<\^ '%.^., .0., ^'^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ 1^ illlM IIM 2.2 JL4. Ill 1.6 <^. o <% ^>^ V ^^ ^w /A ^^V-0 ''^^.s:-^%>. ^^ ^% €^^ CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical Microreproductions Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques 1980 Technical Notes / Notes techniques The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Physical features of this copy which may alter any of the images in the reproduction are checked below. D D D D Coloured covers/ Couvertures de couleur Coloured maps/ Cartes g6ographiques en couleui Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolordes, tachetdes om piqudes Tight binding (may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin)/ Reliure serr6 (peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion le long de la marge intdrieure) L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a dt6 possible de se procurer. 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Tiie following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes ou les picnches trop grandes pour dtre reproduites en un seul clichd sont film^es d partir de Tangle supdrieure gauche, de gauche d droite et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Le diagramme suivant illustre fa m^thode : 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 iy& -■ 1^ i% CANADA AS A HOME. V.Y JOHN GEORGE BOTJRTNOT, THK CLDltK OP THE C.VKADfA.V 7foTf=!i,) OF ClMJIU.N- FKLLOW OP THE STATrsTICAL S.CIKTY OK .ONr.UN AN„ OP TU. RoVAr/cLsTAT. INSTITUTP HOMOKARY SECRETARY OF TITB ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA, ETC. Repv'micd I, '07a The Westndnsier Review for July, 1SS2. LONDON: TRUBNKR & CO., 57, LUDGATE HILL. 1882. \ 11 *ii.\jn!Mj \u>u ^u < .j.u ux^ toLJ i ^O ' j i^^ BIBLIOThEQUE DE M.I'abbeVERREAU .Yo I )i i-i.sioii Srrir ft H(s ? ./(> t 'J '■> T HAI.LANTVNR, H/INSON AND CO., EDINBURGH CHANUOS STREET, LONDON J CANADA AS A ITOiME. ^pHE fact that during tift.oen raontlis ending on the 3(Hh ot' L September last, nearly nine hundred thousand immigrants, largely drawn from Great Britain and frelaml, arrived in the United States, can hardly be regarded with satisfaction by those Englishmen and colonists who wish to see the waste places of the Empire filled up by an industrious population.'^' It is true there has been an influx of immigrants into Canada, particularly into her north-west, during the same period, but it has been a mere ripple compared with the tide which has flowed into tlio neighbouring country to give still greater impulse to its already remarkable industrial activity. It does not require any elabo- rate argument to prove that it would be of infinite value to the Empire at large were Canada and the Australian colonies in possession of all the national wealth that would be represented by at least one-half of the people that have given the preference to the United States for many years past. J3ut this is an old grievance of the colonial dependencies of England. Canada has never yet received her fair propOition of the cnornions immigration that lias for half a century left the shores of Great Britain and Ireland. More tlian ten millions of souls have made the United States their home within that period. Since 1867, when the provinces were united in a Confederation, a larger population than is now in all Canada has emigrated from Europe to the United States. It is true that Canada has prospered all th.e while, despite that policy of indifference to * The figures respecting American iiniuigiiitiou have been given the writer by Mr. SpoH'ord, Librarian of Congress, and compiler of the "American Abiianac." The ligun^s were exactly: for twelve monlhs (Milling the IJoili of June last, GG0,ii3'J ; for three moni lis e'luliu'^' the liUth of September last, f 7 1 ,S(Jl> A 2 Ciuudla as a Home. imporial intorosts tliat lias left the stream of omij^ration to (low away from Great Britain without direction. And if the Dominion has now a population of between four and five millions of people, enjoying no small amount of happiness and prosperity ; if her commercial and industrial progress is in some respects even greater than that of her neighbour; if her political and social conditions rest on a secure and healthy basis ; if her prospects are now of a most encouraging character, she may thank her own public men, who have succeeded, against many obstacles, in developing a country to whose importance, as a factor in the world's progress, statesmen and publicists, not only in England but in France, the original colonizer of Canada, are commencing at last to give a measure of recognition. It was inevitable that Canada should occupy, during the early years of her career, a position of considerable disadvantage on this continent. In those times, which now seem so distant, when she was a colony of France, the people that dwelt by the St. Lawrence and its tributary rivers were distracted by war and cramped by a system of government most antagonistic to color)ial growth. The more liberal institutions of the old English colonies of America gave greater scope to the industrial activity of tlieir people, and prepared them for all the legitimate results of national independence. For many years after Canada became a British possession she continued to upy the same dis- advantageous position. The British Amt ican Provinces were always overshadowed by the powerful \e\ ican confederation to their south. Previous to 1840, the.e was certainly some reason for the unfavourable comparisons that English statesmen and writers were always making between the two countries. " The contrast which I have described," said Lord Durham in his report, '* is the theme of every traveller who visits these countries, and who observes on one side of the line the abundance, and on the other the scarcity, of every sign of material prosperity which thriving agricultural and flourishing cities indicate, and of that civilization which schools and churches testify to the out- ward senses." These words were true enough when written, over forty years ago> while Canada was torn asunder by intestine strife. The union of 1840, however, caused a remarkable change in the material, social, and intellectual development of the Canadian Provinces, and, with the progress of free institutions and responsible government, schools were established in every direction, commerce flourished, and villages, towns and cities sprang up all over the face of the country. But, as a rule, the United States liave continued the cynosure of attraction for the European emigrant, anxious to change his poverty in the over- Canada as a Home. 5 crovvd<;d old world for the new hopes and aspirations tliat America olleis to himself and children. The influence of immigration on the relative pro<,'ress of Canada and the United States during the past forty years, whilst tlie former has enjoyed self-govern ment in its fullest sense, and has assumed almost national respon- sibilities, may be estimated from the fact that to-day one has a population of fifty millions, and the other only between four and five millions of inhabitants. Yet both countries entered on their work on this continent about the same time in the world's history. Quebec and Port Royal were in existence when the Piu'itan pioneers were toiling among the rocks of New England. But ever since Canada became a dependency of Great Britain, her progress has been more or less retarded by the fact of her close neighbourhood to the American Republic. Millions of British subjects have ignored the existence of a section of the Empire, where they could find every legitimate comfort and liappiness, without forswearing their natural allegiance. A stranger to Canada and lier resources would naturally suppose, on revising the statistics of emigration in the past, that there must be some radical weakness in the political institutions of the Dominion, som.e illiberality in its system of government, or some insurmountable obstacle arising from soil or climate, or a comparatively limited sphere of natural resources, to account for the remarkable preference so systematically shown by the European world for the American States when it comes a ques- tion of leaving the old home for one beyond the seas. No doubt a great deal of ignorance has prevailed, and still prevails, with respect to the advantages that Canada offers as a home. Nor would it be difficult now-a-days to find in the utterances of some English