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Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont film6s en commencant par la premiere page qui conporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derni^re page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaitra sur la dernidre image de chaque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbole — ♦- signifie "A SUIVRE ", le symbole V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent etre film6s d des taux de r6duction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour etre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est film6 d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m6thode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ;/ ;/ THE QUARTEHLY REVIEW. Art. I. — 1. Johnsons Graphic Statistics of the Development of Canada since 1867. Ottawa, 1888. 2. Canada: Statistical Abstract and Record from 1886 to 1888. Published by the Department of Agriculture. Ottawa, 1888, 3. Tables of the Trade and Narif/aticn of Canada, 1887-88. Ottawa, 1889. 4. Daijlight Land. By W. H. H. Murray. Boston, 1888. 5. Manual of the Constitutional History of Canada. By J. G. Bourinot, LL.D., Clerk of the House of Commons of Canada. Montreal, 1888. WE propose in the present article to review as briefly as practicable certain phases of the material and political development of a country which has now entered on the most important era of its history. At the present time, when certain American politicians are casting covetous eyes on the territorial expansion and natural resources of the Dominion of Canada, and when there are even men amongst the Canadians who are not satisfied with the progress that the country has made under circumstances of great difficulty, and only see reasons in the existing condition of things for pessimistic utterances ; at a time like this it is as well perhaps we should consider the situation of affairs, take stock as it were at the commencement of the year, and consider if there is much cause for congratulation for what we have already done, and sufficient grounds for con- tinuing in the same line of courageous effiirt which true and hopeful Canadians believe has already won such eminent success. In pursuance of this object we shall call upon our readers not to take up those economic or other questions which are matters of doubt and controversy among politicians chiefly anxious to subserve the purposes of party, but to review those salient facts which stand out in bold relief on the pages of Vol. 169.— iVb. 337. B the 2 Canada : its National Development and Destinij. the public records of Canada as illustrative of the substantial projj^ress and real happiness of the community. That our readers may fully appreciate the value of the heritage which Canada now possesses, we ask them to follow us for a few minutes as we take them through the countries over '. 'hich her great lines of railway pass. Starting from the East, we see the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island — Newfoundland still remaining isolated from the rest of British America — with an aggregate population of nearly a million souls, with coasts surrounded by the most valuable hiheries of the world, long the object of the envy of their American neighbours. These provinces possess rich mines of coal and other minerals, while their shipping industry is larger than that of all the New England States. They are indented by noble harbours, and by rivers which enable their people to have communication with the sea-coast in every direction. Proceeding northward through New Bruns- wick, with its picturesque hills and valleys, and its rivers teeming with salmon, we come to the country watered by the St. Lawrence. First, we pass through blie historic province of Quebec, the home of a million and a quarter of people, who are descended from those courageous Frenchmen who followed Champlain into the wilderness more than two centuries and a half ago. A range of mountains, coeval with the earliest ages of the world, stretches from east to west, and dips its slopes in the waters of the great river. A large farming population, chiefly French Canadian, cultivate these Laurentis..! slopes, and the fertile lands which extend to the southward of the river as far as the American frontier. Valuable mines of phosphate are found in the hills, which add much to the picturesque beauty of a province famous for its rugged scenery, its rapid rivers, its wide lakes, and its impetuous cataracts. Large forests of pine still rise in gloomy grandeur on the heights overlooking the upper waters of the St. Mauricv, and Ottawa Rivers, and give employment to the many thousands engaged in one of the most profitable industries of Canada. Leaving Quebec, we travel on to the premier province of Ontario, which claims a territory ex- tending from the river Ottawa, the western boundary of Quebec, to beyond the head of Lake Superior, the largest of the inland waters of the Dominion. The greater part of this province illus- trates the energy and enterprise of two millions and a half of people by its prosperous cities and towns, its teeming granaries, its well-cultivated farms, its busy factories. This country pro- duces a large surplus crop of wheat, and other agricultural products, besides fruits of every kind that can grow in a tem- perate j/^'i Canada : its National Development and Dedinij. 