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The recollections of service in that land of magnificent scenery and warm hearts cling to us for the rest of our lives ; and, when soldiering at home, we constantly find ourselves instituting comparisons greatly in favour of the colony which forms the subject of my lecture to-night. For this reason I have had to be careful in framing my argument, lest I should fall into the partizanship of the counsel, instead of the unimpussioned reasoning of the judge ; and not anfrequently had to drop the too ready pen, lest the features of truth should be blurred by the fever of happy reminiscences. I would speak to you to-night, not of Canada only, but of Canada and England. In this room I well know I may rise into a higher sphere than mere description, and can spare myself much of the detail which so often enervates tho lecturer's argument. Of the wonderful resources of the colony, I may and must spoak, but not in the monotonous sentences of a geographer. B » I* 2 The lino of voasoiiiiifji' wliicli I propose to adopt in to show tlio vahic of coloiiios; and by statistics to show the com- mercial value ol' 1hi(» one. 1 shall then discuss the military and other advan(a' these advan.tages. To nnderstand tli(> value of a colonial empire, one must fully reali/'' the condition of tlie parent state. England is a ricli, but an overcrowded C(nnitry. The drag of a nillion paupers tells cruelly upt)n the wheels of progress, and so you and I will see. And if you add to that disadvantage what seems a most serious one, that we have a daily increasing number of the middle and upp(>r classes, who with a good and expensive education tind it im})ossible to get employment even at a nominal remuneration, I trust you will not say that I exaggerate when 1 call the condition of England a most anxious one. It is beconn'ng the country of the very rich and of the very poor, of those who are able to sjJend having ceased to work, and of those who — unable to find work to live at all must spend. T pray you, picture to yourselves in all its sternest features that which 1 have only time to call an overcrowded commu- nity, — a beleaguered city whose sleepless enemy is want I and then conceive the opening up of a great field for labour, whose soil cries out to be tilled, where nature joyously beats down the wall which stands between hunger and competence, and where homes innumerable can be Ibund for rich and poor! Can you not hear the sigh of relief which should rise from crowded lanes at sucli a prospect ? Could you not even believe it possible that' some gliniuieriug of satisfaction would is to show t' the com- ic inililaiy (I bv the lew.s UH to using* and one must i«>lancl is a a irillion 111(1 so you itage what increasing th a good uployment Qt say that id a most very rich to spend find work it features 1 coinmu- vant ! and )r hibour, iisly heats injjcteiice, ind poor! rise from im believe )n would penetrate the bosoms of our statesmen Y Alas ! while indi- vidual energy and private benevolence have been making dreams realities to manj' of our poor, our rulers have been haggling over precedents, and the only emigrants whom our Government have shipped, have had to pa}' their passages by breaking the laws. In Canada, the keen frost of winter kills the luxuriant undergrowth of smnmer, and makes the great forest easily passable. AVill no *' great whiter of our discontent " clear away the rubbish on which our politicians whet their swords, and show them the great work there is to do ? Now, let us get some general idea of the country which offers to our surplus population a home across the sea. And before doing so let me tell you a story. A few days ago I was sitting in the waiting room at the Brighton railway station, when an old gentleman entered into conversation with me. I need hardlj- tell a London audience that he commenced with a reference to School Boards. By degrees he got on the subject of America, and asked me Avhat I thought of President Grant's speech. I answered that I thought \«-iy little of it, but that I thought loss of President Grant for debasing a high office for mere party purposes. He then made the following astounding remark — "what a pity that Canada is so small!.'" — I glared at him. Pemember, ladies and gentlemen, I was primed with statistics for you to- night, so I turned upon and slew him with the hardest facts I had. I left him livid with amazement, and with his pre- conceived notions shattered to pieces. There is a lesson in the story for all of us ; — let us be careful how we enter into conversation with a stranger: — he ma}- be a lecturer in disguise. V, 9 i\ 4 I ^ I . I This incident made me look more thoroughly into the question of the size of British America — the largest con- solidated territory in the world except Russia. And I find that the old gentleman was not more ignorant than many who profess to know all about it. I found five works on geography which gave totally difierent accounts ; — one making the trifling error of 2,000,000 of square miles^ while another made the United States smaller by 1,000,000 of square miles than they really are. 8o my heart smote mo for my cruelty to the unhappy old gentleman. Now, let us ascertain the truth. First as to the size of British North America, and in this as in other qualities you will best realize the truth by com- parison. It contains considerably over 3,000,000 square miles, being 500,000 square miles larger than the United States ; 500,000 square miles larger than the whole of Australasia ; more than three times the size of British India, and fifteen times as large as France. Its population as yet is only a little over 4,000,000, but is rapidly increasing. To give you an idea of the progress it is making, let me instance the growth of some of its principal towns. Forty years ago, Montreal had a population of 17,000; to-day it numbers 150,000. Toronto increased between 1840 and 1850 no less than 95 per cent. ; while New York only increased 60 per cent. In 1811 the popula- tion of UpjDcr Canada amounted to 77,000 ; in 1851 it was over 950,000 or in other words, an increase in 40 years of over 1,100 per cent. Between 1845 and 1855 the increase of population in the United States was 13| per cent, in Upper Canada it was 104 per cent. The debt of the countr}' is less than any of our other tr into the gest con- id I find an many works on ts ; — one re miles [,000,000 smote me Now, let I in this by com- ) square Uuited rhole of ih India, 0, but is ogress it of its pulation icreased ; while popul{i- it was 'ears of ncrcasc nt. in 1* other colonies in proportion to the population, immeasurably loss than Australia and New Zealand ; and if a Canadian crosses the border to settle in the United States, he at once assumes a load of taxation five tunes heavier than in his own country. This fact is producing unmistakeable results, in the form of immigration from the states into Canada. The natural resources of British North America — which I shall call Canada for shortness — as it is a mere matter of a few years before all the smaller provinces will join the Dominion — are enormous and varied. Coal abounds in Nova Scotia and on the Pacific coasts ; gold is found in abundance in many localities ; near Lake Superior a silver mine of un- exampled richness has recently been opened, and the same metal has been found in smaller quantities all over the country ; lead, iron and copper, are found in large quantities; petroleum ofiers an abundant and remunerative source of employment ; and the salt mines of Upper Canada, although considerably afiected by the hostile tariffs of the United States, are profitably and steadily worked. If a comitry naturally so rich in many ways can be said to have a staple commodity, it would be found to be either timber or grain. -As a grain-producing country, I believe it will soon have no rival ; and as we in England cannot grow enough grain for our own consumption, the importance, in event of war, of having a friendly country to which we could look for endless supplies cannot be over-estimated. Were Russia and the United States in hostile alliance against us, the price of grain in this country would rise to such a height as to bring starvation upon half our people, did we not have such dependencies as Canada to look to for supplies. The convoys which our fleet would enable to cover ,f 6 tho Atlantic between Quebec and England woidd bring life- blood into the country's veins, and nhow what strength can be brought to a country by its colonics. Commercially, then, Canada is a source of strength to us. She is a country ruled under the same crown and laws as ourselves, to which our surplus population is invited. In time of war, we should tind her harbours and rivers a constant refuge — and should get atonement for the loss of other customers by Iter uninterrupted trade. I am aware that the man who reasons in favour of the retention of our colonies is met by the argument that that they would be equally good customers if they ceased to be our dependencies. The United States is a country which is always quoted in support of this view. In answering this reasoning I might use the reducfio ad absurdiim, and show that the same argument would apply to the Shetland Isles and the Hebrides. They, if indepen- dent, would probably continue to buy in the nearest market, our own. But we never hear the argument pressed so near home as this. Just as by some strange coincidence we always find India placed in a different category from our other colonies. Really if we were not assured by the patriots themselves of their utter disinterestedness, we would imagine that they were influenced by the fact that India pays the bill and something more. But the argument which I prefer to use is that of King James. I doubt the fact. I deny that they would be equally good customers if independent. Are the inhabitants of the United States, embittered as they are by a real or fancied grievance, as good customers as they were before their civil war ? Is there nothing of national dislike visible in their fiscal regulations ? )ring life- th can be Uy, then, itry ruled jvhich our hould find ihould get nterrupted favour of ment that ceased to itry which rcductio ad 3uld apply f indepen- ^st market, sed so near )idence wo a our other ie patriots Id imagine lys the bill it of King be equally ants of the or fancied their civil le in their Only a few months ago, it would have soomod strange to reason as I must to niglit, with my eye fixed on llic possibility of war. But in the crucible ol' tho gigautic struggle whose details meet us hourly, has l)i>on precij)itat(.