statesmen and writers more encouragement for the United States than for the Canadian provinces who, so far, certainly, have shown no other aspiration than to work out their national destiny in the closest possible connection with the Empire. So distinguished a writer as Mr. Gold win Smith, since he has become more closely identified with Canada, has never ceased throwing his douche of cold water on Canadian aspira- tions, or advocating that " Continental system '^ which, once carried out, would eventually make the Dominion a member of the American Union. Happily for Canada, an amount of inte- rest is being at last taken in her affairs that would have been impossible not many years ago, when the visits of Canadians to London were generally associated with colonial grievances, and the assistance of the American Minister had to be evoked on soine occasions to obtain " provincials" an introduction into par- ticular circles. The development of the vast North-west Canada as a Home. Territory simultaneously with the agrarian difficulties and agri- cultural distress in Great Britain and Ireland, have had the very natural efi'ect of opening the eyes of some British economists to the value of the Dominion, when compared with the United States, as a desirable field of immigration ; and it will be most fortunate for the Empire if ttiis growing interest in Canada should have some practical effect in diverting the stream of British emigration from the United States into England's most prosperous dependency. In such a case, the very condition of Ire- land itself may bo used to benefit the Empire. The Irisli make up no inconsiderable pro[)ortion of the large immigration that has passed into the United States for the past two or tiiree years. It is a sad admission, but nevertheless true, that a large number carry with them into their new home a feeling of bitterncKS against England, which, sooner or later, finds expres- sion in lier trials and difficulties. On the other hand, the Irish element in Canada forms an influential section of tlie population, orderly, industrious, occupying po'dtions of trust and responsi- bility in all parts of the C(jnfederation ; and it is a fact that in the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, and in the absence of old grievances, the Irishman is happy and contented, and seems to have forgotten those times when he was so restless a Kuhject of the Crown. In view, then, of the happy results that have illustrated the career of the Irishman in Canada, it is un- fortunate for the Empire that tliis class should, as a rule, go to build up the fortunes of the United States, instead of being induced to come into a country where, in the course of no long time, as experience has shown us, they must forget their old ani- mosities and cheerfully testify to the value of the institutions that make Canada one of the happiest countries in the Empire. It is undoubtedly a matter of pride to Canadians that a kindred people should in the course of a century of national existence have made such remarkable material, as well as intellectuid, progress. The United States uuist necessarily con- tinue in the career of national prosperity that has distinguished them for many a decade. Their system of government, despite certain inherent elements of weakness to which we shall allude ftuth(!r on, has in itself that influence which stimulates the pride and ambition of the people, since the highest honours are open to the humblest. The spirit of the country is essentially com- mercial, and yet nowhere is intellectual culture being developed more rapidly than among the people of the United States. The variety of cHmato and resources — the cotton and sugar of the South, the wheat and corn. of the North and West, the oranges and grape« ol' California and Elurida, the gold and silver of Canada aa a Uomc. agri- Colorado and the Pacific States, are among tlie examples of the remarkable resources that abound in the Republic. But whilst admitting the wonderful enterprise and the immense natural wealth of their neighbours, Canadians who know their own country well are not prepared to confess that the Dominion, when compared with its great rival, offers in every way far inferior advantages as a home for the millions of people who are giving the preference to the latter. Canadians cannot help feeling that the superiority that the United States have now in wealth and population, would not be quite so striking had the statesHiCn and people of Great Britain been, years ago, more alive to the importance of a national policy of emigration in connection with the Colonies that would direct systematically the stream of population to those portions of the Empire that seem best calcu- lated to develop the highest attributes of British energy. In the past the victory has been with the United States, and it must bo admitted that the world has gained much by the success of the Republic in building up new States through the aid of European emigrants. Canadians themselves are proud of such brilliant achievements, and believe that it illustrates the career of their own country in the immediate future, if it has anything like fair play in the race on which it has entered. In this pap'^r we propose to group together, as concisely as possible, such fatis and artjfuments as clearly prove that thore are certain material, social and political considerations which render the Dominion a most desirable home for idl classes of industrious people, especially for those who have a small amount of capital and are ready to take up lands in the old provinces or in the new territories. We wish to present such salient facts as may especially attract the attention of those educated, thoughtful men whose influence ought to rjidiate among the classes who are anxious to try theii fortune in a new country. It is to such moL Canada looks for sympathy and assistance in the national work in which she is now engaged; for that work may well be c^Wf'.d v < if Umn I which consists in developing 'he resources of an important dependency with no other or hi^.ier aspirations than to strengthen and draw closer, if possible, the bonds of connection between the parent State and the Dominion. With this object in view we shall, in the course of this article, present to our readers such facts as, to the mind of a Canadian, seem to render a Canadian home more desirable than any other, in any land whatsoever, for that large class — unhappily for the old world far too large — who find life a never-ceasing, unfruitful struggle, cramping all their best energies, and leaving them too often at last mere wrecks on the shore of hopeless poverty. [%;.aa 8 Canada as a Home, Considerations of national sympathy for a people who liavc always been attached to the Empire and its institutions should theoretically influence Englishmen to throw the weiglit of their assistance in favour of Canada ; hut looking at the matter more practically, it is hardly to be expected that any such natiouai sentiment can prevail with that class who wish to make new homes for themselves and children. When men and women liave toiled and slaved for years, amid surroundings of utter wretchedness, in the old world, it almost seems natural that they should come to think, when they think at all, that they must forswear their natural allegiance and seek new homes under a foreign flag. Perhaps some such feeling may often turn the scale against Canada when men are hesitating between the United States and a colony, which, in the minds of many, is even yet wrongly associated with inferiority in some shape or other. Be that as it may, the astonishing progress of the American States, and the comparatively humble position which Canada is still supposed to occupy, have certainly some effect on the minds of the European masses in the way of leading them to suppose that their future prosperity depends on their residence in tlie American Union. We are convinced, however, that the immi- grant, whether small capitalist or humble settler with little more than his industry to aid him, will soon find by experience that the Dominion offers him every comfort and advantage that he can fairly expect. In not a few respects indeed, he will find that Canada is making greater progress than her neighbour, and there are more advantages open to men in the provinces and new territory of the Dominion than in many States of the American Confederation. Several considerations will