3 perate climate. Then, passing' from this wealthy province, we find ourselves in that illimitable region which is generally known as the North-West Territory, and which in the early days of the Dominion was an entire wilderness, aptly styled the Great Lone Land. Here within fifteen years has been esta- blished the prosperous province of Manitoba, with a population probably of eighty thousand souls, and one city of nearly thirty thousand. This is the region of the prairie with its tall grasses and many flowers, stretching for miles without a break, until the very sameness of the scene becomes weary to the eye, and the traveller longs for the bold hills and green forests of the East. Rivers of great length wind through the prairie lands, and afford facilities for navigation for steam and other craft of small draught of water. As we proceed west we gradually leave the fine prairie lands, and find ourselves in the rolling country that lies on the east of the Rocky Mountains. Wheat and other agricultural products are grown in the prairie region of a quality not surpassed on any other part of the continent. On the large tracts of rich grazing land that lie at the base of the Rocky Mountains, thousands of cattle can thrive at a relatively small cost. A considerable area of country is of carboniferous formation, and promises to yield abundant fuel of excellent quality — a great boon to the people who are to settle a region without the maple and hardwood forests of the old provinces. Passing through one of the natural gateways of the Rockies, we descend to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The dark waters of the Fraser River pursue their devious way through a country surpassing other sections of the Dominion in mountains whose snow-clad peaks are ever lost amid the clouds. As on the Atkntic coast the Island of Cape Breton, with its great coal- fieldi". and spacious harbours, guards the eastern approaches to the Dominion, so on the Pacific shores the island of Vancouver, with .'ts rich deposits of coal, stands like a sentinel at the westenr terminus of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Large tracts of land in this beautiful province are suitable for farming purposes ; its rivers and coasts abound in salmon and other fish, and its mountains in gold. When vre come to survey the statistics of ihe progress of this great country, so rich in natural resources, it is satisfactory to know that its material prosperity has followed closely on its political development. According as the political privileges of the people hi ve been enlarged and they have enjoyed the fullest measure of stlf-government, with as little interference as pos- sible from th^ parent State, all branches of industry have attained larger proportions and the territory and wealth of the B 2 country \ .J!^!^: Canada : i/s National Development and Dcstinif. country have oxpnnded. All the progressive stages of thi» political (levclopincnt have l)een taken since Her Majesty became (^ueen of I'^ngland. It will he perhaps not the least glorious feature of her reign, that the people of this depen- dency will always associate her name with the extension of their political liberties, and the development of their material prosperity. When Her ^lajesty ascended the throne, the total population of Canada did not exceed one million of souls, nearly one-half of whom were in French Canada. At present the population of Canada may be estimated at five millions, of whom at least four-fifths are native Canadians. The fact that there are four millions of people born in Canada is important, inasmuch as it gives some explanation whv there exists in Canada, above all other dependencies of the Empire, a growing national sentiment — a pride in Canada and her successes — and an earnest desire to place her in the van of the British communities of the workL The French Canadians at present number at least a millioa and a quarter of souls, for the most part occupying Quebec, and adhering with remarkable tenacity to their religion and institu- tions. These people, whose ancestors came chiefly from Nor- mandy and Brittany, are very sociable in their habits, and fairly industrious, although slow to adopt improvements and adapt themselves to the new order of things. A great many of them are employed in the lumber and manufacturing industries of the country. Preferring such occupations to agricultural pursuits,, large numbers have for many years sought employment in the manufactories of New England, especially in the cities of Fall River, Holyoke, and Lowell. The population increased in the greatest ratio during 1840 and 18G0, while the large and fertile province of Ontario had great tracts of fertile land to offer to immigrants. Then the prairies of the West of the United States continued to attract the great bulk of European emigration. The young men of Canada, in the absence of a large system of manufactories, sought the cities and towns of New England. The fishing vessels of Gloucester and Marblehead were manned by Nova Scotians and New Brunswickers as long as the fisheries of the Maritime Provinces were open to the industry and energy of the United States. It is only within a few years since the world has known the extent of the fertile area of the Canadian North- West, that there has been built up a large system of manu- factures, and that the coal and fishing industries have received a new impetus, to keep Canadians at home to develop the great resources of their own country. Following Canada : its National Development and Destiny. 