urydges having resigned his seat at this Board, f
retired from the position of Managing Director of the Great Western Railway Ct
pany, the Directors present desire to express their regret at the severance of his ci
nectiou witli the Company, and to convoy to him an assnnince of the high opin
they entertain of tlio earnest and increasing attention he has, for the perioc
nearly ten years, devoted to the interests of the Company ; they also desire
express their admiration of his talents as an administrative oflicor, of the gr
ability and judgment ho has exorcised in establishing and maintaining tho m
friendly and advantageous alliances with the connecting lines in the United Stat
and generally, in having most elliciently and satisfactorily filled, for so Ion|
period, the important olUco of Managing Director of this Company.

JOHN YOUNG,

Chairmati

, ESQ.

CIIAULEH JOHN DHYnOES, KSQ.

ao3

icteil that a proHminary
(cn tho Kii^lisli Diroctora
jy of those uo^ociations,
Grand Trunk Railway
ition of tho lato Mr.
f tho two lines contom-
of that rank, tho situa-
suhjcet of our sketch.
Soptember, 18(52; but
rcvious month of May,
irliamcnt, Mr. Br;ydgo3
Toat Western Railway

rms on which the sopa-

YAY.

t the Ut September, 1862.

his i)o.sition as a Director
L'copted.
and

his seat at this Board, and
reat AVostern Railway Com-
t at tho soveraiico of his con-

uranco of the hif;h opinion
on he has, for the period of
iniiany ; they also desire to
trativo oflicer, of the groat
and maintaining tho most

lines in tlic United States ;
torily filled, for so long a
is Company.

JOHN YOUNG,

Chairman,

It is not our intention to discuss the particular project whiiih Afr.
Wiitkin and Mr. Rryd^os, ropresontin;.; two^reat Conipanios, s()u;^ht
to carry out. Time and the course of events will prol)jibly (piiet
political anxiety, and Hilence local distrust. The taste, however, for
amal;^aniation is abroad, .md the ])oliey of am;il;^amation is gaining
general favor, for the connnercial and econoiuicid advanta;:^(>s of such
a policy are daily l)ecomiu^ ajtparent. It has steadily disseminated
itself in En^^land and tho United States. C'lnada in the nature
of things cannot hope to escape, even had she tho desire to do so,
from the effects of such examples and such contacts.

Mr. Brydges is apparently endowed with noteworthy powers
of moral and physical endurance ; he is a tough untiring kind of
Englishman, a compound of vigor and industry, of patience and
perseverance. With great knowledge of tho world and a gonial
appreciation of the enjoyments as well as tho duties of life, he has
thus far with [)ersistent tenacity and iinabating endeavor won his
path upward. But to fortitude and constancy there are added the
habits aa well as the attributes of wisdom ; energy and reserve.
There is a time to halt as well as to advance, to bo still as well as
to be active, to be considerate as well as to bo firm. Few under-
stand better than Mr. Brydges the value of such considerations, for
few more adroitly than he practices their maxims. Thus it is on the
principles of good generalshii) that he not unfrequently deems it to be
desirable rather to avoid a battle than to miss a victory. In a delibe-
rative assembly, it is commonly wiser to postpone than to provoke a
doubtful issue, to withdraw a Bill for example, rather than by forcing
a vote, to fix men in positions of absolute hostility, when by conside-
ration and generosity, prejudice would be removed and the position
changed. Tho exercise of patience accompanied by a display of
indifference, leads not only to a change of opinion but not unfre-
quently to a change of vote. Men are constitutionally disinclined
in matters of opinion to submit to pressure ; thus a good cause ia
often imperilled by rash advocates. Public men, especially, dislike

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CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

tu reverse their votes. Mr. Brydges is aware of this fact, and
careful so to manage his Parliamentary strategy as to pros
members from falling into uncomfortable attitudes, which ma;
and commonly are, followed by humiliating and sometimes by
crous consequences. Thus, under the direction of Mr. Bry(
Members have been saved from the consequences c^ their own v(
for the voice of Parliament has been cleverly hushed at a mc
when it might, being less skillfully guided, have become ai]
and in its passion have expressed embarrassing as well as emp
negatives.

The principle of railway fusion, though strongly oppose(
Parliament, appears nevertheless to grow in public opii
Commercial advantage will overrule political prejudice ; for
tide in railway affairs all tends in one direction. The St. ]
rence and Atlantic Railway >fas, several years ago, ami
mated with the Grand Trunk Railway. In August, 1864,
dinner given at Brantford, Mr. Brydges amongst other th
said : " Sir, the particular occasion which has called us
to-night, on which occasion you have done me so much ho
is the connection which has been formed between the Gi
Trunk and the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway Compai
In the same month of the following year, at the Town of Gait,
afterwards at the City of Hamilton, public dinners were given tc
subject of our sketch to celebrate the nuptials of the Preston
Berhn Railway with the Grand Trunk Line. And later still in
same year similar festivities took place at Ottawa and Three Ri\
the first in honor of Mr. Brydges, and the second to celebrate
opening of the Three Rivers and Arthabaska Railway : at both, 1
ever, oblique allusions were made, which, if they meant anyth
expressed the desire to amalgamate with, or work in harmony
the Grand Trunk Line. Thus has Mr. Brydges taken ad van
of a series of banquets held in his honor as the Managing Dire
of the Grand Trunk Railway, to discourse generally on the ad

S, ESQ.

are of this fact, and he is
strategy as to preserve
attitudes, which may bo,
5 and sometimes by ludi-
irection of Mr. Brydges,
lences c^ their own votes ;
rly hushed at a mcnient
ed, have become angry,
ssing as well as emphatic

gh strongly opposed in
row in public opinion,
tical prejudice ; for the
Irection. The St. Law-
ral years ago, amalga-

In August, 1864, at a
s amongst other things
ich has called us here
one me so much honor,
led between the Grand
)n Railway Company."
it the Town of Gait, and
iinners were given to the
)tial3 of the Preston and
e. And later still in the
►ttawa and Three Rivers,

second to celebrate the
a Railway : at both, how-
if they meant anything,
>r work in harmony with
•ydges taken advantage
J the Managing Director

generally on the advan-

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

365

tages of Railways to the Piovince, and particularly on the policy of
substituting co-operating for competing lines ; of bringing into one
tiystera, parts, which being united would add to the public accommo-
dation as well as to the general value of Railway property, but which,
being separated and antagonistic, are, comparatively speaking,
sources of injury to their own, as well as to the public interest.

Mr. Brydges, with statesmanlike judgment, appears to think that
there should extend from the extreme Westerly limits of the
Province to the Atlantic seaboard in Nova Scotia, one Grand
Vertebral Line of Railway, of sufficient strength to admit of any
number of points and segments being attached to and incorporated
with it. Such joints and segments become " feeders," and there-
fore sources not only of strength to the road, but of accommodation
to the public ; albeit such " feeders " may of course become
" suckers " of the Company. [The latter result is a question which
the Company and not the pubhc, is required to consider, for since
nothing can be done without the previous consent, so nothing is done
without the previous consideration of the Company. Let us take
advantage of Mr. Brydges' speeches on these subjects, and study
what he has to say in his own words. But before doing so, it may
"lot be out of place to hear the Honorable Mr. Ferrier's opinion
not only of the project itself, but also of the subject of our sketch,
who appears to be charged with the duty of carrying it out. Mr.
Ferrier, we may remark, is a gentleman who never makes a long,
and cannot make an ambiguous speech. He thinks from a point,
and speaks to a point, and he is therefore always direct and straight-
forward in what he says. At the Brantford dinner, already referred
to, Mr. Ferrier is reported to have said : " That he entered heartily
into the plan of uniting the different railway systems of the Province
into one." Speaking of Mr. Brydges, he added " Before his advent
as Manager, the Grand Trunk Railway had not only been produc-
tive of no gain, but had entailed on its supporters and the Province a
constant loss. But when he had undertaken its management, all

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366

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGiiS, ESQ.

that sort of thing -was forthwith changed. They had never
and never could have any man with a greater amount of Rai
talent than the present Managing Director." Fortunately
Mr. Brydges, Mr. Ferrier's observations were made after,
not before the speech of the former, from which we are aboi
quote. Such a compliment might have embarrassed a much
hardened public speaker than the subject of our sketch.
Brydges said :

" In the first place I may tell j'ou, and I am quite sure you will fii
founded on facts, that the question of Railway amalgamation is by no means i
one. We have only to look to the neighboring state of New- Jfork, on the (
side of the Niagara River, and we find that the greatest Railway in the U;
States, the largest and most important and most prosperous, the N. Y. Centr
railway with which we have now large business relations — we find, I say, thai
New York Central Railway is comprised of the amalgamation of some six or s
independent Companies on the very ground that the parties themselves beli
and that the Legislature who gave them the charter, also believed, that the ma
of that amalgamation was ensuring the interests, not only of the parties appl
for the charter, but the interests of the public themselves. I should like to ask
gentleman who is in the habit of travelling between New- York and BuUalo,
be should like to get into a railway car at New York, be turned out at All]
be turned out at Schenectady, again at Utica, again at Syracuse, and agai:
Rochester, instead of, as now, going from New York to Buflalo without mo
from his seat. The effect of amalgamation of Railways is this, that it reduces 1
charges, and by increasing the business of the road, and reducing the cost at w
the Companies are enabled to do the work, enables them to do that work foi
public at a less cost. This is the whole fact about amalgamation. There is not'
else in it whatever."

Mr. Brydges knows much of the management, but he i
knows much of the history of Railways, and he is well acquain
with the difficulties which beset their progress. It is proba
could he consent so to humble himself, he might, in conned
with such histories unroll a record of moral meanness and wri
doing, at which even human frailty in its most abject form wc
stare aghast. He is however constitutionally unwilling to blen
a grand design by uncovering the blots with which its histor;
sprinkled. He would rather invoke the acids of oblivion to rem(

iS, ESQ.

i. They had never had,
•eater amount of Railway
3ctor." Fortunately for
is were made after, and
n which we are about to
mbarrassed a much more
ct of our sketch. Mr.

quite sure you will find it
gamation is by no means a new
te of New- i'ork, on the other
eatest Eailway in the United
)sperous, the N. Y. Central— a
tions— we find, I say, that the
Igamation of some six or seven
B parties themselves believed,
also believed, that the making
t only of the parties applying
elves. I should like to ask any
1 New- York and Buffalo, how
ark, be turned out at Albany,
in at Syracuse, and again at
rk to Buffalo without moving
ys is this, that it reduces fixed
ind reducing the cost at which
them to do that work for the
algamation. There is nothing

fiagement, but he also
id he is well acquainted
)gress. It is probable,
le might, in connectior
al meanness and wrong
Host abject form would
illy unwilling to blemish
ith which its history is
is of oblivion to remove,

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

367

than^the aids of memory to recover, any stain of foulness that may
have disfigured the progress of a work so fair. Thus in all his
speeches Mr. Brydges displays a high bred reticence ; no word of
reflection, no syllable of reproach falls from his lips. He has thought
for the future, but not for the past. He has work for the present,
work for the future, and under the weight of the double obligation
he thus speaks to the inliabitants of Stratford :

" I feel, Sir, that it is not owing to any merits of my own that you have paid me
this compliment to night, but it is owing to the fact that I am the representative
in this country of one of its greatest institutions— an institution which has con-
ferred great benefits upon Canada in the past, and which, in my humble opinion,
will be one of the greatest props in the future of its prosperity. There have been
times, Sir, and it is not many years ago, when it would not have been possible for
anybody in any part of Canada to have stood up and returned thanks for such a
toast as the one which you, Mr. Chairman, have just proposed. I think, liowever,
the times of diiliculty through which the Grand Trunk has passed have shown at
any rate that it is an institution which is capable of cr nferring great benefits upon
the country, and that we shall find in future years the people of Canada will be
proud of that institution, and proud of the fact that it is one of the greatest enter-
prizes of the age. We all know what the position of Canada was before these great
arterial lines of Eailway came into existence; we all know what her position is to
day ; we know that her population, her revenue, in short, everything calculated to
make a nation great, have very largely increased during the period of time which
Bailway enterprizes have had their existence in Canada ; and if we look forward to
a period of ten, twenty, or thirty years, — periods Avhich many gentlemen around
these tables may live to see, — we may cast an eye into the future, and even may
then find Canada occupying a position which will make hoi' one of the greatest
nations upon this Northern Continent of Ar^erica. I believe, Sir— and 1 1 hink 1 am
not wrong in that opinion — that Canada is just about entering upon the threshold
of her prosperity, and that her future ptosperity will far exceed anything that has
taken i)lace in the past ; and. Sir, I for one, eschewing everything approaching to
politics, everything that has reference to that question — cannot (as one who deeply
loves Canada and her future prosperity) shut my eyes to the pregnant fact that there
are at this moment discussions going on which, I trust from my heart, may make
Canada a great and prosperous nation, and which may extend her conmiercial, her
political, and every other interest to the shores of the Atlantic on one side, and —
I hope the day may not be far distant to the shores of the Pacific on the other."

Had we space it night be worth while to enquire whether there
may not be reasons outside of as well as within the Province, why

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368

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

the whole Railway system of Canada should not be knitted i

and especially adapted to national uses. It is probable \

subject of our sketch may have anticipated (though he

opportunity of explaining that he is no politician) what is no\

place. He may have foreseen that the trading relations of t

vince and the United States of America would shortly pass

very serious changes, and that such changes would bo m

where intercourse had been most frequent, namely, in \

Canada. If in its own interest, or for the furtherance of its

the Government of the United States sees fit to shut

avenues of Canadian Trade, then it becomes alike the hiter

the duty of Canada to open new avenues of her own througl

her commerce may freely pass irrespective of foreign pati

or foreign permission, to other parts of the world. Art mi

vide for the deficiencies of nature. A winter as well as a s

highway through British Territory to the Atlantic is to Can

absolute necessity of her condition which most persons rec

and which is acutely obvious to the subject of our sketch.

better than Mr. Brydges knows that simplicity of plan coi

with celerity of movement are the conditions which the ship

the interest of the producer, requires of the forwarder.

would, in obedience to his policy of amalgamation, flow v

interruption through every artery of the Canadian railway s

and it would consequently pass without transhipment, or mul

agencies, from the place of embarkation to the port of de

Thus, while the frontier of a neighboring nation is being

and made impassable by hostile Tariffs, the products of the

dian soil would be borne on Canadian highways, or on Cai

streamways, to lands which are prepared to welcome them on

of. reciprocal advantage. Thest, among other reasons, ma^

moved the subject of our sketch to attempt to bring al

united instead of a divided Canadian railway service, a c«

trated and direct, instead of a disjointed and conflicting, sysl

transportation.

)GES, ESQ.

CHARLES JOHN BRYDGES, ESQ.