>d one Naluablo result, which our national chemists had better gra>p — warning. Our preparation must extend beyond attention to our military resources : it must iiu-ludo the encouragement of loyalty among our dependencies. We are becoming alive to the international law of ()elligerents. AVe realize the fact that a country may almost cease to be a customer, although it nuiy remain a friend. Prav, tell me what vou think would l)e the result on our trade witli Canada, were it indej)endent, and we at war with the States. Do vou imaj^-ine oii(> tithe of it would remain? Nay I The pressure ^^•llicll woidd be put on them as a young and struggling community, by their more powerful neighbour, ^^■oul(l be nich as would convert them — whatever might be the friendliness of their disposition — into a lever to beat u.s into submission, instead of a thorn, as now, in the side of our enemy. Tliink also of the innumerable international complications whieli would be avoided by having our own flag, instead of a neutral one, flying over harbours everywhere, in which our mer'diantmen and our men-of-war could always seek safety and s applies. The first Napoleon, having abandoned the idea of invasion, adopted, you may remember, ilu^ more sure one of closing against the trade of England the ports of all countries under his influence. He anticipated the line of action A\hich wo have seen in another way at ^letz. lie tried to staivo us into submission, or at all events, neutrality. In these days when one hesitates to doubt the possibility of anything, there are things more improbable than that Germany may acquire a 8 1! ■V I f f ki t i t :. 'I i ! 'T ! I ' I , seaboard in proportion to her gigantic military power. We have not succeeded during this war in retaining her friend- ship ; it is possible that she might adopt in war with us the Napoleonic idea of conquest. In addition to the countries which she could influence directly^ the United States would eagerly join her with a view of recovering from us the gigantic carrying trade which we secured from that Republic dm*ing its civil war. The only countries which would not be amenable to her influence would be our colonies. Their harbours would always be open : their custom always sure, and what does that represent P It meant, gentlemen, last year a trade, in imports and exports, exclusive of bullion, of 115,000000, sterling. And when I add that the import of bullion and specie last year from Australia alone, amoimted to 12,000000, you can imagine the value of our colonial custom. Let me now single out a few further statistics relative to British North America, which will bring her importance before your eyes in a way that no argmnents of mine could succeed in doing. Statistics arc dry, but they are admirable witnesses, and I must implore alike your patience and your attention while I cross-examine them. First of all, let me speak of Canada as a maritime power ; and show what advantage her trade in this respect gives to England over other comitries. I take the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Newfoundland, Prince Edward's Island, and Vancouver's Island, whose returns I have to a very recent date. I find that, excluding coasting vessels, the total tonnage of vessels belonging to Great Britain, entered and cleared in one year, amounted to ov^er 2,350,000 tons. In the same time how much do you think was the tonnage of foreign vessels entered and cleared ? power. Wo ? her friend- with us tho ho countries states would tho gigantic ublic dui'ing be amenable 'hours would . what does • a trade, in 115,000000, bullion and ► 12,000000, I. 8 relative to importance mine could D admirable and your ime power ; ct gives to foundland, nd, whose excluding onging to aounted to ^h do you i cleared ? Only a little over .'}80,000 tons ; or, in otlior words, England did a business in this one item with Ihitish North American colonics, more than six times as large as was carried on by the whole oi' the rest of the world. I am most anxious in this lecture to overstate nothing ; but luul I the some accurate information on this point with regard to Nova JScotia and New IJrunswick our maritime colonies in America, I should show a still greater propon(l(>rance in favour of English over foreign trade, a still stronger i)roof of the strength which the parent country draws into its veins from its dependeiuy. But let me show this by a colhiteral argument. In roinid numbers, tho popiilation of British North America is 4,000,000; while that of the United States is about 38,500,000. Should the assertion which I have ossailed, and which I emphatically deny, be correct, namely, that a coimtry is as good a customer when independent, as when a colony, we would tlnd the trade between the United States and this country, to be nine-and-a-half times as great as that between us and Canada. What do we find, however, to be the case? That while our trade with Canada, hnports and exports, for one year is valued at over .£14,000, 0(K) sterling, that with the United States amounts only to .somewhat less than £67,000,000 ; in other words, instead of being nine-and- a-half times as great, it is rather less than live times. These facts speak volumes in favour of the colonial con- nection, and the strength given to our trade, and eonseqently to our country, by the absence of hostile tariffs, to which avc are subject in dealing with Foreign States. But in studying this part of my question, I have come upon facts even more demonstrative in favour of my theory, and interesting as showing the transition stage of international commerce. I I rr i ; • ♦ . ill 10 Afi vou are oil aware, until tlie year 18GG, there had been for many years a Keciprocity Treaty between Canada and the United States, which although rather one-sided in favour of tlie latter, was on the whole beneficial to both. With the view of showing an unfriendly feeling to England, and at ^he same time coercing Canada into union with themselves, the United States exercised their right of cancelling the Treaty, with a notice which, although legal, was so short that it might naturally have been expected to have caused much derangement of Canadian trade and mncrh injury to the colonists. I wish to show to you among other things by this example that the friendliness of a country is a source of strength, and that the hostile tariffs of an unfriendly power are an element of weakness. In the year of the Treaty, 1866, I find that Canada found a market in the States for her wares to the value of 35 millions of dollars. In 1868, she was able to sell in the same market only 27| millions. To show that it was no depression in Canadian trade which caused this, I find that while only 13 millions of Canadian goods were sent to England in 1866, no less than 21 millions were sent in 1868. Canada has been called, bv manv of a certain school of politicians, a protectionist country, and much vapoiuing has been wasted in assuring us that in taxing English goods at all the Canadians are most unfriendly. I have examined these accusations carefully, and find them groundless. I have road nothing more convincing on any subject than the explanation of Mr. Gait, the late Financial ]Mimster of the dominion. He shows, that to meet the interest on money borrowed for public works, some duties must be levied ; but that this very money which goes to build railways and lighthouses, to make roads, and to subsidize steamers, is virtually repaid to the English 11 re had been Canada and ed in favour 1. With the and, and at themselves, iicelling the as so short have caused ;h injury to ?r things by 5 a source of ?ndly power 'reaty, 1866, )v her wares ■ihe was able show that it i this, I find ivere sent to ent in 1868. n school of poming has L goods at all mined these I have read exi^lanation tninion. He d for public very money make roads, he English merchant by bringing the inland markets of the colony nearer to him. The customer can only buy a certain amovuit. and it must be immaterial to the seller whether the price of 'ooods when they reach the customer be increased by duties or by freight. His profit remains the same. I must here mention, that during the six years I spent in Canada, I was much struck