5 Followinji^ the example of the United States, a considerable ipopulation has been of late years steadily flowing from Ontario and the other provinces into the rich prairie lands of the Canadian West, where the opportunities for making new homes for themselves, and amassing a competency at the least, are now far greater than any offered in the United States. These facts encourage us to believe that the exodus, which has been an unsatisfactory feature of the past history of Canada, is practically ■at an end. Let us now consider some of the results which have been achieved by these five millions of people who occupy a country with an area of only 400,000 square miles less than that of all I'lurope, and greater than that of the United States, if we leave out Alaska. The wealth of the Dominion is still derived chiefly from its forests, its agriculture, and its mines, though it is satisfactory to know that of late years a large and valuable manufacturing industry has been built up. The value of the aggregate trade of Imports and Exports may be placed at present at a little over 40,000,000/. sterling, or an increase of 35,000,000/. since the commencement of the reign of the Queen. No feature of the commerce of Canada is more satisfactory than the growth of internal trade in manufactures and home products between the •different members of the Confederation — a trade which does not show in the Canadian blue book of Imports and Exports. At the present time there are throughout Canada probably over 3000 mills and factories, small and large, engaged in manufacturing industries of all kinds ; representing a capital of some 35,000,000/.; employing upwards of 260,000 persons; paying wages to the amount of 15,000,000/. ; and producing goods annually to the value of 65,000,000/. Whatever doubts political economists may have of the soundness of the ' national policy ' of Canada, there is some reason in the argument advanced by its advocates, that it has been successful in making Canada in certain respects independent of other countries, in giving employment to capital and people, in teaching Canadians the benefits of self-reliance, and in helping to create a national feeling. This is a question, however, best left to the domain of the politician and journalist, who are likely to perplex us to the •end — if, indeed, the end of the discussion can ever come. Canadians refer with much satisfaction to the statistics of their maritime wealth. Their fishing grounds have been, from the earliest times of which we have any record, the resort of the ileets of the great maritime powers. The value of the annual catch of fish has increased from two millions of pounds sterling ill 6 Canada : its National Development and Destiny. in 1875 to over three and a half million pounds at the present time, apart from the home consumption, of which we have no satisfactory statistics, but which may be estimated at two million and a half pounds in addition. The deep-sea fishery is now carried on in a better and larger class of vessels than formerly, and the crews are consequently able to compete suc- cessfully with the enterprising fishermen of Gloucester and other ports of New England. The people of New I'^ngland have always cast an envious eye on the fisheries of Canada ; and now that the controversy has been revived, we mcay be sure there will be a determined effort on their part to gain access to her vjiluable waters on terms as little favourable as possible to the Dominion. The Canadians, however, knowing the increasing value of their fisheries, are not disposed to surrender their rights without receiving adequate return. They are quite prepared, as in 1854, to enter into a fair arrangement of reciprocal trade in certain products of both countries, but it is also now quite evident that the dominant party in Canada will not make any treaty with their neighbours which will in any way interfere with the success of the national policy, or make Canadians dependent on the United States. The natural resources of Canada have naturally tended to develop a large commercial marine in Canada. In the first place, the carriage to foreign markets of her principal natural products — of the mine, of the fisheries, and of the forest — has always given a great stimulus to the construction of vessels of all sizes, from the full-rigged ship which sails rouna the world, to the little schooner which is engaged in the fisheries or the coasting trade. Canada now owns a fleet of between six and seven thousand vessels, with an aggregate tonnage of over a million and a quarter of tons, valued at over six million pounds sterling — a tonnage which places her in the front rank of com- mercial and maritime people. It is true the decreasing demand for wooden vessels has of recent years stopped the construction of large ships ; nevertheless, in view of the great coasting trade — which has increased from 10,000,000 tons in 1875 to 18,000,000 in 1888 — of the rapidly-expanding output of coal for domestic use, and of the yearly increasing demand for better and faster schooners for the deep-sea fisheries, this branch of maritime industry is still active, and Canadians can hold their own with their Avealthy and progressive neighbours. The province of Nova Scotia has coal and iron capable of producing the finest steel, and the maritime capitalists of the Dominion must sooner or later turn their attention to that class of vessels which are best suited to the necessities of the commerce of these days. The Canada : its National Development and Destiny. esent e no two wry than suc- antl I The forests of Canada annually produce some two hundred and fifty million cubic feet of timber of all kinds, of which one-half consists of white pine. The value of the annual export of the forests is at the present time 4,()0(),( )()()/. sterling, or an increase of .about ()00,000Z. since 1868. The pine woods of the Ottawa and St. Maurice country are rapidly disappearing before the axe of the lumberman and the fires of the careless settler or hunter, and the time must come when the principal timber supply of the Dominion will be found on the hillsides of British Columbia. But while the forests are decreasing in value, the agricultural industry of the whole of Canada continues to bo developed every year on a greater scale. Coal exists in great a])undance on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, and throughout the north-west territories ; iron of the finest quality is found in every part of the Dominion, while gold, copper, and ever}' valuable mineral known to commerce, are mined throughout the Laurentian range and the mountains of British Columbia. All the provinces, but especially Ontario, grow a great variety of agricultural products. The wheat, especially of the North- West, is acknowledged to be the best raised by any country in the world. The total value of farm products of all kinds may be roughly estimated at 30,000,000/. sterling. The stock owned by the best farmers is generally of the higher grades, imported at a considerable cost from I'^ngland and other countries. In the English or Eastern Townships of the province of (Quebec, and in Ontario, there are stock farms with herds of Jersey and other cattle, which it would be difficult to equal on the great estates of the old world. But the farmers of Ontario do not confine themselves to wheat and other grains, for they now raise a large quantity of apples, peaches, plums, and grapes. The annual production of apples alone is now some fifteen million bushels, of which a considerable quantity is exported to the ]']nglish market from the valleys of old Acadia, the scenes of Longfellow's immortal poem, ' Evangeline.' The grape is not only raised for the table, but also for the making of very fair red and white wines, which resemble in appearance and flavour the cheaper Sauternes and Clarets of France. This is an industry which must increase in value according as the people better understand the niceties of such a manufacture, and when the temperance advocates, now so formidable in Canada, begin to see that, as the taste for these wines increases, the cause they have at heart will be greatly promoted. It is in the Great West of the Dominion that we must hence- forth look for the most remarkable results of agricultural industry. This region should in the course of years be divided into -.•sc;_eiiaj«*Kr; 8 Canada : its National Development and Destiny. into probably some ton provinces as large as the State of Minnesota, which was admitted into the American Union only a quarter of a century aji;o, and has now a population of pro- bably a million persons, and produces annually thirty-five million bushels of wheat. Now that the Canadian Pacific Railway is completed, Canada naturally looks forward to a con- siderable influx of settlers during the coming years, according as the value of the lands is better appreciated, and the ignorance that still exists as to their capabilities is dispelled by the evi- dence (,if unprejudiced witnesses. There can be no doubt, how- ever, that no other country in the world has the same area of rich agricultural land to offer to the hardy, industrious peoples of the northern countries of Europe. It was our good fortune to spend several mor hs during the past year in the Nort -West and in British Columbia, and to see for ourselves some v)f the capabilities of a region on which depends in a great measure the future greatness of the Dominion. Like every one who has made a similar journey, we have been as much delighted with the beauty and variety of the scenery as with the extent and richness of the fertile prairie. As we stood on the banks of the Red River of the West, where it mingles with the Assiniboine, and saw the well-built and well-kept city that has grown up since Canada has become a Federation of provinces, and still later as we passed for days through prosperous towns and villages for over fifteen hundred miles, as far as the Pacific Coast, we could not but feel satisfied with the results already achieved under the political system of the Canadian Government, and look forward hopefully to the future. But a very iew years ago, the flag that llew from the Hudson's Bay Fort on the banks of the Red River was