369

t>uld not be knitted together
s. It is probable that the
ipated (though he loses no
jlitician) what is now taking
;rading relations of this Pro-
i would shortly pass through
jhanges would bo most felt
|uent, namely, in Western
tie furtherance of its policy,
s sees fit to shut up the
jomes alike the interest and
!S of her own through which
ctive of foreign patronage,
the world. Art must pro-
winter as well as a summer
le Atlantic is to Canada an
ich most persons recognize,
yect of our sketch. None
implicity of plan combined
tions which the shipper, in

of the forwarder. Trade

,malgamation, flow without

} Canadian railway system,

ranshipment, or multiplied

n to the port of delivery.

ng nation is being fenced

the products of the Cana-

lighways, or on Canadian

to welcome them on terms

other reasons, may have
ttempt to bring about a
lilway service, a conccn-
and conflicting, system of

It was during the winter of its discontent that Mr. Brydges
accepted the post of Managing Director of the Grand Trunk Rail-
way. With the loss of the celebrated fusion Bill in 18G2, the prime
purpose for which he assumed the responsibility seemed to elude
him. He was loft to manage the trust which his predecessors in
office, one after another had taken up, and for various reasons had
laid aside. Many causes have contributed to his greater success, but
in the catalogue of those causes perhaps the most important place
must be assigned to his wise and judicious application of acquired
knowledge. The abundant harvest of this year does not of itself
account for the difference between the net profits, for example, of
1860 which were $280,000, and the net profits of this season which
are estimated at $1,600,000. Between the former year, when the
moveable property of the road was seized and the Company threat-
ened with utterly destructive litigation, and the latter period, when
it is free alike from debt and law suits. Between the former period,
when the rolling stock was in a dilapidated condition, and from the
want even of means to repair it, rapidly deteriorating ; and the
latter period when the whole has been improved, when stations
are increased, and new rolling stock added to the old. Nor
should it be forgotten that during this period XSOOjOOO sterling of
the earnings have been expended on improving the permanent way.
Such is the apparent difference between now and then. Could we
lift the veil, and see that Empire of the North, the " British
America," the grand Monarchical Confederation of the future,
for which Provincial Statesmen hope, and for which Imperial
Statesmen plan, we should perhaps also see the Grand Trunk Rail-
way, in length inconceivable, gathering tribute at every terminal
point, developing the trade and policy of the country, beoring to the
ocean the products of the fields, forests, and mines of Canada, and
bringing from the ocean the wealth of the sea, the wealth of
the looms, and the wealth of the forges of other lands, as Avell as the
foel crops of the neighboring Provinces. The time will come —

P>70

CHARLES JOHN BRYDQES, ESQ.

who shall gainsay it ? — when opposing opinions will be hushed
all public men will practically agree with the Honorable Mr. C
and others who like him, irrespective of consequences and regj
of censure, through evil report and through good report, hav
sistently upheld the Grand Trunk Railway as a work of incalc
advantage to the Province ; who from first to last, at all time
under all circumstances, have asserted and re-asserted what th
ject of our sketch spares no pains to reiterate, and misses no
tunity to enforce, that the Grand Trunk Railway is not only
of the greatest enterprizes of the age," but a work which n
the greatest honor on the Parliament, and is calculated to be
greatest benefit to the people of Canada.

QES, ESQ.

)inion8 will be hushed, when
the Honorable Mr. Cartier,
onsequences and regardless
Jgh good report, have per-
ly as a work of incalculable
rst to last, at all times and
id re-asserted what the sub-
^rate, and misses no oppor-
Railway is not only " one
but a work which reflects
d is calculated to be of the

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THE

RIGHT REVEREND JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

BOMAK OATUOtIO III8I10F OK BT. .IOHN8, NKWKOUNDLAND.

In May, 1497, Sebastian Cabot sailed from Bristol, ostensi1)ly for
the purpose of discovering a North-West passage to the " Land of
Spice." Henry the Seventh, with prescient sagacity, gave his
countenance to the adventure, making however, as was his prac-
tice, a thrifty reservation on his own account of one-fifth of the
profits. On the 24th June, Cabot reached the coast of Labrador,
and thus he was the first to discover the American continent, for
Columbus did not enter the Orinoco on his third voyage, till August
of the following year. These two illustrious men are usually styled
the discoverers of America — the first of the Northern, the second
of the Southern continent. It is, however, supposed, and not
without reason, that the new world was known to the inhabitants
of the old world at a period much earlier than the time of Cabot.
Greenland is said to have been visited at the end of the tenth
century by Eric " the Red," a Norwegian Viking ; and that early
in the eleventh century a Bishop's see was established there.
Some pious men have, moreover, conjectured, for the evidence is
at best of a very shadowy kind, that in the year 1121 a Bishop of
Greenland visited "Vinland" or " Winland," as Newfoundland
was, it is thought by some persons, first called, for the purpose of
re-converting his countrymen, and the descendants of his country-
men, to the Christian faith, from which they had departed.

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a72

niOIIT llEV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

Admitting; tlio disco very of Groonland to have taken place at the
period assigned to that discovery, it is not extravagant to suppose
that the courageous sea kings of northurn ii]ur()pe, who had success-
fully passed from their own country to Iceland, and thence to
Greenland, should, undismayed hy the dangers of the deep, have
pushed their course westward till thoy found themselves on the
exposed coast of Labrador, or within the shelter of one of the
many harbors which girdle the Island of Newfoundland ; but
whether thoy actually did so, is a question we have no means of
determining. The legends and traditions of the shadowy past fall
incoherently on the oar. Unintelligible as the prattle of infancy,
yet, like that prattle, they are pleasantly listened to, though little
understood ; agreeable to the imagination, though unsatisfactory to
the mind. Wo lack history, we lack monuments, wo lack collateral
testimony, we lack the essential attributes of evidence; and yet the
theory possesses a foundation in reason, and being reasonable, it may
possess a foundation in truth. Still, it must be confessed, that
legend and tradition belong to an unreliable and somewhat fanciful
tribe, whose members though weak, illusive, and little worthy of
trust, occasionally wear a whimsical garb of pre-historic interest, and
are indeed such delightful impostors, that we do not like to dismiss
them roughly from the gates of knowledge. The right reverend
subject of our sketch, in addition to the higher and more sacred
researches which pertain to his calling, appears to possess a taste for
ethnological and archaeological studies, especially in the relation of
the latter to christian antiquity. The subjects to which we have
referred seem to possess more than common attraction to him,
and they have consequently, with many other kindred matters of
past and present interest relating to Newfoundland, engaged much
of his speculative, as well as of his serious thought.

Passing from what may be regarded as a mythical and uncer-
tain period to the clearer light of modern times, we learn that the
history of Newfoundland is full of curious and contradictory phases.

il!

P.«flP .ipppHPipr

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RIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MrLLOCK, D.D.

878

I place nt tho
lilt to supposo

had siiccoss-
md thcnco to
lio (loop, havo
isolvcs on tho
of oiio of tho
luullaiul ; but
3 no means of
idowy past fall
tlo of infancy,
I, though littlo
satisfactory to
lack collateral
o; and yet tho
3onable, it may
onfessed, that
10 what fanciful
;tle worthy of
c interest, and
like to dismiss
ight reverend

1 more sacred
less a taste for
the relation of
rhich we have
ction to him,
'ed matters of
Bngaged much

al and uncer-
learn that the
ictory phases.

It was the first discovered, and it is yjrohably the least known of all
tho British American Colonies. Though a largo island, it is not,
comparatively speaking, a large province ; and yet wo read that its
interior is not only unsurvoyod, but unexplored. Tho h()p(Ml-for
land, the Diuma Vista, "the happy wight " of Cabot, ai)[)ears to
have been but slightly estooniod for its own sake by his successors.
It was accounted valuable only because it was contiguous to tho
great fish pastures of tho Banks of Newfoiuidland, just as Tyre
may have been valuable, as a place where fishermen might spread
their nets, and preserve their fisli. Capes and Bays were visited
by English and French navigators, and were named l)y English and
French officers. Sir Humphrey fiilbert for example, in the reign
of Elizabeth, landed at St. Johns ; and out of respect to the royal
lady whose subject he was, and from some aversion to tho Sovereign
Pontiff whose admirer he was not, he not only put up tho royal arms,
but he accompanied them with a kind of reflected act of supremacy,
by ordering that divine worship should thenceforward bo celebrated
only according to the forms and directions of the Book of Common
Prayer. Sir George Calvert, subsequently Lord Baltimore, in
a succeeding reign^ took a view of duty the reverse of that
which had been taken by Sir Humphrey Gilbert; and had tho
settlement presented greater attractions than it did, it is probable
that some aflfront would havo been offered to the edict of Sir
Humphrey. As it was. Lord Baltimore withdrew from New-
foundland, and became tho founder of the State which is still called
by his name. The Province itself was little prized. English and
French appear to have used, without occupying it, though the latter,
with miUtary intuition, first saw the necessity of erecting a fortifi-
cation at Placentia. The chronic hostility of the two races was as
conspicuous in Newfoundland as in Europe ; and the small fishing
colonies seem to have kept their enmities in a lively state of
excitement by little skirmishes, little sea fights, and little sieges,
until the strife was quieted by the Treaty of Utrecht, when the

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374

maiiT REV. JOHN thomas mullock, d.d.

French resigned all claim to Newfoundland, reserving only the
small Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, with the right of fishing
within certain limits. Though England acquired the island, she
had no intention of colonizing it. For trading purposes she wanted
the fish ; as a nursery for seamen she wanted the fishery ; and
for matters connected with her defence and naval supremacy,
she wished so to arrange matters that her seafaring subjects
should be within call when they were needed. Therefore, though
the occupation of her sailors Avas "on the ocean wave," England
desired that their homes should be in the British Islands.

In illustration of this view, we may mention that in 1798 the
Governor severely reprimanded the Sheriff for having, during his
absence in the preceding winter, allowed a Mrs. Gibb to put up a
fence. Thomas Neven, who had erected a few sheds, not being of
the gentler sex, was less tenderly treated, for the Sheriff was ordered
to remove his sheds. That officer was furthermore directed " to
take good care that Jeremiah Marroty and John Fitzgerald do not
erect chimneys to their sheds ;" and as those gentlemen, we may
conjecture, belonged to an inventive as well as a long suffering race,
the Governor determined to put an extinguisher on their ingenuity,
by further ordering they were not " even to light fires in them of any
kind." Six years afterwards, during the government of Sir G.
Gower, we read that the stringency of those orders was somewhat
relaxed, for permission was given to occupy ground at St. John's
for building purposes ; but it was not until 1811 that an Act of the
Imperial Parliament was passed authorizing certain portions of
land therein named to "be granted, let and possessed as private
property." With these special exceptions, it would appear that
the old orders with respect to the prohibition of settlement still
continued in force. Lands were to remain open and unfenced,
" so that all persons, without distinction, might cut wood for the
use of the fishery." Persons, however, of a sanguine turn of mind,
moved by the necessities of their own condition, and not having

>.D.

rving only the
right of fishing
;ho island, she
SOS she wanted
e fishery ; and
al supremacy,
■aring subjects
(refore, though
ive," England
mds.

%t in 1798 the
ing, during his
bb to put up a
s, not being of
riff" was ordered
J directed "to
zgerald do not
emen, we may
sufiering race,
heir ingenuity,
1 in them of any
lent of Sir G.
was somewhat
I at St. John's
; an Act of the
lin portions of
sed as private
d appear that
(ettlement still
and unfenced,
wood for the
> turn of mind,
ad not haying

RIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

375

the fear of the Governor before their eyes, very coolly appropriated
what they could not legally acquire, and thus the land dong the
coast was persistently filched by squatters, whom it was incon-
venient to resist, and difficult to eject. In consequence of repre-
sentations made from time to time on the distressed state of the
population of Newfoundland, the Governor, in the year 1817,
received instructions to ascertain in what parts of the Island
cultivation was most likely to be attended with success, and then
to make grants to individuals of so much land only, and no more,
as they would engage to cultivate. Every effort had been made
by the authorities to aggravate the natural drawbacks of the Island,
and make it as distasteful as possible as a place of settlement. The
spirit of patriotism, the love of country, the churm of home, Avere
not to be associated in the minds of men with the shores of New-
foundland. This truth is forcibly pointed out by the right reverend
subject of our sketch in a lecture delivered at Bonaventure College,
St. Johns. He says : —

"Let no one blame Newfoundland for not having hitherto advanced as rapidly
as other colonies. I boldly assert that never was more energy shown by any
people than by the inhabitants of this Island. The government that should foster
them considered them as intruders, and banished them when it could. Tlicy were
exposed to all the petty tyranny of ignorant fishing admirals, and of Governors
who proved their devotion to England by depopulating Newfoundland. They had
not the liberty of the birds of the air to build or repair their nests. They had
behind them the forest or the rocky soil, which they were not allowed, without
licenses difficult to bo obtained, to reclaim and till. Their only resource Avas the
stormy ocean, and they saw the wealth they won from the deep spent in other
lands, leaving them only a scanty subsistence. Despite of all this they have
increased twenty fold in ninety-nine years, have built towns and villages, erected
magnificent buildings, as the cathedral of St. Johns, introduced telegraphs, steam,
postal, and road communications, newspapers— everything, in fact, found in the
most civilized countries ; j^nd all this on a rugged soil, in a harsh, though whole-
some climate, and under every species of discouragement."

If, however, the political and social condition of the people was
such as is here described, their moral and religious state was still
more deplorable. Being, as the Honorable Mr. McGee has some-

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376

RIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.l*.

where amusingly observed, " the next parish to Ireland," it was no
matter for surprise that Newfoundland should contain a large Irish
population. In 1703 the number of inhabitants was 4,798 Roman
Catholics, and 8,317 Protestants. In 1784 a proclamation was
published whereby liberty of conscience, and the free exercise of
religious worship were allowed to all persons in Newfoundland.
This new state of things gave rise to perplexing political con-
siderations, and brought about results which were neither desired
nor thought of. The Roman Catholic population, which, in the
absence of a resident priesthood, had been migratory, became
settled ; and consequently one part of English policy was menaced
with failure, for the sailors of that faith, and their families, having
had secured to them the spiritual ministrations they needed, were
content to make Newfoundland their home. Governor Milbank,
observing the tendency of toleration, addressed the following
curious, and at the same time honest, note to the Reverend Dr.
O'Donnell, who was then the senior priest, and was afterwards
consecrated the first Roman Catholic Bishop of Newfoundland : —

"The Governor acquaints Mr. O'Donnell that, so far from being disposed to
allow of an increase of places of religious worship for the Roman Catholics o/ the
island, he very seriously intends next year to lay those established already under
particular restrictions. Mr. O'Donnell must be aware that it is not the interest
of Great Britain to encourage people ''o winter in Newfoundland; and he cannot
be ignorant that many of the lower order who now stay would, if it were not for
the convenience with which they obtain absolution here, go home for it at least
once in two or three years; and the governor has been misinformed, if Mr,
O'Donnell, instead of advising their return to Ireland, does not rather encourage
them to winter in this country.

" On board the Salisbuty, St. Johns, Nov. 2nd, 1790,"

On the 6th January, 1796, Pius the Sixth appointed Dr.
O'Donnell Vicar Apostolic of Newfoundland and Bishop of
Thyatira in partibus. He was consecrated at Quebec on the
21st September in the same year. Dr. O'Donnell's successors
in the See were respectively the Reverend Doctors Lambert,
Scallen, and Fleming, and the subject of our sketch, who was
consecrated in 1847.

ind," it was no
in a large Irish
3 4,798 Roman
)clamation was
ree exercise of
Newfoundland.
; political con-
neither desired

which, in the
•atory, became
J was menaced
amilies, having
7 needed, were
;rnor Milbank,

the following

Reverend Dr.

ras afterwards

svfoundland : —

being disposed to
1 Catholics o/ the
led already under
IS not the interest
id ; and he cannot

if it were not for
me for it at least
unformed, if Mr,

rather encourage

appointed Dr.
id Bishop of
Juebec on the
U's successors
tors Lambert,
jtch, who was

MGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

377

The Right Reverend John Thomas Mullock is a native of
Limerick, where he was born in 1807. He was educated at
Seville, that picturesque city of Moorish streets and Christian
temples. Like his predecessors in the Bishopric of Newfound-
land, he is by profession a Franciscan, one of that great mis-
sionary order, whose members, in obedience to their vows, are
bound to spread themselves over the face of the globe to convert
the heathen and the infidel. This duty in Newfoundland must at
first have been the reverse of encouraging. The moral and
religious state of the Roman Catholic population, at the time when
their first Bishop was consecrated, was deplorable. Without family
ties, without education, without religious ministrations, with
uncertain employment, money abundant, and liquor cheap, the
neglected fishermen of that island were in a wretched plight, and
fitting subjects for the care of their zealous and self-denying clergy.