naturally prevail with an emigrant of ordinary intelligence when he is considering the question of his future home. In the first place, the all-engrossing question will be whether Canada possesses those resources within herself which will enable him to invest his capital witli safety and advantage, whether that capital be represented by his money or his labour. The stability and freedom of its Government must also be a question of all engrossing interest to men about to embark on a venture, where they risk all, in a new world. Some may associate lawlessness and peril with new homes in the vast districts which Canada is now opening up to the world, and may be in doubt whether a mere dependency is equal to the task of assuring their comfort and security in the Western wilderness. Others, again, will inquire, v/ith much curiosity, into the social characteristics of the country. Among the emigrants who come yearly into America there is always a proportion of persons with pecuniary means and social tendencies, who desire to live in the i (J(Ui(((l(i as a Home. 9 vicinity of the towns and ol(lt;r Kcttlomonts, and who must bo more or less prejiossessed in favourof a country wliich oll'ors thfui educational facilities not surpassed by any country in some respects, as well as many luxuries and comforts not attainabli) except by the rich in older lai'ds. No doubt t!u' man who has iio other alternative before him than to oo at once into the forest with his axe, atul build a log hut — and such a person .epresents the mass of emigrants — thinks little for the time being of educa- tional or social advantages. But as time slips l)y, and the sun- light dances over his broadening cleai inu's, au 1 his neighbours crowd upon his farm, lie begins to bt; animated by llu; ambition natural to his improved position, and to think at last of the education and future of his children. Then, af? he looks around, he will soon learn that the public men of the country where he has made his hom«; have jjoifected a system which enables a group of people in every section of the Dominioti to educate their cbildnni. In this, as in all other respt^cts conducive to the happiness and prosperity of a people, we shall see that Canada compares moht favouiably with, her powernd neighbours, notwithstanding that they have succeeded, by their remark. ..ble energy and enterprise, in leaving her far behind in the competition for the wealth and po]>ulation of the old world. Nearly all the natural advantages possessed by the United States exist in a greater or less measure in the Dominion. We may leave out of consiileration the Southern States, where the population that yearly flocks into America hardly ventures ; for the tropical heats of those regions repel the northern races, who make up the great majority of emigrants. It is to the north and west that the hopes of Eurof)eans are directed, and it is certain that the Dominion has a soil and climate no v'uy mferior for the sustenance of life and the growth of all those valuable products which are most in demand the world over. The fisheries of the provinces, including those of the Pacific Coast, and the lakes of the interior, are confessedly the most valuable in the world, and have mainly aided in developing that imporiant marine, which now places Canada in so high a position among maritime powers. Her maritime interest alone— that is to say, her lisheries and ships — has an estimated annual value of at least ten millions of poumLs sterling. The agricultural interest takes a very extended range, increasing in importance as the traveller goes West. The annual export of agricultural produce alone now reaches upwards of twelve millions of pounds, of which between cr60(),0()0 and ,X^800,000 are represented by horned cattle. On the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts are very extensive coal areas, sufficient to supply for centuries untold millions of people on this continent. The coal of Nova Scotia and Vancouver is bituminou.s, A 3 10 Canada as a Home. and fxcelltiit, for domfslic nnd mnniifiiofiirinn' pnrposos llif> jiiiiui.'d ('X|>(irt lieinf:^ valued at over i'(')(i(), (>()(), apnit f'lotii tlio Inrfjo output used by the people thenis(>lves in tlie pio- vinces. 'i'lie I'acilic 8tat(-s of tlic Uni(/n must de()eiid t'oi their supply on tlie rich mines of Vancouver, wliich are only in tlie infancy of their development. The forests coiUinue to supply superior pine timber to England and tlie United Staits — tln^ annual export being some four millions of pounds. Though the gold area of Canada is but insigniticant, so far as it is known, compared with that of the United Slates, yet British Cohimbia sends abroad nuggets, bars, and dust of the annual value of ci?20(),()()l). The iron, copper, phosphates, and buiUling stones of tiie provinces have a g( od reputation abroad, and aie being gracUially developed in tlic face of many obstacles, chietly the want of sufficient capital. 'J'he progress in all these industries, so varied and valuable in their nature, is steady and encouraging— enterprising Americans themselves coming into the country year by year, and bringing their capital and energy to bear on tlu^ development of the forest and s(^a. But it is to lur agricultural interest that Canada must always look, as the great .'^ource of lier future prosperity. All the grains and fiuils to bo found in northern latitudes flourish most successfully, in every section of the Dominion once despised by a king of Franco as a worthless region of frost and snow. Valuable tracts of farming lands exist in all tin? ))rovinct's, even in Nova Scotia, with its rock-bound coast of noble harbours, where more vessels are owned in proportion to the ]>opulation than in any State of the American Unic^n. The fainiiiii,^ lands of New Bruns- wick and Qu(^bec are of large area, and there are still districts where in those provinces, emigrants — especially those with a little capital — can find comfortable homes. Prince Edward Island is of limited extent, but it is a garden capable of bearing thd most prolific crops. It is, however, in Ontario, with its large area of tine soil and temperate climate, modified by its situation on the Great Lakes, tliat agriculture has found its most successful development. One may travel for days by the ditl'erent lines of railway that intersect this noble province, and see on all sides comfortable mansions of stone or brick, and wide stretches of fields of wheat and other cropis. It is true many farmers are at present leaving Ontario for Manitoba and the North-wtst, Itut these represent, for the most part, either men dissatisfied with their present homes in some less favoured locality, or those carried away by the allurement of anew existence in the West. Others illustrate mortgages to the foreign loan comjiaiiies, which have been tempting the farmers for years, and forcing th<>m to bui'd too expensive houses, or make otlier unnecessary improvements. ^''^h>jr^fm^':. Canada as a Hume. II s it is nvs Tlio niajoiity, liowovor, illustrate tli.it, spirit of rostlt'ssnoss which is poou iar to the AiiH'iiciincharactt!!", aMil send nn'ii year hy yc.ii' tVoiii NinvEiiiflaiid aiultlu." ohh'r St,:ites. t" lonm! homes in liie new torritorles— that veiry spirit wliich lias built up Illinois and every ,i(r(.'at coinnionwealtli in the W^ent. Still, Ontario in the weahhii'sl, most enterprising and poptdous mond)or of the Confederation. ]{er |)opulation continnos to increase, and her prosperity toexp:ind, in a <(n?ater lalio than the older States of tin; AnuMiean I nion. Sh(! has always a la»^^e surplus crop to export ahroa I. Her ]>roduction of wheat is above tlieaveiage of that of most American States, and nowhere in AuKa'ica is then; liner stock, except ])erhaps in the eastern townships ol' Quebec, always noted for its i^'ooil farms a>id thoroughbreci cattle. In Ontario w(! see the finest cities and towns of the Dominion, excepting Montreal, wlii(-h has to a large extent been built up by Western trade. Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, London, Kingston, St. Cathari le'.s, 15rantford, in the character of tlieir buildings and the (uiergy of their people, illustrate that pioverbial Wesiern " go-ah(\iditiv how and where to found a town and to make a bold bid for fortune. It is in that vast North-west territory, to which so mucli ntttMition is now^ being directed, that we may expect to see for deeailes to come those illustrations of progress of which Illinois and other Western States are rem u'kaUle examples. The A |. i'l CaiKida afi a Ifi'tnc oxfont, .111(1 valuo of tluit iinmonso rorfioii, watcM'od l)y tlio Red, Saskatcljewaii, Athabacsn. and Peace Rivers, besides other streams of minor ilr!;portanc(^ cannot yet be very accurately stated ; but the exploiations of the Government, and the pioneers who have already ventured into its solitudes, demonstrafe that there is a suHicient area of rich land, out of which probably fcii States, as lar^e and pioductive as Illinois, may be eventually made. Reams have already been written durinix the last ten years con- cerning this country ; and every tourist who spends a few weeks on the prairie thinks himself bound to give the public the b'-nelit of his experience in somc^ sha])e or other. Much allowance; Uiust <;f course be made; for the enthusiasm of travellers and sjiecula- tors, as well as for that spirit of patriotism which makes us eulogists of one's own country ; but at any rate there can be no pment of grain, with a deficiency in weight. It is always more subject to drought, tli(» hot su!i acting both to evaporate moisture from the ground and to burn the plant afterwards. The superior (pudity of the wheat rais(^d in this new country may be better under.stood by reference to the relative market values of nortiicrn and sonttiern grains at P)ufi(alo. where what is called "No. 1 Hard Duluih^' was (pioted last season about twopence a bushel higher than " No. I Pe(l Winter," and a penny three-farthings higher than "No. 1 Spring," and from four to sevenpi-nce higlier ihan the inferior grades of wheat Lj-rown in a more southern region ; whilst the Hour from the same superior liard wheat brought ( iglit shillings mon? a barrel, "^rhe secret of its superiority lies in the fact that the wheat of the northein latitude nuikes a flour of greater strength. 1"he northern wheal is flinty, and contains more gluten ; the southern is soft, and co.itains tnore staich. It is also stated, on unexcep- tionahle authority, tha^ throughout the North-west wheat may be filantcd in A})ril, or fully as early as spring wheat is sown in the * H(iri>n-'sMonllih/ for Sopl ember, ISSl, '• Wlical Fi< Ids (.filu- Xoidi-west." ffiPJtion of tlieir good soil, westward to the houn(hiry of the province, Manitoba is a green sea, over which the Minuuer winds pass onward, (piietly stirring the rich grasses and flowers; and on this vast extent of fertile land it is only as yet here and tliero that a yellow patch shows some gigantic wheat-Held." These "yellow patches" promise to stretcli far and wide in this fine wheat land. Cities in embryo are bein^ already " located" at points which Nature; seems to have destined for a centre ol tracK.'. Kmerson is already aconsiderabh; town, while Raj)id City and Battlelbrd promise to be of importance. Most sanguine iiopes are entertained that the very recent visit of His J'^x- celh'ncy tli(! Governor-General, who lias gone over a very lart;t.! portion of the North-west, will have a beneficial effect, in show- injjf the JJritish peoj^le the favouiablc opinion entertained by that noblernan of the vast region tVom w hicli Canada expects so much in tlie future. Sooner or later this country must l)ecom(» the wheat granary of the Continent, and feed niillions in Europe. To the j)eople of the old world the progress of the.sc new countries is something astonishing. The same facts are sure to present themselves in every new territory opened up in the West, 'i o day there becomes tD-morrow, as if by a miracle ; pro|)hecy is so swiftly succeeded by fullilmeiit, that the two may bo almost said to move hand in hand together. The rail- road creates traffic, instead of being created by it ; farms are niultiplicd with a rapidity that confounds all calculation ; the minister, the schoolmaster, the milliner, and the music-teacher, come in with the first crop; the newspaper is printed under a 1 1 ee — "While city lots are staked for sale Above old Indian liraves." In lier foresiglit to open all the avenues po.ssiblo to her great Western tratle, and carry it to the ocean for distiibution to the Kuropean mark»>t, Canada has fully kept. paeiMvith her American iiv:d. Nature has endowed the J)()minion with a noble artery cd communication from the Great Lakes to the sea m the St. Lawrence, as remarkable for its picturescpie scenery as for its commercial value. Of the great rivers of the American conti- nent none suipasses the St. Lawrence in the length of its navi- gation, (he volume of its waters, or the fertility of the vast area of country of which it forms the highway of communication with the Atlantic Cccan. Following it, not iVoin its remote jm Hi C(ina(i(( iiti a Ilinnc. 1.') HoiircoH, but from I'oiul du Lac, at the hoad of Lake Siiperio;-, to tliu IStniits of Bt'lle Islo, tlie entire distance is nearly three thousaiul statute miles. In order to appreeiati to the fullest extent the importance of this river from a commercial point of view, it is oidy rK.'cessury to consider its natural position and its relations to the vast area of countiy which extends from the Appalacliian or Alleghany Range on the east, to the Rocky Mountains on the western, or Pacific side of the continent. The resources of the teriiti»ry to which the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes are tril)Ufary, and form the natural communication with the ocean, are most varied, and have been developed of late years to an extent without a parallel in the history of commercial enterprise. At an early date in the history of Upper Canada, her public men were carritid away by an ambition to make this river the great thoroughfare of the Western region to the ocean, and went into large expenditures for canals, which the means of so young a country hardly jiistilied. After the union of 18 H), the same wise policy was carried out, and up to the present time some leu millions of pounds have been expended on the St. Lawrence system of navigation, so that the largest class of lake vessels n)ay iloat fiom the ujiper lakes to the head of ocean navigation, without once breakini; bidk. The new Wetland Canal, now drawing to comj)letion, is justly described by American V:'riters: " A Titanic work, l)y which Canadians hope to divert the carrying trade, not only fiom Butialo, but even from New York, and to coiitrol the exports of the mighty West for more than half the 'J'he i'ailway system of Canada is another illustration of the practical energy and prescience of the Canadian people in their etfoits to hold their own against American competition. Of the tilly-nine States and kingdoms of the worUl which have railway systems, ("anada alreaily ranks as the ('i is stated to be yearly transported by this route. The early history of this road was one of great extravagance and jobbery, as its oiiginal English stockholders unhappily know too well, but in these later tiuies it keeps pace, under its present prudent, energetic management, with the general j)rosperity of the country, and espicially of the West, tiom which it draws its main supplies. Comiecting with the Grand Trunk at Levis, is the Intercolonial Railway, a Govern- ment work, which passes through New Brunswick and Nova i I lu Cdiiadd as a Home. Scotia to Halifax, on the Atlantic seaboard, with branch lino stretching to St. John, and to the Gut of Canso, whence it niiust soon have connection with the historic ])ort of Louisbourg, the nearest tc Knrope. Along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, stretches from Qnebec to lie3'ond Ottawa another line of railway, to some ext(!nt a competitor of the Grand 'i'runk. The Gr<,'at Westorn of Canada taps important points of the western Ameri- can frontier, and assists in the development of western connnerce. Kumerons subsidiary lines run from cities and towns into fertile mining and agricultural districts, and help to swell the large; traffic that now illustrates the industry and enterprise of the Canadian people. That eminently national project, the Canadian Pacific Railway, represents a continuous railway route of nearly three thousand miles from the Pacilic Ocean overland to Montreal, and yet some six hundred miles less than the distance by the Union Pacific Railway to New York. On its immediate; construction depends to a vei'y great extent the future of Canada, for, with the development of the North-west, a new era must open up for the Canadian pco))li). By the autumn of 