by the liberality :?hown by the Colonial Government in allowing drawbacks on anything imported for the use of the troops. !No enquiries were ever made : the word of the officer was sufficient; and the treatment we received was always most chivalrous and generous. But, returning to what I said before, I think the reflections cast by the anti-colonial politicians arc most ungracious as well as unnecessary. People who live in glass houses have a proverbial warning, and in a most important particular the Canadian trade was treated with a harshness some years ago, which might have easily provoked retaliation. I refer to the timber trade: at one time the staple, and even now a most important element in their commerce. Over ten million dollars' worth is annually exported ; 'J0,000 men are regularly emploj-edin cutting it. In former years, a differential duty was imposed in om* harbours here by which Canadian timber was received at an advantage, compar< d with that from the Baltic and elsewhere. Suddenly this privilege was abolished, and a member of Parliament, ^aIio ventured to speak in favour of the Colony, of which he was a native , was crushed by the superior Parliamentary fence of a minister who was so great that he might well have afforded to be generous. It has so hajipened, fortunately, that even on equal terms the Canadian timber can undersell even that of Scotland, and in Scottish harbours. But this was not to have been expected; ■4 IB , , ,,. 4 I » ^1 i r » it j * ' t'i 1 !■ H^ 1 1 «•> , 12 and the fact remains that to carry out our views of Free trade, we legislated in such a manner as might have ruined one of our Colonies. When, therefore, we find fault with the legislative action of Canada, I think we deserve, quite apart from the merits of the question, to be put out of court, as a country whose antecedents do not entitle us to criticize. But it may be asked while the unfriendly action of the United States drove the Canadians to look for other markets for their wares, did their new customers get an equivalent in an increased disposal of t/tcir goods, or did the Yankee trader find that he could always sell, although he might refuse to buy? To this, my answer is equally corroborative of my theory. In 1866, England sold to Canada 29,000,000 dollars' worth of goods, and the United States sold 20,500,000. In 1868, England increased her sale by 7,500,000 ; while the United States in spite of all their fostering of their own manufactures and their immediate vicinity to Canada only increased their sales by 6,000,000. Although commerce has no sentimcntalism, it would thus appear that unless there is reciprocity, trade between countries withers, and artificial means of increasing it are not to be compared with the con- fidence and friendship which are engendered by political alliance. My subject is really so extensive that I find a hopeless feeling come over me as I try in the short space allowed to a lecturer to master it. I shall endeavour to anticipate your queries, and by answering them to give you the fullest information in my power. I have heard doubts expressed as to the future of Canada, and opinions entertained that as an independent power she coidd have no existence, but must merge into the States. Please bear with statistics a little 13 Free trade, lined one of t with the quite apart of court, as criticize, ction of the ther markets 'equivalent in ''ankee trader »ht refuse to rative of my 0,000 dollars' 500,000. In ; while the of their own > Canada only commerce has unless there and artificial vith the con- by political id a hopeless > allowed to a ticipate your u the fullest i)ts expressed lined that as ice, but niHst istics a little longer, and out of their dry bones endeavour to trace the outline of a young and vigorous State. In the year 1868, the mercantile marine of the dominion of Canada included 5822 vessels, with an aggregate measure- ment of 776,343 tons, and a crew of 37,325 men. Now listen; of this number of vessels, 2136 were under 5 years of age, and 336 of these were steamers. Does this look like a worn out country ? Does not this bode well for a state whose chief defence, as also her chief source of wealth, lies in her rivers, lakes, and seas ? By treaties framed by England at times when she cared far more for peace and quiet than for her colonies' welfare, the naval force allowed to be kept by us on the Lakes in Canada was reduced to almost nothing. Those were the days when however we might neglect om* colonies, we never dreamt of abandoning them. Unfor- tunately, while with many the feeling has changed, the treaty has remained, binding with its chains our young dependency, to which we have professed to give se(f govern- ment. So might / take one of you, and leading you into a post of danger, might take away your sword, and say, " Now, go fight." But nature and the energy of the colony have done much to meet the danger which lies in the possibility of the treaty being broken from the other side. Let England in such a case assist to find gunboats, there are 37,000 Canadian sea- men ready to man them. I said a little while ago that from not having the latest information from Nova Scotia, I refrained from bettering my case by introducing an element of uncertainty. But this much I can tell you, and you may draw your own conclusion, in a province whose population is about 400,000, there are TV 'I over 19,000 seamen. The Gulf of St. Lawrence, the bimkfs of Newfoundlund, and the Straits of Carso, were until lately a school for the marine of the United States, and for many years have been by treaty the school, well appreciated and higlily subsidized, of the French navy. Times have now changed ; when will fair Franco ever have her seamen there again? The abrogation of the reciprocity treaty between Canada and the States, intended to injure the former has only increased the number and wealth of her fishermen, and by compelling them to assert their rights, has done much to define a nationality which we will do well to cherish, and they will do well to maintain. Only one more act was needed to stamp this distinction upon Canada, and it is now threatened. The United States, so clear sighted in everything where England is not concerned, so blind where she is, now threaten to prevent the passage of goods in bond through their own territory to Canada. Let every true Canadian pray for the day when this threat will be realized ; the result will be the building of more Canadian railways, and then by our own steamers, on our own roads, without asking any man's leave, we and our children on yon, the western shore of our Empire, shall carry on oui' trade, and add to the profits of our own public works instead of those of a possible enemy. So far had I written of my lecture, when President Grant made me at once a happy and a miserable man. My prayer seemed granted, and yet too soon. The plan of my lecture was disturbed by this political comet, and history moved faster than my pen. But I found my reward in the language of the Canadian press. It gave me a proof of what I meant to urge upon you as argument. * 1 1 (If I '-if MMB :sideiit Grant Believe me, ladies and gentlemen, that of all the many circumstances which work together to create nationalities, the master builder is a foreign enemy. Coercion from with- out binds and unites a people, and stami)s upon them the seal of distinctiveness. To this circumstance does Scotland owe a character which centuries of prosperous imion with her ancient foe have failed to efface. To threats and schemes from without does the recently created nationality of Belgium owe its suddenly increased life and popularity, far more than to its internal liberty and wealth, or the patronage of power- ful friends. Blind to this, the United States tried by hostile legislation to coerce Canada into union with themselves. As well might they coerce oil and water. Soon perceiving their mistake, they would not recognize its origin : and in tones, as if an aged scold held their reins of power, instead of a statesman, they let the world read the strangest mixture of whining and of threats that has ever, I suppose, issued from the head of a civilized government. If the necessities of party place the mouth of the ruler of a state at the service of political jugglers, then woe be to that form of government, and woe to the people who live imder it! Political difference may indeed be the life of a people, and the parent of healthy legislation, but the political hack, to whom office is life, and honour immaterial, is the scourge of any country where his influence is per- ceptible at all, and is the ruin of the land where his power is real and recognized. The nationality of Canada was already marked by honour- able points, by loyalty to England, by a wonderful cheerful- ness of spirit, and health of body, as compared with their IG • m .1" I" 1 ,1' I if.i Ii' , I. »»■ powerful neighbours ; but In so vast a country, with so many conflicting interests, and perhaps no lack of little provincial jealousies, there was a danger lest there might be a want of that cohesion which is the backbone of a people. There is no sucli dangei" now, the key- stone of the arch has been placed and cemented by the threatening language of the States, and the manhood of a great nation has dawned upon the world I Let us cherish this young dominion for the sake of our honour and our greatness. " The Canadian national character