the only sign of British supremacy at the edge of the prairie region. A little settlement of half-breeds and British people led a solitary life on the banks of the Red River of the North, and the Indians roamed the masters of the great plains. The cordon of towns and villages which now stretches across the continent from Port Arthur to Vancouver is the best evidence of a progress which is remark" able, when we consider that it illustrates a history which does not go beyond a decade of years. Stone and brick buildings of fine architectural proportions, streets paved and lighted by electricity, elevators and mills busy night and day, are the characteristics of towns over whose sites only yesterday silence brooded. To one who sees it for the first time, the prairie possesses an interest which gains on us as we travel over its green and flowery sward. There is something very impressive in the great Canada : its National Development and Destiny. 9 f;reat expanse of plain, only bounded by the deep blue of the horir^on — some such feelinj^ comes over one as when we find ourSilves amid the silence of ocean. 'J'he beauty and variety of the (lowers add much to the charm of the scene as we travel over the trails which offer such delightful drives — so soft and easy is the motion ; crocuses, roses, blue bells, convolvuli, sun- ■ilowers, anemones, asters, and other flowers too numerous to mention — if indeed we know all their names — follow each other in rapid succession from May to September, and mingle with the " billowy bays of grass ever rolling in shadow and sunshine." The sunsets in the prairie country are the most glorious that ever rest of lentify- 1 peace tries or to tlie , and it uld the prevail y in all 1 of the 3 of the entirely jgal and il be the what is lergy and idmirable •ccupying low being Imperial ip in the thing we linion are he United arth of the ive taught al but in a rful neigh- possible to rge system ay open to ite ready to air dealing, al relations, ic rally have ned towards iss since the less of these jent between )f a recipro- city city in the valuable fisheries of Canada, has naturally stimulated the national spirit of Canadians, and shown tliem the necessity of working out their own future patiently and determinateiy, with- out placing any too great dependence on the policy of their prosperous, energetic, but not always very trustworthy neigh- bours, whose desire for texritorial aggrandizement and com- mercial supremacy on this continent has more than once carried them beyond the bounds of generosity and justice in their relations with the Canadian provinces. Besides this national sentiment that is now growing up in Canada, especially among the young men, there has always existed certain influences decidedly antagonistic to political absorption into the United States. No influence has been greater than that of the thoughtful, intelligent classes of the French Canadian population, who arc anxious to preserve their institutions and language intact. In addition to this powerful French-Canadian influence in favour of the existing state of things, under which the French-Canadian population exercises so much weight — at times a supremacy in the political councils of the country — there is another sentiment which, if it does not appear to flow in as clear and well defined a current, nevertheless mingles with the stream of thought in the British-speaking communities, and prevents it running in the direction of the United States. From the commencement until long after the close of the war of Independence, there was a steady influx of Loyalists into the provinces, and especially into New Bruns- wick and Ontario, of which they were the founders. Some forty thousand souls in all made their homes in Canada, and laid the foundation of that love for British institutions and British connection which has ever been a recognized characteristic of the Canadian people. It may be easily supposed that the descendants of these Loyalists must now form no inconsider- able proportion of the five millions of people who inhabit Canada, and must exccise a silent, but none the less potent, influence on the destinies of Canada. Of the members of the Senate and House of Commons, some thirty gentlemen, several of them the leading men in both parties, are directly descended from this class, and we find them acting as lieutenant-governors and occupying important positions in every vocation of life throughout the Dominion. All these influences would probably amount to very little if Canada should be overburdened with debt, her great sources of wealth impeded, and her large schemes of opening up and peopling her undeveloped country in the North- West fail of realization during the next two decades of years. A wave of C 2 discontent «. t&>'(.»,?'si'i.