188:5 there will be railway connection, at least to the foot of the Rocky Moun- tains, through a country of whf)se surpassing fertility Lord I^oinu has given his j)ersonal testimony in elo(|uent terms. JJranch lines are contem[)lated in various directions, one of them to ]ludson's Ray, by the Nelson River route; and it is ([nite within the possibilities of the future that the demands of Nuith- western commerce will eventually oi)en up this new route, which offers certainl) three months' communication with Europe. Jt is said, on good authority, that the Northern Pacific Railway, now that the United States are entered on a new era of commeicial enteiprise, will be vigoiously carried to conr^ietion by l.Ss.'J ; and as the Canadian I'acific will have connection with it by its braneh lines, the North-west will not want facilities for trade in future. The powerful syndicate which now controls the C'anadiaii Pacific are offering large inducements to actual settlers in the easy terms at which they are selling the valuable tracts of land which they owe to the liberality of the Canadian Govemment ; and it now looks as if the ellorts whieh the Comj>any and the Canadian authoriti»\s are making in the direction of North-west develo])- nient will meet during the coming years with a response from the British people wh'eh will assure the future of that region. But the fact whic' we now wish to impress particularly on the Eiitish [)ublic is < .e comprehensiveness and foiesight of the Canadian ])oliey for ttie development of their new territory, and for keej)ing within natural lines the right to handle its valuable products. At present there aie over eight thousand miles of railway constiucttd throughout the Dominion, and in igigg^ icli lino it must u'e e of tiu! iiiuuliau outc of rlaiul to (listaiu-'o iiiK'diatc Canada, iiKsto}i(,'n here will ^ Moiiu- nl Loriiu Branch them to te within f Kort li- te, which pe. J I is way, now niniercial S^.'i ; and ts branch in future. Ill Pacitic asy terms iich they id it now Canadian develop- reyponse :^ of that rticulaily esiglit of territory, andle its ihoui^and n, and in Cduadd as a l/onic. 17 1881, the last year of which the oflicial stati^tics have been fur- nished, there was an increase of l*i)() I()^'. a mile over I S8() in tho earnin£(s of the raiUvays in operation, and the net jirollts amounted to over L'l,l()(),0()(;. And it is certain there will bo a corresponding increase during the present year, which lias been distinguished for activity in all branches of commerce. The liberality of the Canadian people' in matters affecting their commerce may be illustrated by the fact that they have contri- buted U[) to the present time over two hundred millions of dollars, or forty millions of pounds sterling, to the canal and railway system of the Dominion, in the shape of Dominion, Provincial, or Municipal aid. These facts are, perhaps, an all sufficient answer to those English writers who, from time to time, are accusing Canada of extravagance, and pointing to her Federal and l^rovincial debts as so many icasons why English capitalists should lend no assistance to her schemes of development. The lai:>e sums that Canada has been for years, or is now, expending, hav(! been directed towards strengthening Imperial interests on this continent ; notably the Intercolonial and Pacific Railways, which arc; certainly Imjierial in their conct'ption, and to which the Hritish Government has given no substaniial aid, except on one occasion — viz., when it gave it an Imperial guarantee. Another fact mny most pr(i[)erly be noticed in this connection. The develojnnent of the North-west must give a very valuable impulse to the eai)ital and entta'prise in the older provinces, which have already built up so spit-ndid a commercial marine. IJritish and Canadian ships must carr}^ the bulk of the Western tru'le of the future. It is a nijtorious fact that i\merican trade continues to a large extent to be carried in foreign bottoms. The JVcm Vurl,- M'orhl, on the day after President Gailield's funeral, ohserved : — '* On Tuesday last flags of mourning floated at half- mast fiom T)? ocean sttatnships, ')3 ships, 24G banjues, 49 brigs, and 18!) schooners, riding in the port ol New York, and making a total of ojj 1) vessels. Of llic dcai u slrduis/ujis trcr/j our, and of I In' olhrr r<'ss(/s I ti'o-iliirils, (iisphnjcd (he jliKjs of foi'c'njii, /ioirn:-<." Whilst the American marine is at so low an ebb, the Canadians still build and employ a large lleet. In ISSI the United States, with a population of fifty millions of peojile, had a commercial marine of only iour millions of tons, of which one millio'. was employed on IS'orthern lakes and Western rivers. In 1880-81, the registered marine of Canadn, with about one- twelfth of the population of her neighbour, amounted to one niillion three hundred thousand tons. The Canadians, there- lore, naturally expect th^Jt, with the extension of commerce in the Noitli-west, their marine will be built up to dimensions which may enable her eventually to rank above the United ■iiJid^ijii^^^tlgjii^'^^jfe.'ftjjfe^-^ j^iife4tfal' u^ 18 Ciiniula as vitices to he formed in the North-west, will not he much beiiind tiio older provinces as respects their social condition. A veiy few years work a striking metamorphosis in the life of the industrious pioneer. The writer recollects his first visit, just twenty years ago, to a young settlement m a Western county. ]n a rude log cabin, in the midst of a small ])ine clearing, a young English couple were endeavouring to make a home, some twenty miles from the nearest village. Some patches of wheat iind potatoes were struggling among the stumps, and a cow and horse represented the stock. The young man and his wife were courageous Devon folks, rather better educated than the generality of Juiglish peasants, and year by year the sun ripened wider jKitches, and broad fields without a stump illustrated the energy and industry of the j>ioneer, wdiilst communications improved, and a village with schools and churches grew up three miles an competition. Four linndred pounds in Canada will give more conitort tlian tlnce tiujes tliat sum in P^nijland. The Canadian people iivc as well as their American neighbours. All the necessaries of life are cheap aiid abundant. The land produces those fruits which are not within the icach of the [)Oorer classes in (jieat lilritain. Apples and plums grow in great profusion in idl the provinces, while jxaclies and grapes ripen perfectly in Ontario. Grapes are yearly becoming a large crop, entering into the consumption of all classes, and are made intrts of Canaila, we obtain some idea of the motle of life, so far as it is illustrated by ])urchases from foreign countries. Canadians pay annually to Kngland no less than cXM ,r)0(),0()() for woollen goods, and i'2,{)()(),()00 for cotton mamifactures ; but sucli articles are necessaries, and we must therefore look further down the list for evidences of expensive tastes. Between odOOjOOO and <1M;0(),()()() are paid for silks; cl'^'.00,n()0 for hats, ca[)s, and bonnets; 1'100,(I00 for furs; i'lOO.OOO for jewelry and gold and silver manufactures; and over oL''^()0,00() for tobacco and cigais. Their houses require English oilcloths and carpets to (he value of i'l ')0,()0(), of which tlu^ greater amount was paid for Lrussels and tapestry. Watches and clocks are bought to the value of i.* o (),()()() ; musical instruments to the value of .i'(I(),00(). The large consum|)tion of tea, coffee, and sugar in Canada can be seen from the fact that the people pay l)etwecii clM,400,()()() and ci'l,GOO,()00 a year for these articles. They pay other countries nearly c£'200,0()0 for the paper used in journalism, books, counting-houses, and house decoration. Car- riages are bought to the value of o(^'j(),()()t) ; and so we might go on extending the list of foreign purchases, which sliow how substantially, and even luxuriously, Canadians live. These figures increase every year as the purchasing power of the cotmtry improves. The imports for i8S(J-l reached about i'l'. 