promises to remain unchanged, and this being so, it promises Canada a long existence as a nation, if only it can. be saved from the grasp of its ambitious neighbour till its own population can be sufficiently increased, and its vast resources more thoroughly laid open, in a word, imtil it has learned to stand alone." Nor let us be ever contemplating a separation, even a friendly one. So lightly do the silken chains of our rule sit upon our colonies that there is no additional liberty to be obtained by them were the coniiection severed. Let us avoid the example set by a short sighted portion of our Press, which is always offensively begging our colonies to ask for separation. It will be the beginning of the end when such a separation takes place ; the shrinking of the empire into a petty state ; the dotage of a parent whose boast may be of her powerful offspring, but a boast uttered by mumbling lips in a palsied head, not the pride of a strong father in his unalienated children. Our fame, our strength, and our mercantile wealth lie in continued union with our colonies. I have been urging upon you that Canada is a source of commercial gain to us while she remains our colony. Not 17 incrclv from licr own trade will wo find that this is the case, but from the facilities offered hy her friendly ports for the trade we carry on with other countries. The position of Halifax on the Atlantic side of the continent, Avith the immense coal-mines Avhich adjoin it, and of British Columbia and A'ancouver's Island on the I'acific side, also very rich in coal, sug-gest to any thoughtful man a day not very remote when Canada will be a further source of strength to England as the high road to her eastern possessions. Our present route lying as it does through foreign territory is pcrpetuallj' liable to interruption ; llussia, Turkey, and Egypt have each in their power to inflict a fatal blow on our commerce. I see that in the ensuing Parliament application is to bo made for an extension to the Pacific of the existing Canadian railways. When this scheme is carried out, we shall have a road through our own territory, which the facilities and privileges offered by the Colonial Government Avill make a cheaply built one, with harbom-s at each end suited for the largest steamers, and coal enough to last for centuries. The dream of the old Spaniard will then be realized who gave this country the name of Canada, a corruption of the word meaning a passage, believing it to be a high road to China and the East. I have heard it stated that although we are prepared to give Canada her independence at any moment, we AAOuld retain Halifax as nccessar}-- for our merchant and war navies, and the new distribution of our nmch diminished military contingent in Canada supports tliis view. How little do such reasoners understand the Anglo Saxon character I Whether Canada may fall into the hands of the States, or remain an independent power, Halifax must go with her. ISo English- 18 ! Mini i il' vm\ t II .!< speaking community will tolerate a Gibraltar on their soil. Let us fairly understand that in giving up Canada, \vc render our voice dumb from that moment on the North American Continent, and we shall be able to retain not even an obscure port, far less one like Halifax, the mouth-piece of the colony during the winter, and the terminus of the Canadian rail- ways. But I hear from every Yankee and from many Englishmen that in a military point of view Canada is the joint in oxn* harness, decidedly our weakness, and not our strength. I join issue at once. As certainly as our North American Colonies feed our commerce, and open homes for our surplus population, where a loyal people may be reared, so surely does the possessio?! of such an outpost to the Empire clothe our vital parts with steel. Let us distinctly understand that Canada is, so to speak, the buffer between us and the United States ; the battle-field on which our quarrels will be settled. Our anxiety about Canada is on our own acciount, not hers ; it is not she whom they hate, but ourselves. In Canada they have a point of our Empiie sufficiently remote from our heart to be susceptible of a wound without, as is imagined, danger of immediate retaliation, and the confidence professed by the United States that Canada is a prize most easily to be obtained, is enhanced, I regret to say, by the pusillanimity and ignorance of many in this country who ought to know better. It is sad to see this shrinking from the duties and responsibilities of a great country ; this seeking safety in the shores of our own islands, as more narrow and more easily defended. "What is the main argument urged in favour of this policy ? It is that no JMilitary force which we could leave permanently in Canada 19 would bo large enough to cope with the armies of the United States ; and that the inevitable defeat of the small body which we could afford to leave would not merely give a valuable prestige to the enemy, but would discourage our colonists and weaken our Goverment at home. Further, that the fact that hi Canada there was a foi'cc so small that its dci'eat woidd be easy, would tempt an excitable people into war foi tb 3 mere chance of an easy victory to render the connnencement of hostilities popular. Now what is at the bottom of this reasoning, which I believe I have stated most fairly ? Unhesitatingly I answer that the substratum is nothing but a selfish prudence which I cannot distinguish from fear. And how am I to show that this is a prudence which is imprudent, a fear like that of the man who fleeth when no man pursueth ? By showing, as in a few words I hope to show, that Canada is no easy prize, and is a country most easily, as it will be most willingly defended. I make no rash assertion in saying that the defence of Canada is possible. I am born out by the highest military authorities. There is in their argument but one reservation, that the population shall be at once friendly, and energetic in support of the military. Thanks to the innate loyalty of the inhabitants which has survived the cold water thrown on it by our press, and was never more apparent than at the time of the Trent affair, a few years ago, there is no doubt of their co-ojieration. I iind that in 1864 there were in Canada over 300,000 enrolled militiamen. Since that date the volunteer force has risen into very considerable proportions, also, and has seen active service in an imperial quarrel on the frontiers of the United States. The best authorities state that a defensive force of 200,000, backed by our purse and our fleet, would suffice to render r: 20 , ii'''' ::S! .,!'■ ij- (Januda imprognablo. The Canadians already have provided their share, let us not fail with ours. A corj)f( (Canned kept by us in Canada costs less in £ s. d. than in England ; it is readily available sliould we need it elsewhere ; it gives an assurance ot* our sincerity to our colonists ; and its removal, unless witli it we remove our flag and our name, will not save us from assault. The giving up of Canada itself would not save us. "What says Dr. Russell, the correspondent of the D'liics during the American war Y " In my poor judg- ment, the abandonment of ('anada would be the most pregnant sign of the decadence of the British Kmijire which could be desired bv her enemies. The sound of our recall would animate every nation in the world to come forth, and dcsjioil us." Gentlemen, if wc are to have war with the United States, Av'hich God forbid ! are wc to have it on the St. Lawrence or the Shannon Y Where shall we tind our line of defence weakest ? Believe me, as one who has seen the loyalty of Canadians, who has studied the capacities of their country for defence, and who, like your- selves has seen the confusion which invasion creates round the heart and the panic which it brings on the commercial nerves of a country, that whether we wish to avoid war, or to liave our battles decided on ground favourable to ourselves, wc sh»)v.lfl. streno'then Canada in everv wav, first for our honour's sake as due to a people whose danger lies in their connection with us, and next for our own safety, as a field which whatever we do is certain to be made one of battle, but which if we choose we may make the field of victory as well. And severe as our efforts would have to be, the brunt of danger would be our colonial felloAV subjects' as well as our own. Tlie following sentences from a Canadian minister will show you what I mean. n Tie is referring to the wnr of 181 2-10, whieli arose out of matters to which Britisli Aniericans were perfectly indifferent, but in which thcv .showed the lii^-hcst lo^'alty and fJ:allantr^'. "You," says he, "count the cost of war by the army and navy estimates, but who can ever count t he cost of that war to us ? A war, let it be borne in mind, into M'liich we were precipitated without our knowledge and consent. Let tho coasts of England be invaded by powerful armies for three summers in succession ; let the whole channel from Falmouth to the Nore be menaced; let Southampton be taken and burnt ; let the South downs be swept from the ITami)shire hills, and the rich pastures of Devonshire supply fat beeves to the enemy encamped in the western counties, or marching on Manchester and London ; let the youth of England be drawn from profitable labour to defend these great centres of industry, the extremities of the island being given uj) to rapine and plunder ; fancy