It is mstructive to notice with what exemplary industry the
subject of our sketch sought to promote not only the moral
and religious welfare, but the social and physical well-being of the
people. It is pleasant to observe with what earnestness he
impressed on them the duty of loving their country, and with what
eloquence he shewed that it is a country worthy of their love.
The Bishop, with commendable wisdom, eschews politics, and is
more reticent than he need be in expressing opinions on military
subjects. He nevertheless hints by what means his Sovereign
Lady the Queen may retain her supremacy in the North Atlantic,
and how she may paralyze the commerce of the entire seaboard
of America. St. Johns and Bermuda are, in his opinion, the two
great bastions of the continent. Retaining these, and the trident
of Neptune which she now possesses. Great Britain may in his
opinion hold the sceptre of the world.

" Let no one say," remarks the Bishop, " that Providence has not given a com-
pensation for everything ; the abundant pastures of Ireland are compensated by
the rich sea pastures of Newfoundland. Tlie cod fish, the great sourje of our
wealth, would not flourish among us, if we had the hot and vapoury waters of the

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378

BIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

gulf stream bathing our shores. The painted fishos, wliich inhabit the tropical and
warm seas, have no flavor, cannot be preserved, and never would form an article
of commerce like our cod, the king of all fish."

Then, too, with respect to the climate, the Bishop has something
to say which may occasion surprise to many people : —

"The gulf stream, then, has to answer for the fogs of Newfoundland as well as
for the humidity of Ireland ; and though it does not bathe our shores, still a large
portion of heat is thrown off by it, which accounts for the mildness of our climate
in comparison with that of the neighboring continent. We never have the
thermometer down to zero, unless once or twice a year, and then only for a few
hours, and for a few degrees— three or four, perhaps ten — while we hear of the
temperature of ten and twenty below zero in Canada and New Brunswick, and
this life-destroying cold continuing for days, perhaps weeks. Then, see another
effect of this ; the Canadians and other North Americans of the same latitude are
obliged to keep up hot stoves continually almost in their houses, while we have
open fire places, or at most Franklins ; our children, I may say, as lightly ciad as
in summer, spend a large portion of their time in the open air ; and thus, while
our neighbors have the sallow hue of confinement tinging their cheeks, and their
children look comparatively pale and delicate, our youngsters are blooming with
the rosy hue of health, developing their energies by air and exercise, and pre-
paring themselves for the battle of life hereafter, either as hardy mariners or
healthy matrons— the blooming mothers of a povv'eVful race. Thus the gulf
stream, which clouds our skies, paints the cheek, invigorates the population,
pours out to us in its return from the northern basin, the arctic current which
encircles our seas with fish, and enables us to furnish this luxurious and necessary
article of food to the languid inter-tropical nations, for no food is so wholesome or
so agreeable to the inhabitants of warm countries, whose diet is mostly vegetable,
as the dried codfish of Newfoundland."

The beneficence of Providence appears at least in Newfound-
land to be sadly frustrated by the perverseness of man. The very
people, whom no difficulty can intimidate, no danger appal, whose
cradle is the tempest, and to whom all hardship is sport, are
very diflferent persons afloat and ashore. At sea, they are neces-
sarily laborious ; on shore, they are constitutionally idle. Speaking
of the agricultural capabilities of the island, the Bishop says : —

" On the southern and western shores, indeed everywhere in the island, I have
seen the finest sheep walks ; and what is better, the droppings of the sheep in this
country induce a most luxuriant crop of white clover, and prevent the spread of
bog plants. If sheep were encouraged, we should have fresh meat in abundance,

.D.

it tho tropical and
Id form an article

has something

mdland as well as

hores, still a large

ess of our climate

never have the

len only for a few

e we hear of the

V Brunswick, and

Then, see another

same latitude are

;es, Avhilo we have

as lightly ciad as

; and thus, while

cheeks, and their

,re blooming with

ixercise, and pro-

ardy mariners or

Thus the gulf

i the population,

tic current which

3US and necessary

3 so wholesome or

mostly vegetable,

in Newfound-

m. The very

p appal, whose

is sport, are

iey are neces-

ie. Speaking

ap says ; —

he island, I have
the sheep in this
snt the spread of
at in abundance,

RIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

379

and their fleeces would furnish warm clothing in winter for our people of a Letter
quality than the stuff they now buy, 'half waddy and devil's dust,' and which
impoverishes them to procure it ; domestic manufactures would bo encouraged, the
people would become industrious and coinfortiiblo, and every housewife in our out-
harbors would realize, in some sort, that sublime description of a valiant woman
by Solomon (Prov. c. 31)— 'She hath put ou»^ her hands to strong things, and her
fingers have taken hold of the spindle ; she hath sought wool ami flax, and hath
wrought by the counsel of her hands ; she shall not fear for her house in the cold
of snow, for all her domestics are clothed with double garments ; she has looked
well to the paths of her house, and hath not eaten her broad idle ; her children
rose up and called her blessed ; her husband had praised her.' But, unfortunately,
this great blessing of sheep pasture is marred by one curse, and idleness and
poverty are too often tho accompaniments of the poor man's fire-side in the long
winter. As long as a vicious herd of dogs are allowed to be kept in the country,
so long will poverty be the winter portion of the poor. In no part of the world
vould such an iniquity be permitted. There is a law oflering C) for the destruc-
tion of a wolf, and I never heard of £5 worih of mutton being destroyed by wolves
since tho days of Cabot ; but why do not our legislators, if they have the interest
of the people at heart (and, according to their election speeches, every member is
actuated by the most philanthropic and patriotic motives), pass and enforce laws
against dogs, which devour every sheep tliey can find, and have almost exter-
minated the breed : for no one will keep sheep while his neighbor is allowed to
keep wolves."

Not only are herds of useless dogs kept to the prejudice of flocks
of useful sheep, and the spoiling of nutritious mutton, but the people
appear to be guilty of great neglect in other directions.

"It is a shame," remarks the Bishop, " thatieven in St. Johns wc have little chance
of a turkey till the Ilalifiix steamer comes in ; and the goose, the most nutritious,
the most useful and the most easily kept of all fowl in a northern country like this,
is just as scarce. In the north of Europe you get a goose almost every day, and a
good roast goose for dinner, and a featlier bed to rest on, are not to be despised ; and
here, in the very habitat of the goose, the very climate of all others where the bird
could be brought to the greatest perfection, and the wild goose, which breeds in
enormous numbers, is the most delicate 6f our wild fowl, we get geese from Nova
Scotia, and feather beds from Ireland or Haml-urgh."

Speaking of the people themselves, the Bishop observes : —

" I have found them, in all parts of the island, hospitable, generous, and obliging ;
Catholics and Protestants live together in the greatest harmony, and it is only in
print we find anything, except on extraordinary occasions, like disunion among

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RIGHT REV. JOHN THOMAS MULLOCK, D.D.

them. I have always, in the most Protestant districts, oxpericnoed kindness
and consideration. I speak not only of the agents of mercantile houses, who are
remarkable for their hospitality and attention to all visitors, or of magistrates ; but
the fishermen were always ready to join Catholics in manning a boat when I
required it ; and I am happy to say that Catholics have acted likewise to their
clergymen. It is a pleasing reflection that, though we are not immaculato, and
rum excites to evil, still, out of a population of over 130,000, wo have rarely more
than eight or ten prisoners in gaol, and grievous crimes are happily most rare,
capital offences scarcely heard of."

These extracts may perhaps not only afford us a glimpse of
the moral and social condition of a large class in Newfoundland,
but enable us to obtain some insight into the character of the
prelate, who, for the last eighteen years, has been Bishop of St.
Johns. Living among a sea-faring and sea-loving race, he seems
to have grafted the heartiness of a sailor upon the habit of a divine.
There is no circumlocution in his utterances ; having something to
say, he says it racily, as if from the quarter deck, in language that
all may understand, and none can misinterpret. He inculcates on
all the duty of being contented, and explains to all why they have
reason to bo so. Nor is it a light argument that he, a native of the
Emerald Isle, of a land of perennial verdure ; a student of Seville,
whose tastes have been cultivated on the beautiful banks of the
Guadalquiver — a traveller, whose intellect has been stored with the
learning of the old world ; who had wandered over the continent of
Europe ; had dwelt in the sunshine of Spain, or amidst the vineyards
of France — should be able to say to his audience in Bonaventure
College, that Newfoundland, the country of their birth, or of their
and his adoption, the allotted scene of his labor, and in all like-
lihood the place of his rest, notwithstanding its drawbacks and
disabilities, the hard features of its climate, and the rugged
qualities of its soil, contains attractions suflScient to secure happi-
ness, and motives enough to provoke gratitude — gratitude for what
God in His bounty has bestowed, as well as gratitude for what God
in His wisdom has withheld.

D.D.

tperionccd kindness
itilo houses, who are
r of magistrates ; but
uing a boat when I
ed likewise to their
lot immaculata, and
ivo have rarely more
I happily most rare,

US a glimpse of
Newfoundland,
iharacter of the
in Bishop of St.
; race, he seems
labit of a divine,
ing something to
in language that
le inculcates on
why they have
3, a native of the
ident of Seville,
ill banks of the
I stored with the
the continent of
1st the vineyards
in Bonaventure
)irth, or of their
and in all like-
drawbacks and
nd the rugged
to secure happi-
atitude for what
de for what God

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THE

HONORABLE ISAAC BUCHANAN,

HAMILTON, CANADA WKST.

Men nt some time are mastors of their fates;
The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,
IJut in ourselves, that we are underlings.

Similar surnames very naturally suggest the idea of kinship
between persons to whom such names belong. The eye, sympa-
thizing with the mind, is very apt, under such circumstances, to
busy itself in discovering points of resemblance, in making out
something like a family likeness. We do not know that the subject
of our sketch is .at all related to his great namesake, who lived
three centuries and a half ago ; but wo think the photograph on
the opposite page bears some resemblance to the memorable medal-
lion likeness of George Buchanan, which looks so gravely at us
from the covers of Blackwood's Magazine. The forms of the faces
are not alike, but there is similitude in the tracery of the wrinkles
with which they are seamed.

His eye-brow dark, and eye of fire,
Showed spirit proud, and prompt to ire ; *
Yet lines of thougl"*; upon his cheek
Did deep design and counsel speak.

Nor on his cheek only : for, like the mapped brow of an athlete,
the forehead of each appears as if its owner had wrestled with strong
intellectual antagonists, and had used all the muscle of his mind
to gain the mastery. The wrinkles traverse both foreheads in

3H2

HON. ISAAC mCHANAN.

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straight linos, mid in tlu'lr furrowed depths arc suf^j^ostivo rather
of the stepping stones of genius than of the handiwork of time. Such
wrinkles are grand wrinkles, leading the fancy upwards with ladder-
like directness from the gates of vision to the dome of thought. Nor
'.9 the observation original or of recent application, for wo romom-
bor Mr. IJuchanan to have remarked that he was once rocjuostod
by an artist, who was a physiognomist, as Avell as a painter,
"to sit for tho lines across the forehead" of a portrait ho was
painting of his illustrious namesake, (Jeorgo Buchanan.

Passing, however, from fancies of a remote period to Mr.
Buchanan's personal history, wc learn that he was born at Glasgow,
on tho 21st July, 1810 ; that ho is tho fourth son of the late Peter
Buchanan, Escjuiro, of Auchmar, an ancient family scat, situate on
the banks of Loch Lomond, at tlio pass of Ballmaha, Avhero it was
tho practice of that popular freebooter, Rob Hoy McGregor, ono of
tho graceless tribe poetically termed " men of the mist," to herd
such cattle as wore not protected by blackmail. This estate, being
in the indicated locality, very probably was included within the
property satirically apostrophized by llichard Frank, " soldier and
scrivener," who besides being a trooper in Cromwell's army, was
apparently a sturdy Englishman, alike prejudiced, and plain spoken ;
who had little love for tho Buchanans in his heart and no fear of
them before his eyes. " Beautiful Buchanan !" exclaimed that cynical
critic, with visions of the fat pastures of his own fair land before his
eyes. "Beautiful Buchanan! besicgea with bogs, and barricaded
with birch trees; the Ilighb.ndor's landscape, and the Lowlandcr's
prospect, whose boggy swnmps incommode the traveller."

Tho family interest in tl»eir estate, comprising an area of four-
teen hundred acres, did not prevent tho owner from avoiding hus-
bandry, and giving his attention to tho more profitable pursuits of
commerce ; for, besides being a landholder of Stirlingshire, Mr.
Buchanan, of Auchmar, was a merchant of Glasgow^. His son,
of the same name, in tho year 1830, sold the estate, including the

'ym^i I - ii-nw.'i ■ ,^ "w«w"^

HON. ISAAC IJUCirANAN.

883

k, " soldier and

"bo«'s and the birch trees," to the l)iik(! of Montrose, and ap|)liod
the money lio received for it to the extension of his Canadian
business.

The subject of our sketch was, wo l)elievo, intended for one of
tho h-arned professions. To this end he was liberally educated at
the (Jlas^ow {^ramnjar school, and afterwards, with a view to his
entering the university, by u private tutor ; but the originality and
independence of character which have marked Mr. IJuehanan's
career, appear to have been as conspicuous in his boyhood as in
his more mature life. In tho year 1825, when on his way to
purchase a college gown, he met a friend of his father's, who
oflfored to secure for him a clerkship in the firm of William CJuild
& Co. Young Isaac Buchanan, being thus tempted by the attrac-
tions of commerce, and a good introduction to its mysteries, did not
purchase his college gown. His father was absent from home, and
tho son could not then take counsel of his jjarent. Perhaps ho
thought it inexpedient to do so, for, with intuitive perception, ho
seemed to recognize the flood-tide of his history ; and tho fortune
which has followed may be attributable to tho accuracy of his view.
Thus moved, Isaac Buchanan, the boy of fifteen, made his resolve.
Ho turned his back on letters, and his face to trade ; and thenco
advanced in his chosen career Avith such extraordinary rapidity,
that at the ago of twenty his mind and character were imj)resscd
with the stamp of mature manhood. At that early age he became
a member of the firm which he had so recently entered as a gentle-
man adventurer, and such was tho confidence reposed in his judg-
ment and sagacity, that three years afterwards tho Canadian
business of that great firm was wholly transferred to his charge.

Trade may be allied to genius, as well as to thrift, and a love of
letters, while it elevates one and purifies the other, adds poetry to
both. In the realms of commerce there are many manors controlled
by separate masters, and governed by different minds. Hazard
enters necessarily into all systems, but it is wisdom which deter-

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

mines whether such hazards result in profit or in loss. The earlier
adventurers of previous centuries, moved by study and attracted
by gain, wco also sustained by heroism. Courage allied itself with
commerce, and valor frequently secured what genius liad projected.
Much of the poetry of his calling seemed to infuse itself into the
mind of young Buchanan. He was not content to move in the
trade grooves wherein timid men had found safety, nor was he
inclined to accept as maxi ns, conclusions which he knew were
feeble and suspected were eflFete. He was a kind of commercial
knight errant, to whom trade had slender attractions, if severed
from daring. Thus to him commerce represented a poAver, which,
like the moveable column of a skilful general, was chiefly valuable
when.^ actively handled. Mr. Buchanan therefore pushed his
available agencies to the front, and having judiciously manoeuvred
and massed his forces, he proceeded to occupy the country,
making the ground thus acquired a point cfappui for further
acquisitions. Thus he continued to advance his business, and
accumulate his gains. The elders among the Montreal mer-
chants shook their venerable heads, and surrendered themselves to
a course of moral sentences and gloomy predictions on the unprece-
dented follies of a wilful young man, and of course resolved that
such rashness would end in ruin. Time, the approver, shewed
there was wisdom as well as courage in the tactics. Mr. Isaac
Buchanan became the avant courier of Western commerce. From
Glasgow, trade had been impelled westward to New York and
Montreal, tlience to Toronto, afterwards to Hamilton and to
London; in all of which cities, with the single exce})tion of Toronto,
Mr. Buchanan not only established branches of his business,
but continues to this day to be a partner in each branch. Nor
should it be overlooked that trade, though undertaken for
profit, is not necessarily selfish. Education, knowledge, civili-
zation and charity, should, and commonly do, travel in its train.
Those who are familiar with the Western Province arc probably

' !