1,000,(101), or four millions in excess of the previous }ear, and there is every prospect that tlu>re will be a considerable increase over those iigures for the fiscal year ending on the JiOlh of June, 1N82. IS or must it bo forgotten that Canada iierself is now a manufacturing country, and lier people are buying largely cveiy year, as well as ex|)orting, line [)iano^', carriages, Ixjots and shoes, paper, tweed.s, and sugars, besides other articles manufactured cheajily and well in their own country. The ability of the pco])le to buy such articles can be estinuited .H) Cdiuula Its a Home. from tlic f'jict tliai tlio people aiinnully clrpr.sit in cliaittiird buiik«, CiovcnniiLiit, and oilier saviiigs l)aiiks, and l)uildiiig societies, over .X'2(),t)0(),(K)(), and that tlie annual exports of the whole country are keepin^L^ pace with tlio imports, thaid-cs to superabundant harvests, and a steady foieign demand for tho pi'oiJucts ot the land and sea. 'J'he Canadians have always had a hard fight with the forest and sea, but now that their early strii ; and it is only necessary to visit her five thousand or more commodious and handsome buildings, well fitted with moilern i.'i;00,()()() worth of books and periodicals, which, taken in connection with the thirty uiillions of newsjtapers and periodicals that })ass annually through Canadian post otiices, proves how eagerly Canadians of all classes seek for literary and general information. Lut Canada does not depend exclusively on the outi-ide world lor literary food, or news intelligence, lor her four or five hundred daily and weekly papers — now deservedly Ciinada ((ff a llame. 21 stamliiicj \\'v^\\ for ontorpriso and tonn, supply ovory .section of the .l)i)iuinioii with a 1 iCLf? ainoiint of ruadinij matter, livon the Nortli-wcst, whicli had only ono papor ton years a^o, lii>.s now sixteen at least, of vvliich three are daiUtJs. Canadian writers are increasing' in number and al)ility, and year by year iiistorics are prochiced of no mean order ; and it is an intenjstiu'^' fact that tlie majority of these works deal with ditlvrent epoclis of the past of Canada, ilUisiratini; the national or Canadian spirit that is c^rowiuif amoii^ all classes of the people. The churches and public buildinjjfs compare favoina,l)Iy with the handsomest (nlilices in tlie " l']mpiro State" of New York, and the interior of Canadian homes illustrates the i^'onoral reHnemeut and tasfe of the peo])le, Twelve years ago, theatrical ])orformances had to be held in buildiniis of a most inferior character — mere wooden "shanties" in soujo cases — but now all the cities and large towns possijss one or more operadiouses, handi-ome in appc^araiice, and well adaj^ted in every way to their object. Another illustration of th»^ spirit of culture that is abroad in Canada, hitherto considered so prosaic and utilitarian a country, "so dreadfully ntiw," is the establishment of art schools in the large centres, and of a (Canadian Acadeniy — the rc'sult of the laudable desire of the ^^a^^uis of Lome and the Princess Louise to stinuilate a taste for artMinong the people ; and it is a very signiHcant fact that there are already several cases of young men who have embraced art as a piolession, and have proceeded within a few montns to the great schools of Kin-ope to obtain that thorough artistic training which can alone be found among the master-pieces of modern and ancient j)ainting and sculpture. It is a signiHcant fact, wliich should be m ntioned in this c<)nnection, that the value of the paintings and engravings of a good class annually brought into the country now amounts to over X^IO(t,(M>0, all of wliich are imported free, with the view of affording as much encouragement as possible to so de- sirable an agency of culture. The foregoing facts are but a f^'W among the evidences that can now be seen in Canada to {)rove the progress of art, literature and science in a country the greater portion of which, a half-century ago, was a solitude of river ami ibrest, with a population of less than a million. It is probably yet difficult to disaljuse the minds of certain classes of Engiisli j)eople of the old id(>a that Canadians are, for the most part, rough anil uncultured. Thanks to the English illustrated papers, the average native is generally represented as a white man in a blanket coat, with sash and capote, travelling on snow shoes ; and we may consider it fortunate that he has risen so far in the scale of civilization as not to be pictured in complete Indian costume of paint and feathers. The social phasures of the people are still believed ill certain quarters to be made up in a great measure Zl Canada as a 1/oinc. of t;il)<)ff'^'niiinn", skntintj, sliootiiiL; mpids, sniiuon llsliinff, or cimp- idL,' in tlic vicitiily (if iiilcuvslini^' <4r<)ii,)S of imliaiis. ll, is tnif tin'so aro Can.'uliati atnuseiiKMits — very novel aixl ihlciostiii!^' to Mii,nlisli tonrisls ; but. il docs not follow tliat lliey snin u|) tli«^ social (nijoynicnts of tlu^ bi'ttor classes. Tlioso writers .-ind artists wlio dcsciihc exceptional plwises of Canadian life iniglil. Just as well make ns believe that " tlu^ professional beauty" txpifies the lives of tin^ niotliersand danL;lit(n's of I'aiLjland, or that all the cnltnre of IjomhMi is "nlteily utter" and "quite too too." If there are any who wish to study tin? social chara(;ti'ristics of the Canadians, let tJKMn do soincthin<.ij more than rush throui^h lh(» Dominion, and live only in hotels; let them remain some months, and visit the homes of the people, in town and ctamtry, and learn that kn(jwlcd,no ami taste are not necessarily confined to tlio parent State, but may actually tlourish in a mere i\o- ))endency, which was only a poor, stru,i(^iinsmen learned by experience tiiat a people in a dependency could only be retained in the Empire by con- ceding to them the powers of self-government in the fullest sense of the term, and only exercising control over matters of Imperial import through a Governor-General, acting on behalf of, and responsible to, the Crown. The contitlence lelt in the ability of the 15ritish American people to assume still higher responsibilities as a self-governing community, was forcibly illustrated by the readiness with which the Confederation of 1807 '.vas agreed to by the Imperial Government. The result lias proved the pn»"tical wisdom of the promoters of that national scheme. The different provinces have been har- moniously united under a Federal s}stem, which has developed the internal resources of the provinces, and at the same time given them a status of importance and responsibility in the Canada as a Home 2"i The MiMjtiio wliicli wniiM \y.\\'o hoou impossiUlc as Ioiilj nx tlnn* r('iii;rnil!ii^r. in nialuiin'.^ llii^ system 1,Imi Canadi.ui pcopU^ liiwo luul Ki't'oro t.licm tli(( pracMical o\|)«>- lit'iioo of t\v«» iii'at iialidiis, lOiiirlaiid ami the ITiiiti'd Stnti s. fiom l»')llj of" wlioiii tlu;y have in'oossaril}' aipl wisely IxirroAfil oi'itaiii political institutions. The federal s\.ston) of C'anada is inodelled to a iarno extent on that of tho United kStates, whicii a centuiy has already |)roved to be in many resp(;els most adriiirably adjusted to the cirennistances of a riinni)er (»t free ct)nimnniti(;s, liavinL; certain distinct ri,i,'hts ai\d it»tei»\'tain(?d such prominence previous to the Civil War, and is yet a fundamental principle, never practically yielded by a s le^le State in the Union. In the Canadian system tlio very reverse principle obtains : tho exclusive hji^dslative ])ower of the hx-al ii^yislatures is limited to the subjects SiJ-^cilically assigned to them by the Act of Union ; all other powers of legislatit .1 fo) "the welfare and good government of the Dominion," including those which are specially assign(?d to the Dominion IVirliament, are expressly and exclusively conferred upon tluj Parliament of Canada. ]n fact, "the authority of the Federal power over the matters left under its control, is exclusive, full and abiiolute ; whilst even as regards at least some of the matters left to tin; Provincial Legislatures, their authority cannot be construed ;ia being similarly full and exclusive, when, by such construction, the Federal power over matters especially left under its control would be lessened, restrained or impaired/'''^' Tn all matters of constitutional controversy as to the respective porers of the Parliament and legislatures, the decision of the li'ghest courts has been emphatically to secure to the Dominion I'arl lament the exclusive control and determination of all questions of utitional significance, and to restraia the local leuislatures within the limits of their clearly defined statutory poweis. Consequentl}', tlie Provincial Governments are not so many State sovereignties, asserting rights which, sooner