the women of England living for three years with the somid of artillery occasionally in their ears, and the thoughts of something worse than death ever present to their imaginations ; fancy the children of England with wonder and alarm on their pretty faces asking for three years when their fathers woidd come home ; fancy, in fact, the wars of the Roses come back again, and then jou can understand what we suffered from 1812 to 1815. Talk of the cost of war at a distance ; let your countrt/ be made its theatre, and then you will understand how unfair is your mode of calculation when you charge us with the army estimates, and give us no credit for what we have done and suffered in your wars." The war to which the speaker whom I have just quoted refers, was one fought almost solely by the Canadian militia, t: 22 >4\: rt<^.t .1' » England having her hands full in Europe. The success of the CanadianH was compU'to, and had the men appointed by our Government to negotiate the treaty of 1815 with the StatcH been as able with the pen as the Canadians hud shown themselves Avith the sword, a great part of the New England States would have been added to Canada, and the defence of the country would have been far less difficult than it now is. The same ready loyalty which showed itself then, has been ft* displayed by the ('anudians at every subsequent threat from the United States. I have alluded to the Trent afiair ; and as one who went at that time with the advanced guard on the long winter march from Halifax to Quebec, I am glad to be able to bear public witness to the enthusiusm and loyalty of the people. Bear in mind that the villages through which we passed were very near the Yankee frontier, and would have been the first victims in event of war. But day after day, as we passed on our way, the inhabitants used to turn out cheering us, offering us hospitality in every form, and it was no unusual thing in the F.-ench Canadian towns to be met by crowds of people headed by their priests who used to bless each column as it passed. I can assure you from personal knowledge that this display of loyalty made a very marked impression on the people of the United States. The defence of so vast a frontier as that of Canada would of course be impossible unless with countless armies. But history shows us that wars concentrate round the chief cities of a country, and the fortification of these should be the first consideration. Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, Montreal, and Quebec, and the entrance of the two great canuh should be protected by earthworks, and should be the headquarter stations of the local forces. To a certain extent this has 23 alreudv been done; but the armnmont is ontiquatcd and quite inefficient, while Montreal, the woalthie.st city of all, is utterly unprotected. A tete-dtt-pont south of the 'ictoria bridge, a few advanced earthworks arranged senii-circularly ubout five or six miles from the south bank of the river, and some very heavy elevated batteries on the hill beliind the city, would with the assistance of gunboats on the river sufficiently protract the defence of the city to admit of an inuncnMC con- centration of the Canadian forces. The St. Lawrence would be a priceless line of defence, being navigable as far as the Lakes ; and as no campaign could be carried on in winter by an invading army, the river would be available for our ships during the whole time that hostilities would be practic- able. The weak part of Canada is that south of the St. Lawrence, and the fact that the Grand Trunk Railway runs south of the river as far us Montreal, and might therefore full into the enemy's hands has always been a stumbling block in planning the defence of Canada. Fortunately, there is also much similar exposure of valu- able portions of the United States territory, and further, one of the works contemplated by the Government of Quebec, out of their surplus revenue this year is a railway on the north side of the river to Montreal and Ottawa. No one can over estimate the military importance of this undertaking, and when it is completed the defence of the Dominion would be simple and thorough, did England lend the assistance which the colony has a right to expect ? A ricjht, I say ; for we must not throw upon an unoffending dependency the burden of a war with our most inveterate enemy. We must assist her for our honor's sake : and in paying our debt of honor we shall receive increased immunity from danger. The improve- 24 'I'C Htf*^ :;^i; I! ■ raents in f ea communication, the use of the Atlantic cable, coupled with the steady increase of the Canadian popidation, and their unswerving loyalty would be direct sources of gain to us over former wars on that continent. The war, if one should come, v/ill be bitter, for the assailant is jealous, and the assailed is proud ; but we should have an immense advan- tage in being able to check immigration, the best recruiting serffcant the Americans had in their civil war. And we would carry on the war in a friendly country, not by means of forced requisitions, nor in constant terror of disturbance among the people of the districts. It would also be an immense advan- tage to carry on a war on such a scale as this would be, in a country where, for several months in the j^ear, campaigning would be impossible. The army, acting on the defensive as ours in Canada would be, would have time for re-organization and re-inforcement, and the communication with England, through Halifax, would remain uninterrupted. As a rule too we find that England excels in the management of distant expeditions. History shows us that in such w^ars though she has frequently blimdered, she has rarely failed. i doubt if there has ever been a lecturer, since the commence- ment of the world, ^^'ho has not had some hobbj', and I am sure that no lecturer in'f/i a hobby ever foiled to trot it out before his audience, however jaded. I do not hesitate to say that /have one, nay, more magnanimous still, I do not hesitate to inflict it upon //o«,' and so far am I from being jealous of my property, that nothing would delight me moro than to see every man in this room climb into the saddle and canter off to Downing Street. After 16 years' acquaintance with the army I am positive that there is no higher educational agent in the country. • ii' [c cable, Hilation, of gain \, if one Ws, and ' advan- Icruitinff ^e would )f forced long the advan- t)e, in a )aigning nsive as nization (England, L rule too ' distant >ugli she imence- 1 I am it out B to say liesitate lous of 1 to see iter off 'ositive •untry. Drawing, as it generally does, its numbers from a class which may be described as very raw material indeed, it schools and polishes them before their return to civil life into an utterly different race of beings. The value of a discharged soldier of good character is now thoroughly appreciated. The positions of trust which they may almost be said to monopolize, and the rapturous letters in favor of the Corps of Commissionaires which Patcr-familias sends to the T/»/f.s', mark a change which ever officer who loves his profession (and they are legion) i;ladly welcomes. But to send these men back to civil life, owing a debt to the country, while it must be content to be a mere sentimental creditor, and to. claim nothing in rctui'u, is a suicidal policy, without even the eclat of martyrdom. If, however, the war and colonial ministers would put their heads together, a system might be organised, which I shall be glad if you will allow me to explain. It is very simple. Here, on one side, is England scolding her colonies, and urging them to form some military force, with a view to their own more efficient defence, and to the saving of the British taxpayer's pocket. Here, on the other side, stand our colo- nies, crying out for useful immigrants, and endeavouring lustily to organize a militia, under difficulties wliich only those can realize who know what a powerful rival the recruiting-sergeant finds in high wages and scarcity of labour. Well, let the soldier solve the difficulty, or rather bridge it over. Let our Government undertake to send any man of good character who has served a certain number of years in the army to any colony he may select, free of expense. AVe have troop-ships sleeping in our harbours half the year, and the cost of transport would be trifling. Let the colony under- HIJ m 26 ""A '^m ''it* •■I take to give such a soldier a grant of land out of the millions they have unsettled, in return for so many days military ser- vice annually, and a lasting service during time of war. All this has been thought of, and urged, by far-thinking men be- fore ; but while I gladly mount their hobby, I would fain add some trappings of my own. I would make their tenure of land a feudal one ; failure in military duty should imply for- feiture of settlement ; and should a man have earned a pension before quitting the service, I should have it paid to him through the Colonial Government, as an additional means of binding him to his duty. Do not mismiderstand me. I should never reconnnend that what a man had earned from the Imperial Government should be liable to forfeiture by colonial caprice ; but that the colony should have the power of withholding the pension from a defaulter in military duty as long as he refused to vacate the land given to him on certain conditions which he had failed to fidfil. The moment