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

385

!3. Tho earlier

y and attracted
:illied itself with
} had projected.
! itself into tho
to move in the
ty, nor was he
he knew were
[ of commercial
ions, if severed
I poAVcr, which,
chiefly valuable
>re pushed his
sly manoeuvred
Y the country,
rui for further
3 business, and
Montreal mer-
[1 themselves to
on the unprece-
) resolved that
)rover, shewed
ics. Mr. Isaac
nnerce. From
'(cw York and
milton and to
;ion of Toronto,
■ his ])usincs3,
branch. Nor
ndertakcn for
(wlcdge, civili-
)1 in its train.
; arc probably

aware how thoroughly Mr. Buchanan has identified himself with
the history of its progress and advancement. Almost every village
institute might testify to his bcnevoioncc, while the Great Western
Railway can boar witness to the earnestness, as well as to the
persistency, of his endeavor to establish that groat traffic line of
communication between the United States and Canada.

Though Ave have grouped many points together, it should not be
lost sight of that they were not all accomplished at the same time.
The rapid history of successful commerce was varied by contact with
the rugged course of public affairs. The well-to-do merchant was not
permitted to " mind his own business " merely. He was considered
to be, and he was, a representative man ; and of his class, perhaps,
the foremost man in Western Canada. Capitalists, and those who
were struggling for, as well as those who had succeeded ])y honorable
trade in gathering a competence, were not content that landholders
and lawyers should account themselves, or be accounted, tho only
aristocracy of Western Canada. Commerce had its sensibilities as
well as its ambition. Traders had their feelings as well as their
hopes, and though they were patient under what they then
regarded as social slights, they were not therefore content to be
excluded from public honors. Mr. Buchanan, who was identified
with their class, and was supposed to sympathize with their feelings,
was, as Ave shall see presently, very shortly called upon to repre-
sent their interests in the Provincial Parliament.

Terms are not always available which may pointedly, as well as
truly, represent a state of society ; and we are sometimes obliged
to use phrases which are more conventional than exact ; Avliich
convey meanings more j>recisely than they express them. The
Governments of Upper and Lower Canada were in a great measure
identical in form. Each Province had its ruling families, llespon-
sible Government had been talked about in one of those Provinces,
but experimentally it was unknown to either. It Avas a matter of
accident Avhether the government for the time being Avas a despotism

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

or an oligarchy ; whether it was ruled by an individual, or by a
compact of individuals. If the representative of the Sovereign
happened to bo endowed with a clear intellect, and a strong will,
the government might, perhaps, most accurately bo described by
the former phrase. If, however, he happened to be an hidolent
or a weak man, indifferent to public affairs, the government would
probably resolve itself into the latter form. In either case the
surroundings were the same. The governor, no matter what his
character, was nominally advised by an executive council, and this
council was generally, though not always, composed of the heads of
departments ; that is to say — of gentlemen who held their appoint-
ments for life, and who necessarily, and from the accident of birth
or the force of social affinities, were members of, or became con-
nected with, the ruling families of the country. The system
admitted of no other result. "New blood" was occasionally
introduced, but it was soon absorbed by the old blood. The
weaker gravitated towards, and was lost in the stronger body. As
a class, moreover, its members were provokingly long lived. They
received their appointments, among other reasons, because they
were respectable ; and they were long lived, among other reasons,
because they lived respectably. Death occasionally removed a
member, but it did nol destroy an influence. The conservative
qualities, which are almost inseparable from official life, sufficed to
absorb all other qualities. The responsibilities, or the sweets of
office, appeared then, as now, to produce the hke effect on all. It
mattered little to what political party an individual belonged before
he was drafted into the [)ublic service ; for the peculiar shade of his
political opinions was soon fused and lost in the governing colour,
which in those days was as determined as it was distinct. This result
very much interfered with the aims of those, who, like Mr. Baldwin,
desired ministerial responsibility; or who, hke Mr. Buchanan,
wished for a popular representative administration, that would meet
and dispose of the questions which then disquieted the Province ;
particularly of one question, which especially disquieted him.

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

387

Uvidual, or by a

f the Sovereign

xl a sh-ong will,

bo described by

I be an indolent

vernment would

either case the

matter what his

council, and this

d of the heads of

Id their appoint-

iccidcnt of birth

or became con-

f. The system

ivas occasional !y

)ld blood. Ihe

onger body. As

ng lived. They

s, because they

g other reasons,

lally removed a

'he conservative

life, sufficed to

>r the sweets of

ftect on all. It

belonged before

iliar shade of his

overning colour,

ict. This result

ke Mr. Baldwin,

Mr. Buchanan,

that would meet

d the Province ;

lieted him.

We cannot reason on matters of feeling, and to feel properly we
must conform to certain conditions more easily stated than under-
stood by those who have not had the advantage of being physically
brought up in a Scotch atmosiphere, and spiritually nourished on
Scotch divinity. The clergy reserve question produced, as it was
calculated to produce, great disquietude in the public mind, and
its final settlement was earnestly desired by all who devoutly
believed that the ways of religion should be as peaceful as they
are pleasant. It did not, however, seem to be the property ques-
tion raised by the controversy which most disturbed Mr. Buchanan.
He could have borne the loss of many things, but he could not bear
an affront to his national church. Extreme sensitiveness is often
accompanied by extreme earnestness of character. We can easily
sympathize with Mr. Buchanan's reverential love of the church of his
fathers ; but we cannot understand his quoting with approval Lord
Sydenham's declaration, which seems to be more sounding than
clear, that the Scotch could not be expected to be loyal to " a
government that made them dissenters by act of parliament."
Though the observation is, as we think, in many ways, singularly
confused and inaccurate, for it is difficult to understand in what
way people could legally dissent from what had no legal existence ;
still there can be little doubt that whatever its defects, according to
the canons of theological controversy, may have been, the observation
did illustrate a state of thought on the part of a large and influen-
tial section of the population of a very alarming and menacing
description. Mr. Buchanan was not free from its influence, and
there is no doubt that he wished to quiet the fear by removing the
cause out of which it arose. The rebellion in Upper Canada had
proved itself to be trivial in its proportions, and impotent in its
powers ; still there remained among the smoldering embers of those
unhappy times the inextinguished spirit of mischief, which the
government of the hour might kindle or quench, according as it
was moved by moderate or extreme counsels.

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

But notwithstanding his strong opinions on the clergy reserve
question, Mr. Buchanan, in the year 1840, appears to have been
regarded as a moderate poUtician, and tliat he was so may be
assumed from the fact that, at the first election which took place
after the union of the provhices, both the conservative and reform
parties at Toronto recpiested him in turn to become their represen-
tative in parliament. Mr. Buchanan was a merchant, and the
conservatives hoped, with the help ot his name, to conciliate the
commercial classes. Mr. Buchanan was, nevertheless, a reformer,
and as such he was especially suited to the needs of that party, for
on many points he was with them in o[)inion ; and as he had
during the rebellion actively and personally supported the authori-
ties, he was in a position to attract many votes which other-
wise would have been lost to the reform candidate. Then, too, the
stereotyped ''"Critish connection" cry of the opposite party, the
cry which had commonly led to victory, would be without point,
and consequently without value in the election contest which was
then approaching.

And a contest it unquestionably was. Those who fought it, had
reason to remember it ; and those who paid for it, we incline to think
had reason to remember it, too. It occurred in the old fashioned
times, and was carried on in the old fashioned way. Men sported
their party colors, and fought for the colors they sported. The hue
of their opinions gleamed on their breasts, and sometimes glowed in
the palms of their hands. jNIusicians appeared never to weary of
their performances. All day, and all night too, with brazen per-
sistency, they abandoned themselves to the exhilarating duty of
extracting sound from all sorts of instrumuiits ; and though not
remarkable either for precision or exactness, the style was suf-
ficiently distinguishable to determine Avhcther the eftbrts were
iuteniled to attract votes to " Dunn and Buchanan," or to
" iSherwood and Munro." Two members were to be returned,
and the electors were called upon to make their choice among the
four candidates whose names we have placed in double brackets.

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

389

To appreciate the contest, it should be remembered that, besides
the display of party colors, which was then perfectly legal, the law
made no provision for a plurality of polling places. Votes were
taken at one stand only. The election, moreover, lastecl from nine
o'clock on Monday morning until five o'clock on Saturday evening,
and it was, we may conjecture, accompanied by very exhausting
employment, and sustained, as we remember, by very stimulating
refreshments. It resulted by a very narrow majority in the return
of " Dunn and Buchanan."

It was very well known that the service required of Mr. Buchanan
could only be rendered by him at great personal and pecuniary
sacrifice. It was also known that Mr. Buchanan was a faithful sub-
ject of the Queen, and therefore imputations on his loyalty would
recoil only on those who made them. His private motives, and his
personal character, being beyond the reach of attack, the opposite
party was somewhat straightened to discover the weak place in
his armor. Taking counsel of their animosity, they unwisely
resolved to abuse liim generally, to snub him as a youth, and to
sneer at him as a trader. "Who is this Mr. Buchanan?" each
placarded wall, and fence, and gateway was plastered to enquire.
" He was only a shop boy the other day with AVilliara Guild &
Co.," the same delicate organs of information were oftbnsivcly ins-
tructed to answer. Those who may have read what has been
already written will have learned that the term "other day"
meant, in fact, eleven years before.

Contempt as a weapon does not answer any better at elections than
it does in warfare. Reacti^" ^ "owed, and those who laughed at a
pointless sneer, soon pohitedly censured the sneer they laughed at.
The public mind recovered its equilibrium ; the sense of justice
awoke to its duties, and asked whether such tactics were either wise
or fair. That they were neither in the present case was speedily
demonstrated. Many may remember with what clevei-.oss and
address the "shop boy" turned the placard to account. There

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

was legitimate irony, as well as amusing banter, in the recoil.
Speaking from the hustings, holding the ragged placard in his
hand, and looking from his antagonists to the crowd, Mr. Buchanan
said, " You sec, they," pointing to Messrs. Sherwood and Munro,
" accuse me of being one of yourselves." The honest home-
thrust was Avelcomed with a cheer. The cheer, though only
partial, expressed reaction of sentiment, which required only to be
improved. With accurate judgment Mr. Buchanan saw that the
hit would bear repeating, and he repeated it therefore again and
again, until it was acknowledged by the general applause of that
swaying and excited croAvd. But the policy of contempt was not
abandoned with the first discomfiture. It was renewed in different
forms, and under different guises. The weapons of attack were, it
must be confessed, clumsily contrived and wretchedly tempered,
and it occasioned no surprise that they fell blunted and broken
before the object at which they were aimed. The crowd which
had been moved to cheer was prepared to laugh. Some may
remember when the sluices of laughter were thus dexterously
opened, what a sea of mirth seemed to spread over that listening
crowd. All laughed in ways not, perhaps, very dissimilar one
from another. All except the subject of our sketch with respect to
whom, in the peculiarity of his laugh, "none but himself can be his
parallel."

His laugh ! who shall describe Mr. Buchanan's laugh ? It is
like nothing that we remember. We have seen the stage laugh of
Mephistopheles — a pantomime of sardonic aspect, horribly sinister,
and as silent as death. We have heard several specimens of the
" loud laugh that shows the vacant mind." We have observed
with some attention various intermediate shades of laughter, from
the smile, clocpient in peaceful high-bred beauty, which knows no
sound, to the noisy rollicking out and out shout of irrepressible

exulting.

Sport, that wrinkled care derides

And laughter holding both his sides.

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

391

But we have never seen or heard the counterpart of Mr. Buch-
anan's laugh. Some persons dismiss the matter with the remark that
the laugh comes from his chest. This description is to a certain
extent correct, for the ear and the eye concur in opinion that the
notes, very droll notes too, do issue from his chest. The curious
feature of tho case is that they appear to escape from below and
not from above his cravat. This peculiarity by no means exhausts
the difficulty, for though we may indicate the point whence sound
departs, we cannot determine the place where it is generated.
From the curious premonitory symptoms which find expression in
his face, we know that Mr. Buchanan desires to indulge in the
luxury of laughing. These outward and visible signs, however,
precede by a comparatively long interval the actual sounds of
laughter. The report follows the flash with perplexing delibera-
tion, and suggests the impression that the distance to be travelled
must necessarily be great. Laughter, like fancy.

May bo bred
In the heart or in tho head ;

But in the case before us, distance lends probability to conjecture,
and conjecture inclines us to suppose that its seat must be looked
for in some out of the way part of Mr. Buchanan's person or in
some unlikely portion of his apparel. In fact he appears to possess
ventriloquous powers, and though he seems to make the frill of his
shirt the musical centre of the performance, he could, we incline
to think, were he so disposed, devolve the duty on his shoe strings,
for apparently he can " locate " his laugh wherever he likes to do
so. We have dwelt on this personal peculiarity, for it possesses the
merit of being a power, and a power moreover of such subtle and
contagious force that the deliberations of Parliament have been
interrupted and well nigh suspended by its exercise.

At the close of the election in 1841, success justified laughter ;
and yet it may be safely conjectured that Mr. Buchanan's gain
was only the commencement of a great loss. The hour of victory

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

to him was by no means an untroubled hour. He had gained Avhat
ho had no inclination to seek for, and what in point of value was
nothing to him. lie had caused another to lose what that other
had every reason to seek for, and Avhat, it is scarcely an exaggera-
tion to say, was every thing to him. The victory was complete, but
there remained in the mind of the victor much generous sympathy
for the vanquished which (qualified the triumjjh. There had been
bitter speaking and bitter writing, hard Avords and hard thoughts,
but the wormwood and the gall subsided as the time drew near
for declaring the final state of the poll. Reflecting upon his value-
less winning, and upon his chief opponent's irreparable losing, Mr.
Buchanan was as ready, we believe to do then, what ho had
offered to do at the commencement of the election, namely, to retire
in Mr. Sherwood's favor, if that •gentleman would only pledge him-
self to support and to advocate the principle of responsible govern-
ment. The truth is, Mr. Buchanan was then Avhat he has continued
to be since, and is still, a moderate and not a party politician. People
have very often imagined him to be what he is not, and have
sought to place him where he has declined to place himself. The
first act of the " radical reformer," as he was called by many
who supported and by many who opposed him, was to take the
chair at a public dinner given in honor of the conservative, Lieut.
Governor Sir George Arthur. The proceeding was deprecated by
many and applauded by none. Time tempered judgment. Genial
old fashioned people who appeared to reason the matter to them-
selves, by a process of thought satisfactory at least to their
own minds, arrived at conclusions which wci^ as just as they
were peculiar. The dinner included a specimen of " tho roust
beef of old England," which in the shape of "a baron " was
placed before Mr. Buchanan, did much to conciliate tlie good
will of the scornful. It Avas evident to more than one fleshly-
minded Englishman that the chairman had seen a baron of beef
before that day, for " he carved it like our S(iuire." The

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

893

double fact associated itself with soothing reflections. The State
was deemed to be safe in the care of one who knew what a baron
of beef was, and who had the county. (|aaliucation of being able to
carve it like a " Squire."