or lati r, mi<:ht threaten the peace and stability of the general Government, Judij noiit of Supreme Court of Can;ul;i, October 2S, 1^79. u Canada afi a lh,iiie. on whnsG strength must depond tlie future greatness of the DoiTiinion, but are in reality so many bodies, entrusted with certain defined minor powers of a provincial or ninnici[)al character. And wliile the Constitution has been tlius wisely framed so as to give strength to the central authority, it at the same time gives to each province that perfect freedom of action necessary to develop its internal resources. Education, provin- cial works, public lands and mines, and all municipal matters, nre under provincial control ; and it is only necessary tofollo\v the history of provincial legislation for the past fourteen years to see how much valuable progress has been made in all such mnttei s. Under no other system than one that gives a Provincial Government full jurisdiction ever property and civil rights, and affords complete protection to its peculiar institutions, would it be possiljle to satisfy the French Canadian section of the Canadian people. As it is now, all elements of discontent have vanished under the operation of the Act of Union, and there is no more loyal or earnest mend)er of the Confederation than the province of Quebec, which was once distrusted by English statesmen. But it is not only in the distribution of powers that the Canadian system has undoubtedly a greater element of strength than the constitution of the United States. If Canada was obliged to imitate the Federal Union of her neighbours in sonu^ essential respects, yet the foundations of her Government rest on the broad, stable principles of the unwritten constitution of the parent State. ^J'he Queen is expressly stated in our Constitu- tional Act to be a compo?ient pai t of Fai liament ; and in her is vested the executive government and authority over Canada. This authority is exercised by a Governor-(jer,eral, a[)pointed and only removable by the Crown. Tlie Seven ign is conse- quently always represented — never dies or disappears with party changes; and it is in the permanence and stahility of tlie Execu- tive that Canada, like other tiependencies of the Emj^ire, has f, giiarantea of peaceful and well-ordered government that seems hardly possible under an elective system which at short intervals gives full rein to the passions of party. This Governor-General is not an irresponsible head of the Executive during his term of office, but acts invariably under the advice of i\linisters, in accordance witii the wise British principle which withdiaws the Sovereign from the arena of parliamentary and party debate, and makes some Minister responsible for every act of the Execu- tive. The perils that surround the Executive in the Amoican Kopublic have been sadly illustrated oidy a short while since. All Eii'jiland and Canada lately mourned the death of President Garfield : Canada as a Home. 25 " A brave man struggling in the storms of fate, And greatly lalling." It is admitted that he fell a victim to that fatal system which makes the President responsible for every appointment to office. " A million of needy or ambitious men/' said an American thinker at the time, "besiege the President for the hundred thousand places in his gift. Murder for ever lurks in the con- centration and distribution of patronage." All quarrels over the distribution of these offices, all difficulties among the political party which elect the President, reflect more or less on the head of the nation, who must bear the full wo'ght of the dangerous burthen. But a Governor- General in Canada cannot be brought into any controversy that may arise over a question of patronage ; for he stands above and aloof from all party strife, the repre- sentative of a Sovereign who "can do no wrong." This question of patronage must always be fraught with diffi- culty in a country enjoying popular institutions. The atrocious doctrine that ■' to the victors belong the spoils" has its influence with the democracy, and it is the misfortune of the American people that the politicians have infected the whole body politic with this plague spot. Canada has so far escaped the infection, and though now and then after a fierce political contest some irresponsible journals of the lower type clamour for changes, yet the sound sense of the country at large has kept the Civil Ser- vice comparatively free from political tamt. It is true, the strong pressure of party is continually overcrowding departments ; but, taking it as a whole, the leading public servants of Canada, the men who keep the machinery of Government in operation, whatever party may be in power, are a body of men wl .,e ability and character are the best evidences of the stiength of a system of Government, one of whose essential principles is a permanent public service. It is an encouraging and creditable fact that cases of peculation or dishonesty among Canadian officials are rare and comparatively insignificant, though tiie opportunities lor abstracting large sums of money are necessarily large in a country with numerous Government savings bunks, post-offices, and custom-houses in every section. No Star Route frauds have ever disgraced the political annals of Canada, and her public men have invariably preserved that reputation for integrity which is a distinguishing trait of Enghsh statesmen. It is true now and then, at times of violent party strife, irre- sponsible public writers make rash charges against their oppo- nents, but, so far, such accusations have in every case been proved mere exhibitions of indiscreet party malice, and the only unfor- tunate result has been to lower the tone of political discussion, and weaken the influence of the press. 26 Canada as a Home. With a Federal system, which combines at once central strength and local freedom of action, with a permanent Execu- tive independent of popular caprice and passion ; with a Civil Service resting on the firm basis of freedom from politics and security of tenure, the Dominion of Canada possesses elements of stability which should give confidence to all those who make their homes within her limits. Nor is it among the least advan- tages of Canada that lier people always show a respect for law and order which can well bear comparison with the condition of things even in the older States of the American Union. From tmie to time we read of bodies of American citizens attacking jails, and forcibly hanging criminals, because " Justice and the Courts are a farce ;" and the most recent cases occurred in a village of Michigan, and at Bloomington, a rich and important city of Illinois, " confessedly one of the greatest and most enlightened of American commonwealths."'^ The vicious and dangerous system of an elective judiciary has never had its advocates in Canada. The judges are happily independent of all political influences, and can only be removed on the Addresses of the Senate and the House of Commons ; and consequently there is very general confidence in the integrity and inde- pendence of the Bench. In fact, since the British system has prevailed in Canada, there has been no instance of the Crown having been obliged to displace a judge for corruption and improper conduct in connection with the administration of justice. It is also a gratifying fact that all over Canada there is a strong moral sense, which preserves the purity of domestic life, and assists in strcngihening the marriage tie. A short time since a New York clergyman called attention from the pidpit to the melancholy fact that no less than two thousand four hundred divorces had taken place within twelve months in six of the older States of the Union. In the Dominion marriage and divorce aie among the matters assigned exclusively to the Federal I'arliament — so careful have the founders of the Confederation been to give full importance to those rM, September 29, ISSl. f Nova Scotia and New biuuswick have ^pecial Coiuls of Divorce, as before Uie Coiirtdcraliou; but only a \irv lew feuits Lave taken j'lacc lor luaijy years. — U - — -. — ^ Canada as a Home. 27 before .years. Utul), wlicre the wliole power of tlio Federal Government seems unable to drag it out. tStep by stop the institutions of the older provinces follow population into the Western plains of Canada. Education, a Judiciary, Municipal Institutions, the Common and Statutory Law, are the natural sequence of settlement in the