*ia-«-} ijJlit-.' ir 20 Canada : its National Development and Destiny. II discontent .and lost hope would then probably pass over the (umntry, and bring to the surface an annexation party ; but it is idle to speculate on what appears, as matters are now, the most unlikely thing to happen. Whatever may be said by pessi- mistic writers like Mr. GoUlwin Smith, success has so far, on the whole, crowned the efforts of Canadian statesmen to con- solidate the confederation, and there is no reason to fear that heir hope of seeing new and prosperous provinces stretching as lar as the Pacific Ocean will not be realized during the next twenty or thirty years, as long as the mass of the people con- tinue to be animated by that spirit of enterprise and national ambition which has hitherto characterized their efforts. But during some months past a fruitful discussion has grown up on another question of vast import. Vv''ith the view, as they say, of preventing the disintegration of the Empire, a league of thoughtful men has been formed in England, with branches in Canada and the other dependencies, with the avowed object of fully discussing the whole question of Imperial Federation, in the hope that the result will be the development of some prac- tical scheme of union or federation on a basis which will preserve all the institutions of local government enjoyed by the dependencies, and at the same time enable all sections of the Empire to combine more satisfactorily for certain common pur- poses with the Parent State, than seems possible under existing circumstances. So far as the discussion has gone, there is a great diversity of opinion, and no one has been able to offer a scheme which is likely to prove workable. So far the whole question has not come out of the range of mere theoretical dis- cussion. We may, however, come to the following conclusions, when we sum up the opinions of prominent public men and of the press so far as they have been expressed : — 1. That the Canadians will accept no scheme which may in any way whatever weaken the admirable system of federal government and of provincial freedom which Canada now possesses under her present constitution. 2. That Canadians hesitate to entrust the arrangement of her financial or fiscal policy to any parliamentary body in which her representation will be necessarily small, and her influence consequently insignificant. 3. That a million and more French-Canadian people look suspiciously on a scheme of federation which may curtail their privileges, and bring them under the control of an Imperial Parliament, in which their peculiar interests may be jeopardized, and their identity as a distinct race eventually lost. These objections are believed by not a few persons to stand for Canada : its National Development and Destini/. 21 for the present in the way of the .idoptlon of the l;irf!;e scheme of federation, under which one general parliament would be created for the whole Empire — the most lon;ical scheme on its face, since it would give each province or section of the Empire control over its purely local or provincial affairs — and constitute one large legislative body, to legislate on all matters which would naturally appertain to the whole Empire. It must be admitted that, grand as appears this idea of a federation, the difficulties that impede its realization seem for the moment impossible to surmount. IJut still every one who is paying any attention to the move- ment in Canada must see that its promoters are making a steady headway, especially since the efforts of American politicians and their sympathizers to develop an annexation feeling, branches of the League are being established in every part of English-speaking Canada, and public meetings are fre- quently held to stimulate a public interest in the question. The League has among its members Lieutenant-Governors, heads of Universities, Members of the Dominion Parliament and of the Local Legislatures, prominent Divine^, and a large number of energetic young men imbued by true British sentiment. It must be expected, however, that some time will elapse before the masses can appreciate the importance of this great movement. There are so many decided advantages in the present political position of the country, that some great national crisis alone can show the people how frail after all in some respects are the ties that now bind the Colonies to the Empire. Because the people are now indifferent on the subject, is no reason why the advocates of an improvement in the relations between the Parent State and the Colonies should feel dis- couraged. Previous to 1864, the confederation of the provinces of British North America had been very briefly discussed in parliament and in the press, but the majority of the people throughout the country appeared to take little interest in the matter, and it was not until the political necessities of the two Canadas became very great, when government had become almost impracticable on account of divisions between the French and English sections, that leading men of both parties united on the general basis of the confederation. The legislative union of Scotland and England was not successfully consum- mated until the cause of the Protestant succession to the throne was in danger. The present constitution of the United States only became the fundamental law of the whole people when the old confederation proved a mere rope of sand, and there was every 7^^^^^m¥^LeS£]Z2i7^^^^nr^^^kiM^M*:' 22 Canada : its National Development and Destinij. every prospect of cUsintofjration. The same may be the case with the great question still new to the popular mind throughout the Empire. Some great national emergency may arise to show the Parent State, as well as her dependencies, the inetjuality and insecurity of the basis on