Personal indopendcnco and political independence arc regarded
by party men as highly objectionable and inconvenient traits of
character. Leaders of Assemblies very naturally desire to be able
to rely absolutely on the votes of their supporters, and in the main
it is fair and right for them to expect such votes. It cannot
however be denied that there are times when the character of a
Parliament, and the credit of a country may be saved by the
seasonable intervention of the members who are supposed to sit
on tbe cross benches. The influence of moderate men and mode-
rate counsels on ordinary occasions may be inconsiderable, but
when debates arc sharp and divisions close, Avhen the fight is too
hard for thought, and too angry for justice, then the force of such
an influence is felt in steadying the temper of discussion, and
restoring it to the condition of order and right. Men of honorable
minds, who are really independent, rarely boast of their independ-
ence, and they never exert it for their personal advancement.
Self with them is not a motive, nor is faction a means. The
quality of independence may have been and perhaps has been
discredited by some who have assumed it ; but the imposture in
such cases has proved too transparent for actual service. People
generally, from inattention or indifference, may be unequal to the
duty or disinclined to the task of exactly analyzing the value and
tendency of specific measures ; but they are not slow to detect
the difference between patriotism and selfishness, between Avhat is
real and what is counterfeit. Indeed the occasional affectation of
virtue on the part of those who have ceased to respect its obliga-
tions, being only an aggravated form of vice, deceives none though
it may hurt many. Honest men may see the vice, and feel the
evil of it, and deploring both, will probably be disheartened and

•;■ (

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894

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

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discoura^^cd, but tlicy will not boconio indifferent or inactive.
Their conviction of what is riglit will still be expressed with emphasis
and pursued Avith constancy. Bein<; controlled hy wisdom and
temper, that conviction will exert a calming influence in assemblies
whose members commonly recognize no other allegiance than that
which they owe to their party or their leader. Of course, such
independent action is a source of perplexity and disappointment to
the parties ranged on either side of the House, and the members
who practice it will bo alternately scolded or flattered, avoided or
conciliated, shunned or courted, as occasion may suggest. Such
men are among the difficulties of statesmen. They arc the per-
plexities of Parliamentary or in other words of party Government.
It frequently happens too that such persons are as original in their
thoughts as they are unmanageable in their proceedings, that their
opinions are as curiously intricate as their action is commcndably
straightforward. No party can act with them, and no party can act
without them. They make and unmake ministers, and yet have little
inclination to assume ministerial obligations. Should they do so, it
is only to discover that tho responsibilities which those obligations
impose are in the highest degree irksome to themselves, and trouble-
some to their colleagues. Without the discipline of experience or the
habits of cohesion, they suddenly find themselves rcfjuired to put
their thoughts into fetters, to hush speech to silence, to restrain
the inconvenient vagaries of their honest opinions, and to bear with
equanimity the chaffing of those who with provoking persistency
and becoming politeness coaxingly enquire " why the honorable
gentleman being in tho position and having the power, does not
give shape to the opinions he is known to entertain, or consistency
to the policy -t has been his practice to advocate ?" As types of the
class we hope we shall do no wrong to a memory by naming the
late Mr. Merritt, and no wrong to a person by adding the subject
of our sketch.

In writing of himself, Mr. Buchanan has said " tljiat ho is of no

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rent or inactive,
iscd with emphasis
I by wisdom and
3ncc in assemblies
cgianco than that
Of eourse, such
disappointment to
and the members
ttcred, avoided or
J suggest. Such
[hey arc the per-
irty Government.
s original in their
edings, that their
I is commendably
d no party can act
and yet have little
)uld they do so, it
those obligations
elves, and trouble-
experience or the
s recjuircd to put
lence, to restrain
, and to bear with
Qking persistency
hy the honorable
) power, does not
in, or consistency
' As types of the
ry by naming the
dding the subject

* tljat he is of no

HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

896

party," that ho belongs to a class more numerous than cither of
the present self-styled parties : this class is " the party of order."
This order, he adds, will comprise "conservative liberals," or old
reformers who have been taught })y experience and are willing
now to adopt the word " conservative," at least in its adjective
sense; "liberal conservatives" or old tories, or thci • descendants,
who have also been taught by experience, and arc now willing to
adopt the word " liberal," at least in its adjective sense ; and con-
servatives, and conservative liberals, who have unwittingly been
mingled with the extreme democratic parties of both Provinces.
With respect to the last mentioned extreme parties, Mr. Buchanan
has nothing to suggest by way of adoption, but a good deal by
way of avoidance. lie looks upon such parties with feelings of
unqualified aversion, as dangerous alike in their principles and their
aims, lie denounces them for their inflammable— he terms them
"incendiary" elements, and ho therefore very earnestly cautions
the country against the mischief which their ascendancy would, in
his opinion, bring about.

Before we refer to Mr. Buchanan's writings, it may be conve-
nient to note some further points of interest in his personal history.
In January, 1843, he married Agnes, the second daughter of
Robert Jarvis, Esc^., an influential merchant of Glasgow. At the
general election consequent on the dissolution of Parliament in
1844, Mr. Buchanan was not a candidate, but he heartily sym-
pathized with his Excellency Lord Metcalfe on that trying occasion.
He was an unsuccessful candidate for Hamilton at the election in
1854, having been defeated by the late Sir Allan Napier MacNab.
It was generally supposed that Mr. Buchanan would, in 1856,
have allowed himself to be nominated for the Burlington Division
as a candidate for the Legislative Council, in which case it is
probable that the amiable gentleman who was then returned
would 1 ot have contested the honor. It was however previously
arrangeu that Mr. Buchanan should succeed Sir A. N. MacNab

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890

HON. IHAAO BUCHANAN.

as mombor for tho City of Hamilton in the Lower House, as
it was then understood that the latter would not again offer
himself as a candidate. In tho following year, 1857, Mr.
Buchanan was elected for Hamilton. He was again returned
at the general elections in 18G1 and 18G3. On the resignation of
the Sandficld Macdonald-Dorion administration, he accepted the
oflBco of President of tho Council in tho " Tachd-Macdonald "
government. In tho month of June, 18(J4, on the introduction of
Mr. Brown, Mr. McDougall and Mr. Mowat into the Cabinet, Mr.
Buchanan availed himself of tho opportunity to follow the incli-
nation of his mind, and retire from the post he had little desire to
obtain and none to keep. Mr. Buchanan is President of tho Board
of Trade of Hamilton, and served several years ago in the like
capacity at Toronto. On any occasion of international interest,
aflfecting the trade of tho Province and the United States, he is,
wo believe, almost invariably requested to undertake the troublesome
duties of a delegate.

Though tho old Buchanan estate in Scotland passed from the
family to other hands, the recollection of that possession pleasant
even to those who have inherited the name only. In i autiful

eyrie, on the mountain near Hamilton, Avhero Mr. Buchanan has built
his much-coveted Canadian nest, he will probably miss the historic
pass of Balhnaha and the crystal beauty of Loch Lomond, for the
charms of both are mirrored on his mind like familiar pictures.
Still the name of tho old place will be preserved and perpetuated
in his new homo, for he has called liis abode at Clairmont by tho
unforgotten name of " Auchmar."

The peculiarity and the earnestness of Mr. Buchanan's mind
incline him to hold opinions apparently paradoxical if not wholly
contradictory. In matters political and economical they appear to
belong to the Pitt school. The old Imperial toast of other days,
" Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," embodies principles of govern-
ment whose truth is as clear to his mind and as dear to his heart

HON. ISAAC nuniANAN.

897

Lower House, as
(1 not again offer
year, 1857, Mr.
as again returned
I the resignation of
1, ho accepted the
L'achd-Macdonald "
the introduction of
the Cabinet, Mr.
;o follow the inch-
had little desire to
jident of the Board
irs ago in the like
jrnational interest,
litcd States, he is,
,kc the troublesome

i passed from the
sscssion ' pleasant
In i autiful

Buchanan has built
y miss the historic
'\i Lomond, for the
familiar pictures,
d and perpetuated
t Clairmont by the

Buchanan's mind
:ical if not wholly
leal they appear to
ast of other days,
•inciples of govern-
,s dear to his heart

as they wore to our fathers in the days of old. But though
vehemently opposed to the modern political dogma of free trade,
he is an earnest advocate of the modern ecclesiustical one of a
free church. Were Sir William Curtis to return to life, and with
a face radiant with rosy glory to supplement the stereotyped
commercial toast of " Ships, Colonies, and Commerce," with the
stereotyped political one of " Queen, Church, and Constitution,"
we incline to think that the resistant Scotch (puility of Mr. ]iucha-
nan's theology would rise in resentful rebellion. Though he would
certainly possess the grace and good manners to keep silence, he
would decline to embitter his wine by dropping the offensive toast
in his glass. His intellect would spurn a sentiment which not only
takes no thought of, but utterly repudiates the principles of demo-
cracy as a chief element of Church government. Mr. Buchanan
likes to choose his own spiritual pastor. He does not like to have
one chosen for him. The old fashion and the new fashion, the old
thoughts and the now thoughts are strangely commingled in Mr.
Buchanan's character. The noral magnet not only possesses
attractive and repellent powers, but it has a knack of showing that
it possesses them. Thus, as between the great governing forces
of the old country, the subject of our sketch would probably occupy
a position of curious isolation. On political and economical ques-
tions, his vote would be looked for among the names of the " Country
party," while on ecclesiastical or educational questions wo might
expect to find it with the " Manchester sect."

Mr. Buchanan is an earnest as well as a voluminous writer, and
had we space to philosophize on his opinions as well as gossip about
his history, there is no lack of material for discourse. We can
only say that the subjects of poUtical economy, and the relations of
the Colonies to the Empire, have received much anxious thought
from him. We have before us two works of his, of considerable
dimensions, one on the Industrial Politics of America, and the
other entitled " Britain the Country versus Britain the Empire."

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398

HON. ISAAC BUCIL^NAN.

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It is, by the way, an amusing peculiarity of our fellow subjects who
arc born north of the Tweed, to call the United Kingdom by a
pet name of their own — a name which would sorely perplex an ill-
informed foreigner, if his gazetteer, like ours, makes no mention of
any such country as " Britain." If, however, the title displays
eccentricity, the work itself is full of such thought as will enter
largely into the reflections of the future historian of the " Rise
and Progr-'ss " or of the " Decline and Fall " of the British
Empire : for it is a review of the ♦iconomical legislation of the last
twenty-five years.

Experience and the course of events will demonstrate whether
the old or the new school of economists are right. The time for
speculative debate has passed away ; moreover it must be allowed
that if the apparent results, a surprising increase of trade and a
wonderful accumulation of wealth, are the only tests by which to
determine the national prosperity, then the minorities on those
great issues would have to submit in silence to the scornful triumph
of the victors. There are however many, and the subject of our
sketch is one of them, who do not regard the matter as proven ;
who still think as our fathers thought, still believe as they believed,
on the great issues with which what is termed free trade is asso-
ciated. Mr. Buchanan may be disposed to agree in the policy
which prompts a manufacturer " to buy cheap and to sell dear ;" but
he further desires, on the principle of a well-to-do trader, not only
to attract customers but to keep them by using them well, and by
establishing between himself and them an identity of advantage. lie
regards Uie British Empire as a political, as well as a manufacturing
povrcr, and the integrity of the former is in his opinion necessary to
the expansion of the latter. For the maintenance of that power
and the support of those manufactures, " Ships, (Jolonies, and Com-
merce " are as necessary now as they were in the years that are
past. The assertion v/lilch is made by some that free trade and
colonial possessions are incompatible properties, is of itself a state-

'I I

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

399

ment of the gravest importance, and one Avliich is emphatically
reiterated by Mr. Buchanan. The requirements of the new policy,
so it is stated, oblige England to conciliate foreign countries, and
this process of conciliation must necessarily be and has frequently
been carried out, it might seem presumptuous to say, at the
expense of the permanent interests of the Kingdom, but at least
without regard to the present interests of the colonics. Foreign
propitiation appears to include if not to necessitate Colonial dispa-
ragement. The practice of cringing to the large customer is apt
to generate slights to the small one. Then, too, there is a looseness
observable in the tone in which old ideas are referred to. The
sentiments of aflfection and loyalty towards the Sovereign and the
State are, for example, apparently to bo determined by considera-
tions of profit and loss, of interest or convenience. Opinion is
substituted for principle, moral considerations give place to material
ones, while the very form and structure of our Government are made
subordinate to the accident of an extended or a contracted trade.
Mr. Buchanan distinguishes between free imports and free trade,
and forcibly points out what he believes was the true Imperial
policy, namely, for the British Government to have established
reciprocal trade with her colonial possessions in every part of the
world. Thus would her own Provinces have supplied cheap bread
to her people at home, while her population, instead of strengthening
a foreign and unfriendly power, would have continued to be her
faithful as well as prosperous subjects ; her best customers in time
of peace and her best soldiers in time of war. Whatever may be
the merit of Mr. Buchanan's opinions on this subject, it Avill not
be denied that they lean to virtue's side, for they glow with
patriotic love of his own and his adopted country. It is his desire
that Canada should be free, prosperous, and happy ; the delight of
the old world and the envy of the new. With the lines of Tennyson,
with which he commences his work on the Industrial Politics of
America, wo shall finish our sketch. They arc applicable alike

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HON. ISAAC BUCHANAN.

to him and to his thoughts ; to the Government of his affections and
Government of his choice.

O statesman, guard us, guard the eye, the soul
Of Europe, keep oar noble England whole,
And save the one true seed of freedom sown
Betwixt a people and their ancient throne, —
That sober freedom out of which there springs
Our loyal passion for our temperate kings ;
T'or saving that, ye help to save mankind
Till public wrong be crumbled into dust ;
And drill the raw world for the march of mind,
Till crowds at length be sane, and crowns be just.

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THE

HONORABLE JOSEPH CAUCHON,

OF QUEBEC.

It is a common practice of Mr. Cauchon's, as of other Parlia-
mentary speakers, to dispose of the personal matter to wliich a
debate 'may give rise, before he particularly addresses himself to
the question before the House. It was on such an occasion, albeit
several years ago, when the observations to be answered were of a
peculiarly irritating and offensive kind, that two strangers were
seated in the front of the gallery within ear shot of the writer,
who happened to be present at the time. Those strangers were
evidently Englishmen, their speech as well as their appearance
indicated their country, and the adjuration by one of them of his
patron saint, seemed to corroborate the impression. Mr. Cauchon,
we may remark, was more than usually severe in the rebuke he
administered. His look, his manner, his quick, short, crisp, senten-
tious English words, were all aglow with rage. " By George ! "
exclaimed stranger number one, " he's a rasper ! " I would rather
have him on my side than against me in a fight of that sort."
Leaving the personal matter, Mr. Cauchon proceeded with char-
acteristic energy, to deal with the question before the House. The
strangers evidently became more and more interested and not a
little amused. He whom we have called " number one " repeated
with evident satisfaction the observation he had already made.
His companion appeared to arrive at his conclusions with greater

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HON. JOSEPH CAUCIION.

deliberation. " I agree with you, but depend on it, ho is as
unmanageable as ho is imperious ; he would prefer to lead than to
follow ; I would rather have him for an ally than a colleague."
Turning to a gentleman who was near him, he enquired the name
of the speaker. On being informed, he apparently repeated it
to himself, and then said half aloud, " it lacks euphony." Had
tho stranger known what many of Mr. Cauchon's friends are aware
of, his mind would probably have discovered some attraction in a
name which is not euphonious ; for when a student, the authorities
of tho College, who seemed to have foreknowledge of his career,
suggested to the subject of our sketch the propriety of resort-
ing to a by no means unusual practice in some French families, of
assuming the surname of another branch of his race, and suggested
that of " Laverdierc," as it belonged to his family. The student
answered emphatically, and at once in the negative ; and with cha-
racteristic and prophetic force added that " he would make his
name honorable, even though he could nol make it poetical."