he relinquished the land, that moment he shoidd receive all arrears of pension. Many other details will naturally occur to you as necessary and im- portant, and one especially. Just as a certain number of years of Imperial service give him a right to pension, so a certain number of years' service in the colonial militia should give him a right to his settlement for hmiself and his -heirs for ever. However hard a man may ride his hobby, he should look out for fences or rolling stones in front of him ; and I am not blind to one pitfall to my scheme which may occur to many of you. I can imagine you exclaiming that these men, whom I propose to ship to our colonies, are the very men we want for our army of reserve at home. What shall I answer to this ? I answer, first, that while we claim to be a great empire we 27 would be impostors to limit our line of defence to the shores of Great Britain. I answer, second, that as these men would by the nature of their tenure be available for military service on occasion in our dependencies, a fortiori would they be available at the Imperial command, should the empire be menaced where they resided. "We are no exception to the general rule, that the strength of anything is only equal to its weakest part ; and while we assert even a nominal sovereignty over any part of the world, we must be ready to substantiate our assertion. To do so, I can conceive no cheaper or more efficient method than that of mingling a loyal military element with a loyal civil population. And of one thing I am certain : there would be no lack of men to go. Such a prize at the end of service in the regular army Avould give such an impetus to recruiting that we need have no fear of difficulties in procuring men ; and by the adoption of this plan, the difficulties in the way of raising a proper militia in a thinly settled country disappear rapidly. It must, also, be insisted upon that in a colony no military force is possible but a militia. A standing army raised from the colonial popidation and paid out of colonial revenue is an idea not to be entertained for a moment. A colony does not make offensive war, only defensive. The only necessary force therefore is one which shall be capable ofprotecting their soil from invasion. For this force, the clement which I have suggested would in the rural districts be invaluable as a militia, and would be a nucleus round which the less trained population woidd rally, and from which they would acquire those habits of discipline which are learnt from the sympathy of numbers, it. 1*1 28 ,,|W -■ <•*■*■ -|t!»'"«l not from drill-books. In the towns, I think the volunteer force, with a little more strictness than iit present, and a short annual embodiment of even a few days, would be pre- ferable to a militia, and would be at once more numerous, less expensive, and would interfere less with business. I should like to see everv volunteer drilled, not merelv as a rifleman, but as a sapper, and I should have a verj'- large f)roportion of gunners. As an inducement to proficiency, I should give certain civic privileges to all who could obtain a high pro- fessional certificate ; utilizing for this purpose, and largelj^ increasing the military schools, which, as in Canada, already exist. The officering of the colonial forces is a subject on which I have thought a good deal. The most popular idea I know is to hold out inducements to officers of the Imperial army to transfer their services ; but undoubted as are the advantages of such a system, there are equally undoubted drawbacks. Nothing in a young country is -^ re objectionable than caste. And none more so than military caste. While every man in a colony should!, if necessary, be a soldier, none should be a soldier ouhj. In a young country we cannot afford to have idle men, and a commission in a regiment embodied for only a few days or weeks annually, is only another name for idleness. At the same time, I should offer every inducement to military men to become >^cttlcrs, and having accomplished that, and given them a stake in the country, with duties in proportion, I should then gladly give them the preference in distributing the commands in the colonial troops. ' In talking of the cities in Canada requiring fortification, I said nothing of Halifax, because it is already both by nature and art most powerfully defended. But no expense should 29 be spured to render imprconable the harbour, which would, winter and summer, be the rendezvous of our fleets, and the city which is to be the Atlantic terminus of the whole s\'stein of our Canadian railways. While alluding to this harbour of Halifax, I am reminded of one of the many romantic stories in which it has borne a part. Possibly to many of you the story of the French ar- mada, which was desj^atched in the year 174G to recover Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and conquer the New England colonies may be unknoAAii ; but had it not met with a mar- vellous succession of misfortunes, there is every reason to believe that it would have gone a long way towards perpetu- ating the French power in Canada and the maritime provinces. While the energies of the English Government were devoted to the sul)jcct of reclaiming the Highlands of Scotland from their devotion to the Pretender, while Clive was laying the foundation of our great Indian Empire with a genius and skill out of all proportion to his years, a fleet of no less than 70 ships sailed from Brest, having on board a large military contingent. The command of the expedition was conferred upon the Duke D'Auville, a most able, but as we shall see, a most unfortunate leader. After a long and jierilous passage, in which two of his frigates were captured, and a third lost, he found himself not far from Nova Scotia, where a severe storm so damaged a large sliip that he was compelled to l)urn her, while two others foundered during the gale. In Sep- tember he reached Halifax witli a few ships, and anxiously awaited the arrival of the others. How wearing nmst have been his anxiety, as day after day he watched for some signal from the high point at the mouth of the harbour, where York redoubt now stands. But there was no sign for many I n 30 \3^. ■1 ,p ' < I -^)*, i.'»" . j^ '« .1^ a weary day. Out of his glittering fleet of seventy sail, only six were within sight of his pennant. It was too much for him ; his brain reeled mider so bitter a prostration of his hopes ; and one bright autumn morning, as the sun rose over the heights, at whose feet the beautiful little village of Dartmouth now stands, it shone down upon the upturned face of a gallant, but disappointed man, who had perished by his own hand. ' By a strange coincidence, on that very afternoon, the signal was seen flying above the trees which clad the hills at the entry of the harbour, and Admiral D'Estournelles, with four ships, arrived to assume the ill-fated command. He brought the intelligence of the loss of five other ships, and of the retm-n to France of several more. A council of war was held that afternoon, and, against the wish of the Admiral, who urged an immediate return to France, his impetuous subordinates resolved, in spite of their reduced force to attack the well- guarded city of Annapolis, fhoi the capital of the colony. So much did the rashness of this enterprise prey upon D'Estournelles' spirits that he wrs seized with delirium, and in a fit of gloom, conceiving himself a prisoner, like Saul, the son of Kish, he fell upon his sword and died ! As the news of this second tragedy reached the other ships there came with it the intelligence that a pestilence had appeared among some of the crews, and all hope ~^' sailing was abandoned. At the head of Halifax Harbour there is a narrow passage, which opens out into a large inland sea, •«vhich might float the navies of the world. At the time of which I speak the trees which lined its shores were acquiring those brilliant autumnal tints which strike the traveller so forcibly on first beholding them. . > 31 • The fleet was ordered into this sheet of water, known now as Bedford Basin, and most of the crews were encamped on shore for medical treatment. But the l)reath of the pestilence was mortal ; in three weeks no less than 1,130 men were l)uried beneath the shadow of the green spruce and hac-matac, and one third of a tribe of Indians who lived in that district died from the virulent disease which had appeared. ' Bye and bye, among other straggling ships which had appeared one by one in the harl)our, came one which announced that an English fleet had sailed against them. Panic-stricken, the plague- worn crews were hurried on board their ships, and those vessels whose crews had been kidnapped by death were scuttled and sank ; and the breaking of the waves which cover these sunken ships, on the shore where so many gallant hearts found their last home, echoes to this day as a dirge over an expedition as miserable and ill-fated as any I can find in history. Often have I sailed over the spot where the final act of the tragedy was witnessed ; but what a change in a hundred years ! The trees still fringe the eastern shore of the basin, but on the western side I see the hurrying trains travelling to and fro, between many thousands of our fairest homes in the west ; I see the old residence of our Queen's father, who once commanded the troops in Nova Scotia, now almost venerable from age, as }'ears count in a young countrj^ ; behind me I see a bustling and prosperous city, full of energetic and loyal citizens, carrying on their avocations under the guns of a powerful citadel, and by the shores of a marvellously fortified harbour. No French fleet casts its shadow on the waters, although that I have seen also, in friendly rivalry with our own, side by side ; but at every •i ti 32 '-"t.