new territory. So far all the larje powers possessed by the Federal Government in connection with that vast territory have been wisely administered, and all those who go into that country may depend on the ability of the Government to give every security to the life and pioperty of the pioneer. The principles of justice and honesty which have always been observed in the relations of Canada with the aboriginal tribes — principles in such remarkable contrast with the chicanery and corruption of American Indian agents — give a guarantee of safety to the settler that he cannot find in the new States and territories of the greater Union. In short, every man, the moment he puts his foot on the North- west pniirie has the assurance that he can roly on the protection of British laws and institutions, so modified, as to be adapted to the circumstances of a new land. A few words in conclusion as to the future of a country whose progress not only illustrates the energy but the social elevation of the people. The Confederation is oidy in its infancy, and yet. it is proving its capacity for national expansion. The Dominion Gov(.'rnment has now, under its Im|)erial Charter, assumed many of the responsibilities of a nation. It exercises a powerful control over each province, inasmuch as it now possesses the power, formerly devolving upon the Imperial authorities alone, of dis- allowing Acts of tiie local legislatures, as well as of appointing and removing the Lieutenant-Governors, through the Governor- General in Council. The Central Government rules a territory, whose fertile ai'ea is at k^ast e([ual in extent to three States as large as France, and new provinces can be establisiied therein by Acts of tiie Canadian Parliament, which in this respect also dis- charges Imperial functions. Yet only forty years ago the provinces of JJiitish North America were poor, struggling com- munities of p(.o[)le, without a common purpose, without any position of importance in the Empire. Responsible government was conceded to them with considerable reluctance, through fears that it might clash at times with Imperial interests, and that it might not always be worked out with statesmanlike discretion. The large powers and responsibilities now entrusted to the Dominion sulHciently testify to the opinion entertained by England as to the ability and sagacity of the public mvn and the ))eople of her most important dipendency. So far the Canadians have, through good and evil report, been staunch 8U[)porters of lm])eiial connection, though their faith may have 28 Canada as a Home. sustained more than one hard trial when tliey have seen evidences of indifference to Canadian interests and a lack of sympathy witli Canadian progress. No doubt the closing years of this century will form an epoch in the career of the Dominion. Now at last is her golden opportunity. For a century past the United States have been able to attract millions of souls, while Canada has been comparatively overlooked, through the belief that has too generally prevailed that she had far inferior material advantages to offer to intending settlers. Every year, however, is furnishing more convincing evidence that she possesses at last in the North- west a fertile area far more valuable and larger than any now owned by the United States, who have already exhausted the more considerable portion of their most available agricultural territory in the West. If population flows into the new country of Canada with any degree of rapidity during the next twenty years — and the present indications are very encouraging — the position of Canada in the commencement of the new century will be one that many nations may well envy. It will be an unfortunate day for the Empire if the coolness or apathy of Englislimen should at this critical juncture cramp the energies or damp the aspirations of Canadians. They believe that the story which the Immigration Returns of this continent have told ibr so many years back will be henceforth one more flattering to the Empire, and that the increasing interest taken in Canada will soon bear rich fruit in the development of her territorial resources. Imperial connection is still the motive power in Canadian legislation ; and though changes may be demanded in years to conie more commensurate with that higher position Canada must occupy in a not very distant future, yet there is every reason to believe that those clianges can be made so as to give greater strength to the Kmpire, and at the same time open up a wider field to the ambition of the Canadian peo})le. Perhaps the time may come when the Imperial State will find in the Federal system of the Canadian provinces a constitutional solution which will settle many national difficulties, and give that unity to the Empire which it now certainly has not. Such a solution may be only the dream of enthusiasts; and yet there are not a few men already, both in the parent State and its dependencies, whose aspirations take so patriotic a direction. If so magnificent a s-chcmo could once be realized, then the memorable words of Edmund Burke would at last have their full siiinificance : — 1 I' " The Parliament of Great Britain sits at the head of her extensive Empire in two capacities : one is the local legislature of this island, providing for all things at home immediately, and by no other iustru- s Canada as a Home. i>0 niont than tlm Kxooutivo power; the other, and I tliink licr nobler capiicity, is what I call lic;r Imprritd character, \i\ which, as from the throne of II»>avcn, slie superintends all the interior legislatures, and guides and controls thoui all, without annihilating any." But it is in the " livincf present" that Canada has now tlie (locpest interest. Her future mainly rests on the readinosa witli which the people of the parent State respond to her appeal in tiiis crisis of her history. It will indeed be disheartening to her if her fidelity to British connection should only be rewarded by the spectacle of hundreds of thousands of Englishmen, Irish- men and Scotchmen yearly giving the preference to a country whose increasing greatness is being continually contrasted with Canadian weakness by the advocates of the Continental idea. But it is a mere dehision to imagine that Canada must, sooner or later, be absorbed in the United States. The conservatism of the goveriiing classes, especially of tlie Frerch Canadian element ; the historic traditions and associations of the people ; their natural aspirations in view of all tl oy have achieved in the face of a powerful competitor, all tend to create a line of division between the two countries which must widen year by year, according as the prosperity of the Dominion becomes more assured, and public confidence is strengthened by success. Imperial interests emphatically demand that every encourage- ment and sympathy be given to this people. All those con- siderations of natural affection which keep a family together should tend to strengthen the position of Canada within the Empire. The people of the parent State may now see in imagination two sisters standing on the shores of the Western Continent. One of them, in the meridian of her beauty, in the possession of great wealth, has millions of people from all lands to pay her tribute. Long ago, she left the shelter of the *' old home," and for years parent and child looked coldly on each other; but now, happily for both, old grievances and animosities are forgotten, and the daughter at last revives and cherishes old memories and associations of the land from which her ancestors came. But withal, she is sometimes way- ward, too ready to yield to the popular passion and prejudice of the hour ; and though the parent may be proud of her beauty and her success, yet he may not, in justice to those nearest to him, forget that it is to her sister close by that he owes the warmest affection and sympathy. This sister, of modest mien, points to her own home as one which, if less known to the world than that of her rival sister, offers nevertheless true content and happiness. With a serenity and constancy inherited fvoui her northern lineage, she turns a confident, fearless look ^^ijiaii^itiuaiiaiiSuiU^iUiiiMiaittililllm 30 Canada an a Home. 9533^^8' PRINTED KY BAI.LANTYNE. HANSON AND CO. LONDON AND EDINBVROH 710 ;e, to wliicli h\w ^ who has won ndliest fccliiiLc i it is to licrself pph'aut, butasa " of the one s\u) ill ion roady to domain wliioh courage of the