If the observations of the strangers are coupled with the decla-
ration of Mr. Cauchon, a step will be made towards an apprecia-
tion of his independent and self-sustained character. Like most of
our foremost men, he is indebted to little besides his industry and
his will, for the position he now fills in the state. His remote
ancestor, who was evidently a gentleman of consideration and
influence, for he was a member of the Conseil tSvpdrieur, arrived
in Canada in the year 163G. His son who bore the name of
Cauchon de Lavcrdiere was the Judge of the Court Hoy ale at
the Island of Orleans. The descendants of the Judge probably
from motives of convenience separated the name into two parts, —
one branch of the race adopting the former and the other the
latter half of the name. The subject of our sketch descended
from that branch through which the least poetical portion has
been transmitted. He was born at St. Roch's, Quebec, on the last
day of the year 1816. The house wherein the event took place

HON. JOSEPH CAUCHON.

4oa

I on it, ho is as
cr to lead than to
lan a colleague."
nquircd the name
•cntly repeated it
euphony." Had
friends arc aware
mo attraction in a
mt, the authorities
dgo of his career,
•opriety of resort-
drench families, of
ice, and suggested
nily. The student
;ive ; and with cha-
e would make his
! it poetical."
lied with the deck-
Yards an apprecia-
;ter. Like most of
!8 his industry and
itate. His remote

consideration and
Siipdrieur, arrived
bore the name of
3 Court lloyale at
le Judge probably
c into two parts, —
and the other the

sketch descended
octical portion has
Quebec, on the last
e event took place

was purchased by his father of the groat Bishop Plcssis, of
whose character and abilities the subject of our sketch in his
early years heard a great deal spoken, and at whoso memorable
funeral he took, when only a child, some subordinate part.
Later in life, but still in the season of his boyhood, he used
to accompany his father to the House of Assembly, where,
as many may have heard him remark, he -was intensely
moved by the eloquent speakers of that day, including such
men as Valli^res, Papineau, and Andrew Stuart. It was
on such occasions the observer might see in the wrapt manner
of the earnest youth the inclination of the ambition which has
matured in the man. Though too young to analyze the merits
of an argument, he was not too young to feel the magic of
eloquence. His ear, we may easily conjecture, was held hi blissful
slavery. Passages of tumultuous eloquence, which occasionally
startled the Assembly, touched the heart and (juickcncd his fancy.
His listening thoughts poised themselves like bees upon the
impassioned speech of impassioned men. The very depths of his
spirit were stirred with the thrilling accents of subduing oratory.
He was hushed and awed ; but as he listened, there arose within
the silence of his soul, like the new life near a mother's heart,
a resolve to work and win a place in that great Assembly, and
there scatter the intellectual wealth which he had resolved to
store.

Joseph Cauchon entered the seminary of Quebec, at thirteen,
and left at twenty-two years of age. His college life was passed
at a time when the animosities of race were rife, when boys of
English and French descent cultivated their enmities, it is to be
feared, with more diligence than they did their classics. It is,
therefore, no matter for surprise, that one possessing the ardent
temperament of the subject of our sketch, should make consider-
able progress in the study of national antipathies. With the ardour
of youth, and the heat of prejudice, he dabbled in political science,

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HON. .TOSKPII CAUCIION.

aaid, with more passion than judgment, commenced his political
career as a v,riter in " The Liberal ;" a newspaper which was then
published in the interests of the French Canadian party.

In 18:J7, while still a student, Mr. Cauchon commenced the study
of the law, under the guidance of one whom ho alwayi admired,
the late Mr. Justice Morin. As, however, it was ruled to bo con-
trary to the coWcge statutes to enter on a professional, before tho
student had finished his university course, he Avas obliged to interrupt
those studies. In 1839, he was articled to Mr. James Baird,
a barrister of large practice. But law had less attraction for
him than literature ; and though he completed his indentures, it is
proba1)lc that the profession of which he became a member, like the
exact pursuits of his college life, lost its fascination in the more
congenial studies of ancient and modern history, contemporary
literature, and popular criticism.

By profession a lawyer, but by taste a politician, it was natural
enougli that he should in the years 1841 and 1842, during the
absence from Quebec, of Mr. Parent, have been charged Avith the
duty of editing Le Canadien ncAvspaper. It might bo advan-
tageous to compare Mr. Cauchon, the writer of that day, with Mr.
Cauchon, the writer of the present time ; for the author of twenty-
five, and the author of forty-nine, express their thoughts very
diflfercntly. At the former period, the words are stronger than the
thoughts ; at the latter, the thoughts arc stronger than the words.
The effervescent style of youth weakly exhilarates after the manner
of ginger-beer, Avhile the earnest style of maturity perceptibly
strengthens after the manner of still wine.

On his appointment to the office of Clerk of the Executive
Council, Mr. Parent relinquished his interest i:i Le Canadien
Mr. Cauchon, at the same time, Avithdrew from the duty of tempo-
rary editor. The experience then acquired had confirmed his taste
for polemical Avriting. He, therefore, determined to cstabUsh a
newspaper, to be named ie Journal de Quebec; and the deter-

HON. JOSEPH CAUCilON.

405

cnced his political
)cr which was then
m party.

iimcnccd the study
D alwav] admired,
as ruled to bo con-
3sional, before the
)bliged to interrupt
Jr. James Baird,
less attraction for
is indentures, it is
L member, like the
lation in the more
<Yy, contemporary

ian, it was natural
1842, during the
I charged Avith the

might bo advan-
;hat day, with Mr.

author of twenty-
)ir thoughts very

stronger than the
r than the words.
s after the manner
turity perceptibly

of the Executive
i:i Le Canadien
lie duty of tempo-
lonfirmed his taste
ed to estabUsh a
7/ and the deter-

mination being carried out, with tlie re^^olution with which it was
adopted, Mr. Cauchon had the satisfaction to discover that in
ministering to a need of his intellect, ho was also gratifying a desire
of his countrymen. His maiuier of doing so, was in keeping with
his character, for he went personally from house to house, and from
door to door to seek for subscribers. Mr. Cauchou was prol)ably
mindful of the old proverl), "The fox could find no wiser ambassador
than himself." In his case the ambassador succeeded.

On the 1st of December, 1842, the first number of Le Journal
de Quebec was issued. In looking back at that number, there
is, we think, reason to admire the breadth of view, whicli, at that
early day the young editor was able to take of his own duties
and of the duties of his countrymen. " lie was prepared," it was on
this spirit he wrote, " without reserve, and in great sincerity to offer
a fraternal hand to all, no matter of what race or creed, whose pur-
pose, like his own, Avas to work for the happiness and prosperity of
the country." From that period, Mr. Cauchon must be regarded as
representing two characters. He is a professional journalist and a
leading public man. In his former character, he speaks through
the columns of his newspaper. In the latter, we must listen to
him either within the walls of Parliament, or in the state papers
which bear his name. It is probable, that his history in both
characters, might be most accurately found in the columns of his
newspaper. "The Journal," as he is accustomed to speak of it,
was not only the offspring of his energy, the true child of his brain,
but it was also the accredited representative of his thoughts as well
as a chronicle of his own times. Amidst the heat and violence
of debate, the strife of parties, and the struggles of faction, the
journalist was ever jealous of the reputation of his journal ; ardently
anxious that it should be a power in the realms of thought, he lost
no opportunity of nurturing its strength. His aim was to secure
an audience, to control opinion, and to make " The Journal " an
influence, as well as a property.

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400

HON. JOHKl'II CAUOHON.

Tlio ohscrvatioii not iintVtMiuently iimdo, tliat " The Journal "
made Mr. Cauclion, is, wo think, doficiont in ncciiracy, tor wo
incline to the opinion that had he novor controlled that news-
|)a[)er, Mr. Cauchon would have been a power in the state.
Indeed newspa[)er jcfjirnalisni haa its serious dniwl)ack8 as well as
its manifest advantages for those who aspire to political influence.
The (piestion is by no means determined whether, all thin^^s con-
sidered, the position of a public man is or is not improved by rea-
son of his connection with the public press. Certainly the school
of newspaper journalism is not the best school for the education
of statesmen ; for it appears to bo a condition ot success that
an American or Canadian newspaper sliould not only express the
sentiments and influence the aims of a party, which is fair and
right enough, but that it should be rc(piired to do so in an un-
healthy way. Thus it is to be observed that professional journalists,
in their anxiety to stimulate their writings and supply a sting
to their periods, are too apt to disregard the restraints and cour-
tesies which they would elsewhere, and under other circumstances,
scrupulously observe. They too often write as if society had
lost its civilization ; as if all opinion was unworthy of respect
which was not coated with the particular colour it is their
pleasure to affect, or shaped according to the particular pattern
it is their taste to prescribe. The science of Government, the
philosophy of politics, the connection of thought with education
and of both with race and origin, if discussed at all, are too
frequently discussed in tones of exasperation, really as foreign
to good breeding as they are to fair controversy. It is true,
indeed, that the public has acquired a certain liking for the
style; for its intellectual palate has, in some measure, become
reconciled to its literary food. People appear to like what is
strong, and to relish what is spicy ; and therefore it may be said
that the purveyors of literature cater for what the consumers of
literature appreciate. The question is not without importance in its

HON. .IOSi;i'II CAICIIOM.

407

" Tho Journal "
accuracy, lor we
•oiled that newa-
er in the state,
vbacks as well as
)olitical influence,
r, all things con-
iniproveil hy rea-
rtainly the school
or tho education

ot success that

)nly express the
k'hich is fair and
do so in an un-
sional journalists,
suj)ply a sting
I'aints and cour-
3r circumstances,
i if society had
orthy of respect
lour it is their
articular pattern
jrovernment, tho
; with education

at all, are too
really as foreign
sy. It is true,

liking for the
aeasure, become
to like what is
e it may be said
be consumers of
importance in its

relation to the pul)lic ; but it is not in this aspect wo are rciiuircd to
view it. Oiu' doubt relates to the writers themselves, ami to tho
influence which an exaggerated and distorted style of thought and
expression is apt to exert on the minds of those who [)ractiee them.
Is an atmosphere of suspicion a heiilthy atmosphere to dwell in? Is
the habit of invective a wholesome habit to practice ? Do such a
condition and such a habit increase the (lualifications of those who
aspire to the grave, calm, judicial duties of statesniansbip? Prac-
tically they may be stepping-stones to iufluenco, but positively they
are passports to enmities ; and it is sometimes found in the season of
trial that the latter are strong enough to destroy the former. Thus
the journalist discovers that though he can influence general opinion,
ho cannot attract personal support. By the very force of his intel-
lect he has attained to power, and yet by tho very rpiality of his
intellect he has missed popularity. Tho truth is that the states-
man-journalist is always speaking. His utterances may be parlia-
mentary, within the Avails of the senate, or they may be extra-
parliamentary, tlu'ough the columns of his newspaper. lie is always
on his actual or on his literary legs. As a matter of necessity,
therefore, he speaks too much ; and since pco})le will luifortunatoly
confound what he says with what he writes, his temper is sorely
tried by his being rofpiired in person to justify both kinds of speech.
A newspaper may help its proprietor to power, but it will also do
much to embarrass him when in power. A gentleman who
possesses ability sufficient to establish a newspaper like " The
Journal," may be fairly supposed to have ability sufficient to establish
himself apart from such accessory. If this view be conceded, it is
possible that the accessory may become a source rather of weakness
than of strength.

To return from what, perhaps, may be regarded as a digresssion.
Subjects of a grave constitutional character almost immediately
engaged the attention of the young editor. The resignation of
Mr. Sullivan's administration, in the autumn of 1843, was followed

408

HON. JOSEPH CAUCnON.

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by the crisis, which lasted during the contitiuanco of Lord Metcalfe's
rule. Mr. Cauchon, who had in the year 1844 been returned for
the County of Montmorency, strongly supported the view taken by
8ir Louis Lafontaine on that memorable occasion, and as st' jugly
censured the course which the late Mr. Vigor felt himself to bo
called ujwn to take. The strife lasted until March, 1848, when
the Lafontaine-Baldwin administration was formed.

It has been observed elsewhere, that Sir Louis Lafontaine pre-
ferred Mr. Baldwin's simple remedy for Canadian misrule to Mr.
Papineau's more elaborate, but less manageable, schemes of
redress. The resolutions which, by their adoption, established the
fact of ministerial responsibility to Parliament, were considered to
be, and they were, of infinitely more value than Mr. Papineau's
famous ninety-two Resolutions. The Elections of 1848 resulted
in the signal triumph of the party wliich afterwards supported the
Lafontaine-Baldwin Government, and which supported, therefore, the
principles by which they were governed It was, however, noticed
that among the members returned there was one whose name in
other days Avas a talisman. People were curious to observe
how this chief of a by-o;one period would confront the new
events ; how he, the Honorable Louis Joseph Papincau, the
great leader in the past, would follow one who had once followed
him. It was, moreover, very soon apparent that the people of
Lower Canada and their old oracle had studied political philosophy
in different schools, and that the sea of troubles which parted
them in 18o7-C8 was, in truth, a sea of irreconcilable separation.
Mr. Papincau, flushed with the victories of the past, issued his
manifesto to tlie electors of St. Maurice ; Mr. Cauchon, confident in
the possessions of the present, issued his counter manifesto to the
electors of Lower Canada, and the effect which the latter produced
on the French Canadian po[)ulation is not forgotten even at this
day. Mr. Papincau was not likely to overlook the audacity of
Mr. Cauchon. Some may recollect with what violent invective

HON. JOSEPH CAUCnON.

409

oof Lord Metcalfe's
4 been returned for
d the view taken by
ion, and as sti mgly
r Mt himself to be
March, 1848, when
led.

3iiis Lafontaine pre-
idian misrule to Mr.
I^eable, schemes of
tion, established the
were considered to
an Mr. Papincau's
s of 1848 resulted
ards supported the
orted, therefore, the
s, however, noticed
one Avhose name in
curious to observe
confront the new
sph Papineau, the
) had once followed
that the people of
political philosophy
bles which parted
icilablc separation,
le past, issued his
uchon, confident in
sr manifesto to the
lie latter produced
;otten even at this
k the audacity of
i violent invective

the former, In 1849, attacked the latter. They may also remember
with what unabashed courage the latter repelled the attack. This
passage of arms between the veteran leader and the youn"- member
enabled the House of Assembly to sec the (piality of the new metal
and estimate the value of the old. With some approach to accu-
racy, they assayed the political worth of both. The examination,
we believe, resulted, for the time being, in the bestowal of the
guerdon to the younger combatant.

Durin,;; the same Session an effort was made by Mr. Papineau
and two other members, in the alleged interest of Lower Canada, to
quash the condition of the Union Act, which assigned to the two
Provinces, irrespective of population, an cpial number of represen-
tatives. Those resolutions declared, that representation should
have been based on population, and that a disregard of that condi-
tion was curiously enough represented to be " contrary to justice
and the rights of British subjects." It is true the resolutions in
question received the support of three members only, but one of
those was Mr. Papineau. The occasion gave Mr. Cauchon the
opportunity of showing that population as a basis of representation
formed no part of the Union Act. On the contrary, that the Act
in question provided for sectional and not for [)ersonal e(piality, and
he for one was content to stand by the law. It was thus Mr.
Cauchon spoke against those ayIio, in the supposed interest of Lower
Canada, when the population of that Province preponderated, sought
to disturb the balance struck by the Union Act. From the same
stand point he has subsequently resisted those who, in the interest
of Upper Canada, when the population of that Province preponde-
rated, have sought to disturb that balance.