-f • ft 11 I . »1» .* •' iw III :■' «> III •i whiirf, and there are many, 1 wee a fleet of ships from all parts of the Avorld, Avhose mission is prouder than frowning iron-clads, for its motto is *' Plenty and Peace." What this harlxmr might show if the railway to British Columbia were completed it is difficult to realize. The distance to Hong Kong in point of time from England would be fifteen days less than by the present o^'erland route ; and so in proportion would we be nearer to our other Eastern possessions. It is curious, that the only coal mines on the Pacific side of the Continent are on British territory, a circumstance which would tell immensely in favour of English lines of steamers. The line of railway, when completed, will pass through the richest agricultural districts of the north Avest territory, which (Joloncl Wolseley, the commander of the recent lied River expedition, prophesied on his retui'n to Montreal, would soon be the granary of Europe. As British Columbia is not an agricultural country, and depends for its breadstuff's on California, the making of a railway, having its terminus in British Columbia, woidd make that province independent of the States, and would offer a ready market to the grain-pro- ducing districts of British America. In point of difficulty of construction, I may add that Lord Milton says, in his work on the north west passage by land, that the passes through the Pocky Mountains are far easier on P>ritish territory than on that of the United States. I firmly believe that by the construction of this railway, the consolidation of the Britisli ]^]mpire, so desirable, but hitherto so difficult, would be effected ; and that in every part of the world there would be a vast district of territory, essentially peaceful and averse to war, promoting commerce under one flag, which would never • 33 be flaunted in hostility, save in the cause of resisting aggression. The retention of our Colonial Empire is thcre- i'oro, I believe, a guarantee of peace to the world ; such as would not be given by tlic existence of a number of inde- pendent, and possibly jealous states. Jjc ^j^ *(» *!• ^^ Anxious to give to-night some graphic description of sport in Canada, I borrowed the diary of a friend, one of the keenest sj)ortsmen I ever met. The study of this journal has afforded me an interest more intense than that derived from a sensation novel. Not from the number of deer he killed ; not from the bears he tracked so perse- Acringly, but from the unconscious revelations of a tender natiu'e which I detected in his journal. The first entry which aw^akened my suspicion, was where he mentioned that after shooting a moose, he, with infinite labour, skinned the ears to make a pair of mits for . This was enough ; I smelt a rat. I have gone through this sort of thing mj'self. I w^as therefore prepared, as his stay in the woods was prolonged, to find such entries as " Out of sorts, to-day! " "Did'nt sleep well, last night ! " "llather Ic^'. after supper ! " I chuckled. But bye and bye the artfid journalist saw the danger himself, and in one of his entries I find, " August 17 ; had a fever for three days ; cause, ' Black flies ! '" *' Black flies," indeed ! Had he said, "Black cf/cs,'' he would have been nearer the cause of his feverish symptoms. I find that my diarist makes a longish excursion to Anticosti, a ghastly island in the St. Lawrence, whose shores are dark with the tale of innumerable shipwrecks. He arranged with a schooner to take him and his Indian there, U u ■\r.- "f. •I 3) '* - >it I* t ■I || IM and come back for them. The schoouer did not come back ; and for a wear}' month our sportsman wanders on the shore, looking like Enoch Arden for a sail. At this tunc hin journal l^ecomes like that of a lunatic ; and no wonder. Miles away his Oriana was in the moated grange, sighing thai he corned not. In his calmer moments you find such entries as, " Shot a sea-gull ; wanted the wing for ." In another place, an entry, and worthy of Mr. F.'s aunt, *' Folly ! " Nothing more. " Folly ! " Had some cynical fit seized him ? Did he deem it folly to believe that Oriana still remembered him ? Perhaps so ; a good appetite is generally found with cynics ; and I find an entry soon after which may contain a depth of meaning, " Supper — Fried pork and duck." I think his agony culminates one night when he goes to a lighthouse. Ivcckless of consequences, he madly eats, and chronicles u meal, which furrowed my face, and made each particular hair to stand on end as I read. The entry is short, and concise ; the punishment long and awful, I cannot but believe ; listen ! " Supper, — raspberries ! wild cherries ! ! pancakes ! ! ! warm bread I ! ! ! " If he could but have harnessed the night-mares which must have careered over his unhappy bed that night, no distance could have kept him I'rom his love. T mentioned this fearful meal to him after- wards ; he smiled a ghastly smile : he uttered never a word ! My time will not allow me to enter into details on the sport of Canada, a theme on which one might write volumes. It is, except in the most settled districts, abundant and varied, and words fail in attempting to describe the exquisite enjojTiient to be attained in its pursuit. To one who has once lived in the woods, us it is called, and tasted the charm 85 lie back ; 10 shore, time his wonder. sighing ind such .'s uimt, ! cynical t Oriana petite is )on after L' — Fried ^•oes to a ?ats, and idc each is short, Qnot but ernes f ? ut have ed over ept him n after- word ! on the ohimcs. mt and cquisitc k^ho has charm of freedom from restraint in the magnificent scenery and climate of British America, tlie hunger to renew it comes again and again, like some nmhuliv dn j)(/>/.s ; some mental epidemic. A brother officer, whom I knew in Canada, who is now in England ; a mighty hunter, and as well ncqiuiintcd with the moose deer as any Indian, told me the other day, that he himts more moose now in his dreams than he ever did ill the forest. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and New- foundland, the nearest points to this country, more abundant sport, in the way of moose, carriboo, and bears, can be obtained than in the districts of Quebec and Ontario ; but the progress of settlement is driving such game away, and soon, except for wild-fowl of all sorts, which abound everywhere, the sports- man will be driven to the north west, where the faima is more varied, and more exciting, and where to his dreams, in after days, he will find added the grizzly bear and the buffalo. Of the wealth of the sea-fisheries of Canada there can be no doubt ; of their exhaustion there is no probability. But I cannot speak with the same confidence of the future of the river Fisheries, although their natural richness and present abundance are immense. I doubt whether salmon-fishing can be made productive where only self-interest is concerned. This is visible in England, where the fishery laws are strictlj^ enforced, and j^et where there is a perpetual feud between the upper and lower water proprietors. But in Canada, we have in addition to the self-interest of the fishermen, the selfishness of the sa^^^nill proprietors to contend against. They foul the water in a way which is ruinous at the seasons when the fish are ascending the streams, and they set at defiance the feeble laws which have been passed to prohibit their shortsighted conduct. I in"* I :)«'■'* I, U •.mil ■if if Taking into account the nature of the country, its wildnoss, and the immense ntaff which would be required for efficient protection, I think it would l)e advisable to divide the wr/ W;v/ into different districts, each of which .should embrace the rivers which flow through it. These districts might be leased to the fishermen residing in them, for a percentage of the profits or at first for a nominal rent. The tenants should, among themselves, form a committee for farming the rivers, who Hhould have the power of subletting them. Bj' leasing the rivers to a body of fishermen all deeply interested in their protection and improvement, the work of the Government Inspector would bo greatly lightened and simplified. There should, therefore, be added to his other duties that of instruct- ing the fishermen in all that relates to the fish which frequent these rivers ; and he would in this duty enjoy great advantages from dealing with a responsible body, such as the proposed committee would be, instead of a number of individuals, probably listless and apathetic, and at best only curious_ or amused. At the commencement of such a scheme as I have sketched, ani/ fisherman residing within the district, or anj'-^one owning property along the banks of the river, should have the right of joining the company. But, the company once formed, a certain premium or fine should be exacted from people desi- rous of being shareholders. In these remarks, I refer mainly to the maritime provinces of the dominion, the richest in point of both sea and river fisheries, as in Quebec and Ontario the rivers are in the hands of the Crown. But