which the Empire rests. At present Canadians may be apathetic, for reasons which we have endeavoured to set forth, as concisely as possible ; but fifteen or twenty years hence, when Canada will have a large population, and her vast territory will be divided into flourishing provinces, extending continuously from the Atlantic to the Pacific, they may feel that the time is come for demanding a higher position in the councils of the Empire, commensurate with their growth and importance. Questions of tarilfF may then sink into insig- nificance, and a people of fifteen or twenty millions will be entitled to a representation which may give them sufficient influence over the affairs of the Empire, and guard all their own immediate interests. The national sentiment which is slowly developing among the people may become dominant, and force Canada to assert herself more determinedly. Any one looking at the political movement throughout the Empire, has every reason for thinking that events are shaping themselves for important political changes. The parent islands themselves are, in the opinion of many astute observers, on the eve of a social and political revolution, the result of which cannot be foreseen by the most sagacious statesmen. The Imperial Par- liament must, sooner or later, be compelled to relieve itself of some of its functions which now render legislation in many cases impracticable. The Australian dependencies are im- proving their facilities for joint action, and must eventually recognize the necessity that exists for a wider scheme of federa- tion. Even the West Indies are commencing to see the necessity of some bond of political union, although no decided step has yet been taken in this direction. No doubt the prin- ciple of federalism, which above all other principles of govern- ment combines a strong central authority with local freedom of action, is likely in the future to unite all communities, naturally allied to each other by ties of a common nationality, or common political and commercial interests. The United States and Germany, and Austria-Hungary to a minor degree, illustrate the growth in modern times of this great governing principle, which has resulted from the necessity that lias arisen in these days of democratic tendencies for giving as full play as possible to the desire that exists in every community for local self- government. By the commencement of the twentieth century, in nm Canada : its National Drvclopment and Destiny. 23 ISO jut )\V Ivt Ive or r)n, in all probability the several jrroups of Colonies which enjoy representative institutions will be strongly consolidated into a series of powerful federal States, and become, in fact, so many semi-independent nations. Then, in the nature of things, it will be absolutely necessary to settle their future position among the communities of the world. .Some great political convulsion may precipitate matters, but in the ordinary course of events years must pass before the problem is likely to demand a solution. In the preceding pages we have not attempted to discuss the subject of Independence, knowing as we do that there are very few thoughtful men who believe that it would be prudent or wise for Canada to imperil her present position of ease and security, for one which would immediately entail so many heavy responsibilities at a juncture when she is already fully burdened with obligations, which it will require all her energies to meet for many years to come. No Canadian will of course deny that the time may arrive when a state of higher political existence may become the natural object of the aspirations of every man who is proud of his country and its successes ; but it is certain that many years must elapse before any question of this kind can possibly arise. It is questionable if Englishmen "•enerally even yet fully appreciate the sincerity of the loyalty which has kept Canada a dependency of the I'^mpire through good and evil report. The inducements to join her fortunes with those of the United States have been undoubtedly very powerful at times. It is certain that she could to-morrow enter the ranks of the American States on terms compatible with her self-respect, &"^d largely to her commercial advantage. But Canadians, as we have already shown, have never listened to the voice of the charmer, charm he ever so sweetly. They have always believed that their true interests lie in the direction of establishing a federation which will be a friendly competitor with its great neighbour in the important work which both, as agents of civilization, have to perform on the American continent. When, as in the nature of things it must be the case, Canada has far outgrown the position of a mere dependency of England, and the inequalities that now exist between her and the mother- country become more obvious to her people, and no practical steps have been taken to remove them, she is not likely to make an effort to dissever the ties that bind her to the Empire in a spirit of impatience and ingratitude. If the difficulties that now appear to impede the successful accomplishment of a large scheme of federation continue as impracticable as they seem at present, 24 Canada : its National Development and Destiny. I i - present, if the necessities of the Empire do not bring fibout