The occurrences which preceded the violent European agitation
in 1848 were to a limited extent followed by corresponding results
in Canada. The economical and industrial ipicstions which agitated
England ; the social and political ones which disturbed France,
repeated themselves in this Province. The commercial community

I (. 1 II
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410

HON. JOSEPH CAucnoN.

was excited by the former, and all Eastern Canada was moved by
the latter. The free traders triumphed in En<^Iand and lo !
active and intelligent band of free traders sprang to their feet .»
Canada. The democracy of France awoke from its slumber and
suddenly possessed itself of the accunndated strength of years,
for with the might of a giant refreshed it nerved its gaunt arms
and flung around its form a mantle of mischievous facination.
Popular right was arrayed against Divine right. What was termed
the majesty of mind suiipianted the majesty of birth, and an
affrighteil Sovereign was succeeded by a coterie of savants. Tiiis
curious passage in modern history possessed attractions for the
visionary class all over the world. Canada like other countries
possessed its dreamers, for there are Utopians here as well as else-
where. Thus it was, that certain aspirants to human perfection, well
meaning enthusiasts, set themselves to work to put everybody and
everything in a state of moral and political rei)air ; for Canada, like
France, was under their manipulation to become little less than the
glory of all lands. The social flurry, in its purely French form,
speedily passed away, but the consetpienccs remained even after
the causes out of which they rose had vanished. Before the union
of the Provinces, there had been political sections ja Lower
Canada. There now arose political parties. Forme'' 'he sec-
tions were separated by interests, now ^he parties arc separated
by princi[)lcs. These parties, under the convenient, though not
very comprehensive names of rouge and bleu, remain to the
present day. It is, moreover, probable that the influence of
European thought hastened those new political combinations
in Canada, which speedily took substantial shapes. The vener-
able Mr. Vigor in 1844, it may be, saw dimly, what the subject
of our sketch in 1848, saw plainly, that a conservative habit
of thought is peculiar to all races, and connnon to all tribes.
Though differing in name, it is identical in character, for it
si)rings from the like root. Mr. Caron questioned Mr. Vigor's

i.i.ii

HON. JOSKl'lI CAUCIION.

411

ida was moved by
ghiiul and lo !
»g to tlieir feet .,
11 its slumber and
itren^tb of years,
'^ed its gaunt arms
lievous facination.
Wbat was termed
of birtli, and an
of savants. Tbis
ittractions for tbe
CO otber countries
sro as well as else-
an perfection, well
ut everybody and
; for Canada, like
Httle less tliau tbe
•ely Frencb form,
iiained even after
Before tbe union
actions ].\ Lower
*'orme' ' 'be sec-
ies are separated
nient, tbougb not
, remain to tbe
tbe influence of
cal combinations
pes. Tbe vener-
wbat tbe subject
onservative babit
ion to all tribes,
cbaractcr, for it
)ned Mr. Vigor's

wisdom, and Mr. Draper was embarrassed 1)y bis weakness : but
1 ler of tbosc acute politicians e.vpres.scd any aversion to tbo
sytapatlvetic conservatism wbicli be felt, and wbicb tbe alliances be
projected were calculated to bring about. Tbe fusion failed, not
because tbe projectors disliked one anotber's company or doubted
one anotber's tbeory of political aflinities, but because tbe [)lan was
embarrassed by wbat was stigmatiiied as a violation of constitutional
usage. We bave not space to state particulars, and only allude to
tbcm, because of tbe important part wbicb Mr. Caucbon took in
bringing about tbose combinations wbicli were initiated 1)y tbe
coalition of 1854, and wbicb, since tbat day, bave bad tbe effect
of separating politicians in Lowor Canada, l)y very ])road and
distinguisbing lines. Tbere remained, bowever, to bo accounted
for, and still remains in Lower Canada, a very considerable
intermediate party, wbicb for personal respectability, social status,
and independent tbougbt, must and does exert notewortliy influ-
ence in tbe state. Witbout flying eitber of tbe above colors,
or attacbing itself to eitber of tbe parties Avliicb tliey are
supposed to represent, tbis party appropriates to its own use some
of the best qualities of botb, and on occasion gives its support to
eitber. Tbougb perbaps not considerable in number, it is liigbly
esteemed and assiduously courted, and like tbe "Peel" section
in England its influence is perceptible, even wbcn its power is
denied. Tbo Lower Canada section of tbe Sandfield Macdonald-
Sicottc administration may be mentioned as representing tbis party.
Tbougb neitber radicals nor conservatives, tbey arc easily recog-
niz' (1, and did we possess a Canadian counterpart for an English
term c should indicate tbis intermediate party by tbe old " blue
and biif" name of "whig."

Befor the consummation at which many persons aimed could be
brought about, other important changes were to take place. Sir
Louis Lafontaine and Mr. Baldwin retired from Parliament in 1851,
and were succeeded in tbe Government by Mr. Hincks and Mr.

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412

HON. JOSEPH CAUCHON.

Moria. The vote in the Court of *Chancoiy Bill, Avhich cllsturbcd
Mr. Baldwin in 1850> and subsequently forced him out of office,
imi)Oscd new duties on his successor. Mr. Hincks was required
to appease the extreme reform party of Western Canada, and to
do so he was constrained to include in his administration gentlemen
whose principles, besides being an exaggeration of his own opinions,
were exceedingly obnoxious to the subject of our sketch. Finding
Mr. Cauchon exceedingly troublesome, Mr. Ilincks, in the year 1851,
sought to silence him with subsidy, and to this end offered him the
post of Assistant Secretary, with a seat in Parliament, though not in
the Cabinet. The offer was declined, and the subject became the
text of an animated discussion between Mr. Ilincks and Mr. Cauchon.
At the general election which followed the abrupt dissolution of Par-
liament in June, 1854, Mr. Hincks nsed every means in his power
to keep Mr. Cauchon out of Parliament, but he found the consti-
tuency of the latter stronger than his aversion, for Mr. Cauchon
was again triumphantly returned. The latter continued with
unabated vigor to oppose the Western section of the Government,
nor did he relax his exertions until it was overthrown in September,
1854. The coalition Government which succeeded was very
acceptable to Mr. Cauchon, not because he admires coalitions, but
because it foreshadowed the alliance of the conservative elements
of the Upper and LoAver Canada populations. Such an alliance he
had ardently advocated, and had earnestly striven to bring about.
The first measures of the new Government Avere very important
ones. Mr. Cauchon took a very active part in the discussions
of the Seigniorial and Clergy Reserve Bills, and contributed not a
little, both in and out of Parliament, to the final settlement of those
great ([ucstions.

In January, 1855, on the preferment of the Honorable Mr.
Morin bo the Bench, Mr. Cauchon became a member of the Admin-
istration, by accepting the office of Commissioner of Crown Lands.
In the month of March following, he introduced and carried through

IIOX. JOSEPH CAUCIION.

413

and carried throuyih

the Legislative Assembly the gravely important Bill for reiidoring
the Legislative Conncil elective. He continued in office luitil
April, 1857, when a difference of oi>inion arising between himself
and his colleagues on the subject of the North Shore Railway, he
withdrew from the Government. Wo are not acipiaiuted with the
precise issue which was raised on the occasion, nor is this work a
fitting place to discuss its merits. The transaction acutely affected
the subject of our sketch, and led to his temporary estrangement
from his late colleagues. The disagreement produced no perma-
nent change in Mr. Cauchon's political principles, although it exerted
for a time a marked influence in his })ersonal relations. Thus, he
who was and is regarded as a strong party-man, appeared suddenly
to cross the House and take his place with the opposition. He
was, moreover, courted by, and frequently voted with, his new
associates ; for the law of retaliation is not ruled by princii>les of
exact logic. Taking counsel of his feelings rather than of his
judgment, Mr. Cauchon perhaps thought it excusable to withdraw
his confidence from those whom he fancied had withdrawn their
confidence from him. Thus, during his state of antagonism with
respect to his old friends, and of alliance with his new ones, the
transactions occurred which have marked, but not with Avhite chalk,
the five days in July and August, 1858. In the course of the negocia-
tions which preceded the formation of the short-lived Brown-Dorion
administration, Mr. Brown paid Mr. Cauchon the compliment of
consulting hira with respect to some of the arrangements. We do
not know, and if we did, Ave should not commuuicatc, Avhat trans-
pired at those interviews. The circumstance is only referred to as
illustrative of the depth of Mr. Cauchon's mortification Avith, and
of his estrangement from, his late colleagues, and not of his affection
for, or confidence in, his new friends. His state of political isola-
tion Avas not Avithout advantage, for it enabled him to give one
vote to Avhich we think he may turn Avith approval. On the 2nd
August, 1858, in amendment to Mr. Bureau's motion, " That Mr.

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414

HON. JOSEPH CAUCnON.

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Speaker do issue his wiirrant to tlic Clerk of the Crown in Clian-
ccry to make out a new writ, &c.," Mr. Langevin moved " Tliat
this House, while orderin^g the issue of this writ, feel it their
duty to declare that the administration, the formation of which has
created this vacancy, docs not possess the confidence of this House
and of the Country." The circumstances under which the motion
was made were so peculiar, so unprecedented, and altogether so
embarrassing, and the debate thereon so passionate and bewilder-
ing, that the venerable Mr. Merritt, who was probably at that time
the oldest member of the House, and a gentleman of great modera-
tion, moved " That the Debate be adjoiu-ned until to-morrow." The
motion was lost, but in the list of " yeas" is to be seen the name of
the Honorable .Joseph Cauchon. The amended motion for delay
being resolved in the negative, the subject of our sketch appears to
have withdrawn, when the division on the main question was taken.
Bearing in mind the fact that the Legislative Assembly may be
said to have been then sitting as a judicial tribunal, charged with
nothing less than the trial of an administration, and under cir-
cumstances, too, without parallel in our history, Mr. Cauchon may
fcUcitato himself that at such a time he voted for delay.

In the month of June, 18G1, Mr. Cauchon accepted the office
of Chief Commissioner of Public Works, which office he continued
to fill until the defeat of the Cartier-Macdonald administration in
the month of May, 18G2. At the General Election, which took
place in the following year, great efforts were made to secure hia
defeat. Mr. Tourangeau, the then Mayor of Quebec, was selected
to contest the County against Mr. Cauchon, The defeat of the
former was signal and complete. If a Nemesis did not pursue
the defeated, she at all events seemed to befriend the victorious
candidate ; for two years afterwards, by a unanimous vote of his
fellow-citizens, Mr. Cauchon was elected to succeed Mr. Tou-
rangeau as Mayor of Quebec.

On the formation of the Tache-Macdonald Administration in

the CroAvn in Chan-
cviu moved " That
writ, feci it tlieir
nation of which has
Icnce of this House
31* which the motion
, and altogetlicr so
onatc and bewiklcr-
•obably at that time
an of <^reat modera-
il to-morrow." The
be seen the name of
x\ motion for dehxy
ir sketch appears to
question was taken.
3 Assembly may be
bunal, charf'cd with
on, and under cir-
Mr. Cauchon may
or delay.

accepted the office
office he continued
d administration in
lection, which took
made to secure his
uebec, was selected
The defeat of the
sis did not pursue
lend the victorious
nimous vote of his
succeed Mr. Tou-

Administration in

nON. JOSEPH CAUCIION.

415

1804, Sir Etienne is reported to have offered Mr, Cauchon a port-
folio, with a seat in the Cabinet. This ofier, for reasons of a ])ublic
rather than of a personal kind, Mr. Cauchon thought fit to decline.
His refusal to take office, as is usually the case, became in the esti-
mation of many people a reason why he should accept it. Perhaps
at no period of Mr. Cauchon's career has he been considered
more (pialificd to render the state service than when, in obedience
to a sense of public duty, he declined the responsibility of doin"-
so. The honor, he may fairly presume, is only postjioned ; fur the
offer will be repeated some day and appropriated too. The act of
acceptance will lose none of its grace by reason of the self-denial
Avhich has occasioned delay. Patience is one of many virtues which
statecraft employs. Mr. Cauchon is to l)e congratulated on his aljility
to practice this vii'tue, for it belongs to the passive family, and it is
not germane to his impetuous character. But patience is a policy
as well as a virtue. It is therefore probable that Mr. Cauchon, who
knows himself, may see history in analogy, and may therefore choose
to wait till his native country becomes as eager as was his native
city to appropriate his services. lie may look forward to a day when
the Province of Canada will welcome him as a Minister Avith as much
enthusiasm as the population of Quebec welcomed him as their
Mayor.

The history Avhich preceded Mr. Cauchon's nomination to the
Office of Mayor of Quebec Avas amusing as Avell as instructive. It
Avould seem that the act of incorporation Avas defective, and that
municipal affairs Avere so ill managed that people Avho had any
respect for the credit of the city Avore involuntarily constrained to
cry "shame." Matters arrived at such a pass that the subject of
our sketch seriously urged all Avhom it might concern to take every
proper means of bringing about a suspension of that Act under Avhich
the city Avas incorporated, and of imposing the duties Avliich that Act
prescribed on commissioners to be nominated for that purpose. The
evils were not, Ave believe, exaggerated, nor Avere the animadver-

416

HON. JOSEPH CAUCIION.

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sions misapplied. Still, though there was truth in the reproof and
honesty in tlio reprover, neither were for the moment well received.
The result was amusing, for the corporation which had felt itself
aggrieved by the attack, did itself the honor and their censor the
justice of supporting the popi lace, which, by acclamation, elected
Mr. Cauchon to the office of Mayor.

Mr. Cauchon, as we have said, excused himself from accepting
office in the Tachd-Macdonald administration ; he, nevertheless,
gave that administration, as well as the government which suc-
ceeded it, his unwavering and ei; ergo tic support. The great ques-
tions which especially claimed consideration had received from
him a degree of research which might occasion surprise, had we no
knowledge of his power of apj)lication, and of his ravenous ajjpetito
for work. He delights in work. He never declines to examine a
problem because it may be craggy or obscure. Thus, in 1852,
he combatted with unflagging zeal the arguments of those who
sought to bring about a confederation of the Provinces, irrespec-
tive of the considerations which, in his opinion, should be inseparably
associated with the scheme. Mr. Cauchon desires not only that
local interests should be duly considered but that guarantees
should be afforde<l that the Confederacy shall rest on a monarchical
and not a republican foundation ; and thus possess the conditions
of stability and permanence, of justice and order. In 1865, the
plan agreed on by the QucLoc delegates in 18G4, was officially
"communicated ; and it received from the subject of our sketch, his
determined and elorpient support. In and out of Parliament he
has persistently labored to inform and prepare his countrymen
for a political change, which they had been accustomed to regard
with much disfavor. Had Mr. Cauchon been a member of the
administration, he could not have served the state more effectually
than he did by the outside support which he gave the Govern-
ment on that important {question.

'■■ '' J V'.

HON. JOSEl'II C.VUCIION.

417

Mr. Cauehon's gcncrJil information includes also a very exact
amount of personal knowled^^'e. lie is aware of the strong as well
as of the weak points of his character. " Time the teacher" has
added much to his ac<iuaint!\nce with the former, and the disciitline
of wisdom is very perceptihly elVacing the drawhacks of the latter.
Examjjle and experience, knowledge and observation, arc not mere
idlers of the hrain. They move dull minds, and they control active
ones. In cither case they influence conduct, and inform men how
to act as well as how to think. IJesides an indoinitahle will Mr.
Cauchon possesses great individuality of character ; determination
which no opposition caiu intimidate ; industry which no labor can
exhaust, and perseverance which no discouragement can appal, lie
moves vehemently, as well as i)ersistently, towards the point he wishes
to arrive at. Such movement, moreover, appears to be impelled by
the unrestrained despotism of his thoughts ; thoughts which know
neither friend nor counsellor outside of the fervid l)rain in which
they arc generated. The matter of his speech harmoniiccs
with its temperature. He rarely persuades ; he seeks rather to
destroy than to convince ; to expose the weakness of his adversary's
argument rather than exhibit the strength of his own. He docs
not resort to so})histry, being careful only to assert truth, or
•what he believes to be truth. lie conciliates by accident, while
he controls by habit. Force is his normal condition, and intel-
lectual activity is the life of that condition. lie delights in
mental gymnastics, and enters with zest, and from sheer love
of the exorcise, into the arena of controversy. Though he
lacks the flexible qualities which go far towards making a leader
popular, he possesses the forcible ones which make an ally valuable.
He is a powerful associate, and a dangerous opponent. His cha-
racter and practice are not inaptly expressed in a tolerably well-
known epigram. But the process prescribed in the epigram is
not without hazard. In the heat of debate a flower may be mis-
taken for a nettle, or a "reserved" interpreted as a "common"

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418

HON. JOSEPH CAUCHON.