I am confident that all over the dominion, some co-operative system'^such as I have attempted to sketch is necessary to render the rivers as fruitful and lucrative as they might be. 37 The sport for the fisliormnii on tlio Atluntic side of Canada I have said is good ; but, on the l*acitic .side the accounts are abnost incredible, so living with tish do the rivers seem. This circumstance, with llio abundance of fuel to be had for tlie trouble of cutting', accounts for much of the comfort found among even the poorest settlers ; and recent explorations by tlie Government have proved that there is no fear of fuel giving out. A party which ascended the river Ottawa far higher than had been done before, reported an amount of magniticent pine, sufKcient to give work to thousands of men for a century. Nothing fills me with so mucli hope as tlie passages in Canadian papers which note the rapid migration to tlie west and north-west, the districts opened by the destruction of the Hudson's Bay monopoly, of not merely new emigrants but old settlers. If one thing more than another has made the United States a great nation, it has been the vast amount of unsettled back country at their disposal. It has yielded work for that most important class, tlie pioneers of civilization, who always happier in rough life, make a good protit by the sale of their partly cleared lands to less enterprising settlers, and move on again. It has also saved them from many of the pernicious circumstances, which like parasites, have attached themselve to political institutions which were meant to be pure and noble. In a smaller country, or one more densely populated, among people who had time to ask the why and the wherefore of things, some of the public men whom wo find in the States would not be tolerated. So rich, however, are the United States by nature that their people can afford to laugh at their public men, who cannot ruin the country what- ever folly they may perpetrate. In Canada, with a better form 38 of Government, fully as enterprising inhabitants and physically fur stronger, and an amount of territory which dwarfs the States, T anticipate now that the dead weight of the Hudson's Bay monopoly is removed, and confederation has been suc- cessfully effected, a rapid growth of population and cultivation ir.id a wealth which will parallel even that of their powerful neighbour. One word more. If you should be reminded of the cold of Canadian winters, say "yes : — uut in summer, grapes, peaches, and melons ripen with ease in the open air ;" and while the severity of the winter suits the present state of the country and admits of locomotion which would otherwise be impos- sible, the history of other climates leads us to believe that as the country gets cleared the winter will be greatly modified. You might add with truth, that although the thermometer falls occasionally very low, yet, thank goodness, Canada is incapable of showing such a November a..-*' IV"!cember as England has shown in the year of grace, 1S70. So also, if reminded of the comparatively small population of so vast a territory, you may answer that at least it is con- siderably more than twice that of the whole of Australasia, and that the immigration into Canada last year showed an increase of 25 per cent, over the year 1868. The terms on which emigrants may obtain land vary from free grants in many districts, particularly near the great roads, payments extending over five years, and ready money payments at rates averaging two or three shillings per acre. Free grants are only given to subjects of Her Majesty, or those who will take the oath of allegiance, and that the con- nection suggested by this law may long continue has been the drift and object of my lecture to night. The township i!> 39 settlements, as they are called in upper Canada and the west, tire sold at 'Js. per acre for ready money, or 4s. 2d. for ci-edit. The free grants of 100 acres on tlie great roads, which have been jilanned for the west, have certain conditions attached to them, such as that a log hut shall be built of a certain size and a certain amount of land cleared within a given time. Members of the same family, however, arc permitted each to have a grant of land, and yet only to build one homestead for joint occupation. The land thus given is suited to all the purposes of husbandry. In Nova Scotia and New Brunswick the average price of the wild lands is 2s. Od. per acre, but 'i years credit is allowed to a bona fide settler, ])rovided he be a British subject, or in the case of New Brunswick he may pay for his land by working on the public roads mider com- missioners appointed for that purjjose. From a constant personal examination during six years .spent in all parts of Canada, I am satisfied tliat the comfort and abunda}ice enjoyed by the settlers in the rural districts of 'Canada are not realized in this count r3\ The more active measures taken by the colonial government since confederation for making known the advantages of British America, will, I doubt not, be visible in the rapid growth of emigration to that countrv. ft/ And in the meantime, no greater benctit can be conferred upon England by the organs of public opinion, and by us who make and constitute public opinion, than the urging upon our government and upon our poor that we have in the British Empire an immense teritory pining for occupation, whose ■climate is so healthy that the death rate is lower than in any other part of the world, and whose natural resources are so immense that it is difficult to conceive a population large onough to develope, far less exhaust them. 40 ■ mMtff ;i t it In concluding my lecture, I look back upon what I have said with much dissatisfaction. If I have failed to inspire you with a sense of the value of Canada to England, believe me, the fault is mine, not my subject's. As I have read in works of travel, iu the daily press, and in the record of my own memory, the endless proofs of Canada's great and increasing resourcr^s, my heart failed me as I remembered how little of it all I could compress into the space of a lecture. The best I could hope to do was not to bring before you the figure itself, but merely to give you a glimpse of its shadow, as it floated bv. I liave learnt how Railway Companies once thought bank- rupt, are now lucrative : how the Grand Trnnk line which cost £'18,500,000 to build, had as its gross receipts for the half-year ending Jiine of the present year over £700,000; how the Inter-colonial Railway is progressing rapidly at a cost of only £3,500 a mile, employing 8,000 hands ; while a rival line is being promoted, also on British soil, which will give another winter voice on the Atlantic to this the vastest of our dependencies. Yet again, I turn the pages of the Times, and I find a London clergyman who has just returned from Canada, asserting that out of 40,000 people who emigrated last year he found no case of distress, but perfect contentment and happiness. And in his letter I came upon a detail which most commonplace as it may sound, contains a sermon in itself. " I found " said he " that most of them had animal food twice ai^a thrice a day." When we walk through the crowded streets of our own cities, and see the famished faces by the butcher's shops, and the little creatures young in years, but old in privations, watching at the windows of the lewdest eating houses, as if they were palaces of Aladdin, we 41 can realize what a cliange it m\ist he to go to such a land of plenty. If the want of food is often the beginning of crime, by supplying the want, we shall save our fellow creatures much misery, and strengthen the empire by battalions of honest men, instead of weakening it by thieves and paupers. I see that a pauper in England costs on the lowest average £S annually; but make him emigrate, and he becomes a purchaser of English goods to the average amount of ^81 2 a year. If our rulers will not assist our poor for the sake of their bodies and souls, let us pray them as economists to do it for this £20 a piece. And now as I pen the last words of my lecture, there rises before my mind many a sweet picture of Canadian domestic life. Again I see the great St. Lawrence sweeping past not merely mighty cities but also the rose-covered cottages of the French Canadian, or the ruder homes of the Scotch and English settlers. AM'ay further west on sleeping Ontario, or within sound of the great Thunder of waters, or up many a mile on the brown raft covered- Ottawa, I think of many a home tenanted by a people of whom a recent traveller has truly said " the Canadians are indeed a happy people; if their aspirations are limited to getting up some more straight and narrower ladder of life than their neighbours, at least they climb it more quietly, more patiently, and with a less intense agony of struggling.'^ But above all, where my memory lingers longest, and my fancies crowd thickest, is by tne banks of the St. John or in the rich intervales of Nova Scotia, where I have seen more loyalty, more genuine goodness and hospitality than all the world over. For these descendants of the old Puritans, who leaving one home for their God, left another If ;» Ml* 42 for their king, no rivers can be too prolific, no mines too rich, no fields too yellow with harvest ; and if they get their deserts, all I ask is "may you and I be there to see, for if we are, believe rae we are also sure to share." too ;heir f we