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nature. In such cases the " grasp" and the " grater" would bo
sadly misapplied.

" TeiKlcr-hritiilcd strokt? a iicttlo,

Ami it .slinks you lor ymir piiihs ;
Qriup it an a mtm of inottlo,

And it Hoft UN silk roiiiaiiis.
'Tis the siiiiic with comiMoii natures,

Use UuMii kindly, (licy rol)ol ;
But be roui^h as niutiiu'K graters,

And the rogues obey your will."

A strong will is only ono phase of a strong character. It
is commonly associated with strong feelings and strong emotions,
strong aftcctions and strong resentments. The sense of gratitude,
for example, in Mr. Cauchon's nature seems to be as controlling
as is his sense of resentment. If the occasion justifies tho
allusion, tho listener is touched by the tender and reverential
tones in which he speaks of those Avho watched his youth and
inclined his mind to thought. It is his practice to mention, with
almost filial tenderness, the hu.. )red names of Jerome Dcmers, and
of Louis Jacques Casault, who, the metaphor is Mr. Cauchon's,
"broke for him the bread of science." " The bread of science!" It
may be well to remember that such bread is not broken equally to all,
or possessed equally by all. To the subject of our sketch it may have
been given with an open and an affluent hand, but to many with
whom he is brought into contact it has been bestowed with pinched
and grudging fingers. The inequalities of such possessions should
make the rich man tolerant, as well as charitable. Arrogance of
wealth, no matter whether that wealth be material or intellectual,
is at best a weakness ; it may be a crime, and it must be a hurt.
None should be impatient towards the " poor destitute," no matter
whether his need springs from the lack of " daily bread," or from
the lack of that " bread of science," which Mr. Cauchon has eulo-
gized so feelingly, and loves so well.

" Knowledge is proud that he has learnt so much ;
Wisdom is humble that she knows no more."

prater

would bo

y character. It
I strong emotions,
lenso of gratitude,
be as controlling
aion justifies the
• and reverential
jd his youth and
) to mention, with
rome Demers, and
is Mr. Cauchon's,
ad of science!" It
[)ken equally to all,
sketch it may have
but to many with
owed with pinched
possessions should
le. Arrogance of
*ial or intellectual,
it must be a hurt.
stitute," no matter
ly bread," or from
Cauchon has eulo-

much;
•e."

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V!«?JN!»?BTOW,JT".----'^'"

SAMUEL WENTWORTH MONK, ESO

LATE PROTIIONOTARY OF Tlli, COIUT CV (jUEElCs I1KX( II, MONTliEAL.

" Tho purest treasure mortal times afford

Is spotless reputation ; that away,

Men are but gilded loam or painted clay."

Were any one inclinod to write a history of " The Civil Procedure "
in the District of Montreal for the last half century, he could
scarcely find a more appropriate text than the gentleman Avhose like-
ness looks at us from the opposite page ; for his career as Protho-
notary of the Court of Queen's Bench began with his appointment
to that office in 1815, and ended with his death, in 18G5.

An official life of exact duty and continuous service is not
generally seamed with excitement. Nor is it desiraMc that it
should be so ; for even work is best performed by even minds.
Lives of pure purpose and single aim are necessarily ruled by
high principle. Time pays homage to such lives. He makes his
visits gently, and seems to hold his hand lest he should too roughly
touch " locks once comely in i virgin's sight," or mark with
unwelcome tracery a brow whereon care had Avritten no wrinkles.
It is very charming to meet with well-preserved official people, of
the old polished type, who flourished Avhcu time was younger.
The specimens arc yearly becoming scarcer. They arc passing
rapidly from the region of observation to the realms of memory.
Some fossilized forms remain to remind us, even amidst the still-
ness and decay of nature, of the old manners which we are losing,
and of the old fashions which are gradually dying out.

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420

SAMLEL WENTWORTII MONK, ESQ.

In the raarcli of fifty years, young law students became old
lawyers. Counsel in ^tuff robes behind the bar became counsel in
silk robes before the bar ; and then ascending step by step in the
path of fame, many of them presided with dignity in the Court,
where they had pleaded with elocpience. Generations of lawyers,
generations of counsel, generations of judges rose from honor to honor
until tlic measure of their service being full, they were no longer
spoken of in the present but in the past tense, and the place which
once knew their persons remembered only the wit that sparkled in
their speech, or the learning which was associated with their names.

But amidst change and succession one person in that Court
remained almost unchangeable. For fifty years the courtly Pro-
thonotiiry, in .his robes of office, was, at the accustomed periods,
seen in his accustomed place, mindful alike of the duty to be done
and of tiic manner of doing it. Thus he appeared to possess
perennial properties ; for in a community where all else was chang-
ing, he remained almost unchangeable ; the graceful representa-
tive of two generations ; an object of personal admiration and
an example of official integrity.

Samuel Wcntworth Monk was remotely, as well as immediately,
descended from progenitors of mark and consideration in England
and America. Ilis early ancestors resided in Devonshire, the
County Avhere the great Duke of Albepmarle was born, and where
other members of the Monk family had lived. The subject of our
sketch was born at Windsor, Nova Scotia, on the 3rd May, 1792.
He was the third son of Major Monk, a gallant royalist, who
had followed without faltering the fortunes of his flag. On the
establishment of the independence of the United States, the Major
settled, with his wife, Elizabotli Gould Wentworth, in the more
hospitable though less attractive portion of America ; where he
could, witliout challenge, caress his cherished opinions, and rev-
erently pray for the Sovereign in whose service he had fought,
and Uve under the flag hi whose honor he had been willing to die.

SQ.

SAMUEL WENTWORTH MONK, ESQ.

421

tudcnts became old
,r became counsel in
step by step in the
ignity in the Court,
icrations of lawyers,
B tVom honor to honor
they were no longer
and the place which
wit that sparkled in
ed with their names,
erson in that Court
irs the courtly Pro-
accustomed periods,
the duty to be done
appeared to possess
i all else was chang-
graceful representa-
)nal admiration and

veil as immediately,
ieratiou in England
in Devonshire, the
as born, and where

The subject of our
he 3rd May, 1792.
llant royalist, who

his flag. On the
d States, the Major
Yorth, in the more
Luierica ; where he

opinions, and rev-
ice he had fought,
been willing to die.

His son, the subject of our sketch, was admitted to the bar of
Nova Scotia, in 1813. Almost immediately afterwards he left the
Province for Canada, where, in 1815, through the influence of his
uncle, Sir James Monk, he was appointed Prothouotary of the
Court of King's Bench.

The even course of official duty appears to have been interrupted
on one occasion only, and the circumstances which led to that
interruption are sufficiently noteworthy to have a jjlace in these
pages. In those curious old times the estates of the Pr(n'incc
appeared to understand one another very indifferently, for thoir
condition was one of chronic antagonism. Indeed their disposition
to live in hot water was so controlling, tliat we look in vain for any
evidence of harmony, much less of concord. The piiUlc servants
in those days of contradiction found it to be in the highest dca-ee
difficult to determine the true course of thoir duty, for the chart was
by no means clear. At the present time, for examjile, no ono in the
service of Parliament may, Avithout the previous permission of the
House in whose service he is, attend and give evidence before
the House in whose service he is not. Py a parity of reasoning,
it may be presumed that an officer of the Executive Government,
in the absence of the permission of the head of the Government,
possessed no more personal liberty than an officer of Parliament.
Without the permission of the head of the Government, he had no
authority to obey the summons of either House of Parliament. Yet,
in the presence of the force either House when in session could
exort, he could not help obeying. Such officer might, if he felt
so inclined, sacrifice himself to what he chose to regard as hia
sense of duty. Force might drag him to the bar of the Assembly,
but no force would compel him to give evidence on his arrival there.
This seems to have been the dilticulty in the present instance, as
the following extracts from the journals of the House of Assembly
of Jjower Ca,nada will more fully explain :

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422

SAMUEL WENTWORTII MONK, ESQ.

Wednesday, 19th FEBiiuAny, 1817.

Sesolvptl,— That Samuel' Wentvvorth Monk, one of the Joint Prothonotarics of
the Court of King's Bench for the District of Montreal, has refused to exhibit
certain llccords in his possession at Quebec, which he was ordered to produce by
the Special Committee appointed to investigate the charges against Lewis Charles
Foucher, Esq.

Resolved, — That the said Samuel Went worth Monk has thereby been guilty of
a contempt of this House, and a violation of its privileges.

Mesoli'ed, — That the said Sanuicl A\'ent\vorth Monk be taken into the custody
of the Scrgcant-at-Anns attending this House, or one of his Deputies, and that
Mr. Speaker do issue his warrant accordingly.

Friday, 21st Febuuary, 1817.

The Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms attending this House reported at the Bar, that
in conformity to the order of this House of the nineteenth instant, Samuel Went-
worth Monk, Esq, Joint Prothonotary of the Court of King's Bench of Montreal,
had been taken into custody, and was at the door waiting the orders of the House.

Orrfercf/,— That Sanuiel "Wentworth Monk, Esq., now in the custody of the
Sergeant-;it-Arms attending this House, for contempt and a breach of the privi-
leges of this House, for said offence be committed to the common gaol of this
District, and that tlie Speaker do issue his warrant accordingly.

Satduday, 22xd February, 1817.

Mr. Speaker stated to the House as followeth :

That he had this morning, in obedience to the commands of the House, signed
the Warrant for the commitment of Samuel Wentworth Monk, Esq., to the com-
mon gaol of the District of Quebec.

After which.

The Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms at the Bar, acquainted the House, that in obe-
dience to its commands, he had lodged the body of Samuel Wentworth IVIonk, one
of the Joint Prothonotaries of the Court of King's Bench for the District of ^lon-
treal, in the common gaol of the District of Quebec, and that he now holds the
gaoler's receipt for the body of the said Samuel Wentworth Monk.

Mr. Monk did not relish his commitment to the common gaol ;
nor did he approve of the personal degradation which the pro-
ceeding involved. He therefore prepared a petition which, at his
request, Mr. Ogden, a member of the Assembly, presented to tbni
House. The Petitioner, having stated his case, concludea Ljr
praying to be heard at the bar, with a view to his speedy liberation.
This proceeding on his part did not conciliate members. On the

SAMUEL WENTWORTII MONK, ESQ.

428

thereby been guilty of

contrary, it was for some unexplained reason regarded as an
aggravation of his offence, and it was answered by an order of
the House to extend the term of his imprisonment to the end of the
Session. This treatment, whether constitutional or otherwise, did
not exert a soothing influence on the prisoner. Indeed it was scarcely
calculated to do so. Mr. Monk, therefore, meditated plans of retalia-
tion and reprisal. On his liberation from gaol, he lost no time in
submitting his wrongs to the opinion of counsel, and of invoking
the poAver of the civil tribunals, to redress those wrongs, and
punish the persons whom he regarded as the representatives of the
wrong doers. What he did will be better understood by reading
the following entries, Avhich we extract from tjie journals of the
House of Assembly of the year 1818 :

28th January, 1818.

Mr. Speaker acquainted the House, tliat liaving, in obedience to it.s orders,
caused to be apprehended and imprisoned Samuel Wentworth Monk, during the
last Session of the Provincial Parliament, this gentleman was enlarged at the pro-
rogation of the Parliament, and caused him, as also the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms
and the keeper of the common gaol of this District, to be summoned to appear on
the first day of April now last past, in the Court of King's IJoncli for this District,
to make answer to an action of damages, instituted by him, on account of a certain
alleged false imprisonment, as appears by the copies of the "Writ of Sununons and
Declaration, which, with the leave of the House, he shall submit to its considera-
tion.

This suit having been instituted after the prorogation of Parliament, it has been
out of his power to take the orders of this House. Governing hiiiiself by the
instances which appeared to him analogous, and were pointed out in the journals
of the Commons of Groat Britain, he employed advocates at the Dar of Quebec,
who fyled an appearance for the Defendants, and are to file their pleas on the first
day of February next.

Ho awaits the orders of the House, as to such further proceedings as it seem.«
expedient to adopt.

On motion of Mr. Taschereau, seconded by Mr. Cuvillier :

Eesolved, — That the papers laid before this House by Mr. Speaker, and his com-
munication on that subject, be referred to a Special Committee of seven members,
to examine the subject matter thereof, and report the rules, usages, and customs
of the Imperial Parliament in like cases.

Ordered, — That Mr. Taschereau, Mr. Viger, Mr. Gugy, Mr. Dorgia, Mr. A.
Stuart, Mr. Cuvillier, and Mr. McCord, do compose the said Committee.

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424

SAMUEL WBNTWOllTH MONK, ESQ.

A very elaborate, and amusing report was the result of the
reference. The Committee sought, by carcfull collated evidence,
and references to precedents in England, as \ HI as in some of
the Colonies, to vindicate the proceedings of the Assembly. This
report was not referred for consideration, it was simply ordered to
lie on the table.

A few days afterwards the following resolution was adopted :

24T1I March, 1818.

On motion of Mr. Taschoreau, seconded by jMr. Iliiot ;

Remlved,— That Mr. Speaker and the Deputy Sorgeaiit-at-Arms be permitted to
plead to the action of S. W. Monk against Ihcm.

Resolved,— That the Attorney General be directed to defend Mr. Speaker and
the Deputy Sergeant-at-Arras against the said action.

The case involved one of those grave and inconvenient constitu-
tional issues which statesmen are much more anxious to avoid than
provoke. The balance of power among the estates of the realm
ought not to be a fiction. Whether it is so or not is a discovery
which should be left to those who, in the spirit of mischievous
curiosity would disturb, not to those who, moved by the considera-
tions of wisdom, would maintain the accuracy of the balance.

The circumstances we have referred to were the only events of
a public nature which seriously ruffled the even current of Mr.
Monk's official life. His days succeeded one another, like the se-
rene days of the Indian summer time, neither bright nor dark, but
uniform in their temperature and soft in thoir colouring. The
speech which one day uttered to another day was strangely similar,
for order and discipline, exact duty, and similar occupation
marked them all. There was probably the usual difference in the
speed with which they appeared to hasten onwards ; for

Slow pass our days in childhood ; every day
Seems like a century , rapidly they glide
In manhood; and in life's decline they fly.

But before the ending, bofore the Prothonotary's life was
*^ rounded with a sleep," before his large, kind, generous heart

SAMUEL WENTWORTII MONK, ESQ.

425

Arms be pormittod to

'end Mr. Speaker and

was hushed to rest, his professional and other friends, represented
by the bar of Montreal, desired to present him with some mark of
their regard which should help to remind him of them, and them
of him. To this end they instructed an artist to paint two portraits
of Mr. Monk, one of which was to be given to him, and the other
was to be placed in the library of the Court House, and to become
the property of the Law Society. Their desire to preserve in
some unfading form the lineaments of their official friend was a very
commendable desire. It was consistent with good taste that the
portrait of one on whose •' unembarrassed brow " " nature had
written gentleman," should be transmitted to posterity, as well
as remembered by contemporaries. It was a happy conceit to
retain in the Court House his shadow who for fifty years was an
ornament of the Court. It was an equally happy thought to
present a likeness to the original, to be preserved as an heir-loom
in his familly. The double testimony represented opinions on the
part of the donors that Mr. Monk was, in private and public,
worthy of all honor ; alike deserving of the loving reverence of
his relatives, as of the affectionate regard of his friends. He died
at Montreal on the 13th March, 1865, loved by many and lamented
bv all.

If solid happiness we prize
Within our breast the jewel lies,

And they are fools who roam ;
The world has nothing to bestow ;
From our own selves our joys must flow,

And that dear hut our home.