THE HON. ALEXANDER MACKENZIE

The Eve of Confederation. 415

the interests of his party. In 1860 his brother, Mr. Hope F. Mackenzie, was returned to the Assembly for Lambton, but declined reëlection in 1861, as business matters demanded his attention. Alexander accordingly succeeded him in the representation. He was from the first a ready and effective debater, and possessed a wonderful faculty for dealing with minute and complicated details. It may safely be said of him that his character, no less than his abilities, won the respect of the country during his first Parliamentary session, and that, though he has been a strong partisan, and has made no secret of his opinions, he has retained that respect down to the present day.

Mr. Joly is of French Canadian parentage, but was born in France, and received his early education there. He removed to Canada in his youth, and in course of time studied law and was called to the bar. Having resolved to enter public life, he in 1861 successfully contested the representation of Lotbinière, which he thenceforward represented for many years. He is a pronounced Liberal, and from the outset of his public career has devoted himself, both in and out of Parliament, to the advancement of Liberal principles. Mr. Taschereau, who now occupies an honoured position on the bench, is a member of an old and well-known French Canadian family. He was then a successful member of the Lower Canadian bar, tu which he had been called in 1857. Having been returned to the Assembly for his native county, he ranged himself on the side of the Ministry. Dr. Blanchet was at that time a popular and successful physician resident at the town of Lévis, for which constituency he was returned to the Assembly in the ministerial interest, He has ever since sat in the Legislature—sometimes in that of

Canada, sometimes in that of his native Province, sometimes in both; and at the present day he sits in the Commons for the constituency by which he was first returned to Parliament,

The death of William Lyon Mackenzie, which occurred during

416 The Last Forty Yeurs.

the summer, is an event not unworthy of being recorded here. The close of his life, like the beginning of it, was passed amid poverty and gloom. He resigned his seat for Haldimand at the end of the session of 1858, and did not again take any part in public affairs, except by discussing them in his Weekly Message, which he continued to publish at irregular intervals down to the spring of 1860. In that quaint periodical he animadverted upon men and things in the voluble, impassioned style which was so peculiarly his own; but the enterprise was not a pecuniary success, and yielded an income altogether insufficient for the necessities of his family. A short time prior to the resignation of his seat in Parliament the Upper Canadian Reformers set on foot a subscription, with the ostensible object of presenting him with a testimonial, but really for the purpose of aïding him in his hard struggle with poverty. À considerable sum was realized, part of which was invested in a house on Bond Street, Toronto, where he resided at the time of his death. The rest was loaned to him by the subscription committee. While this fund lasted it doubtless did something to smooth his pathway, and to avert the despair which was slowly but surely fastening its grasp upon him. For some time before his death there was an evident failure of his physical and mental powers. With shattered health and blighted hopes, with a family dependent upon him for support, and without any means of suitably providing for them, he lost heart, and longed for the rest of the grave. During his last illness he refused medical treatment, declining to make any effort to longer preserve a life which had lost all charms for him. He breathed his last on the 28th of August, at the age of sixty-six years. His career is one which can by no means be held up to unqualified admiration, but he was, according to his lights, a sincere patriot, and one who wished well to his fellow-creatures. His energy, though frequently misdirected, was such as, under different conditions, must have ensured success. His ambition, though unstable and erratic,

The Eve of Confederation. 417

was upon the whole honourable and public-spirited. His great defect was his inability to reason, and his tendency to be driven hither and thither by his impulses. The problem of human existence was to him, even more than to most men, a curiously involved and insoluble affair, and he spent most of his days and many of his nights in vain attempts to solve it from the wrong end. His life, no less than his death, was sad and sorrowful, but Canada may well afford to drop a tear over the grave of the man who, rash and wrong-headed as he was, never ceased to be zealous for Canadian liberty and popular rights.

On the 24th of October Sir Edmund Head’s administration of Canadian affairs came to an end, and he sailed for England immediately afterwards.* He had not during his stay among us developed any extraordinary qualities of statesmanship, nor did he, like his predecessor, leave a host of warmly-attached friends behind him; but, except among the more virulent members of the Opposition, there was a general feeling that he had tried to do his duty, and that in all essential points he had succeeded. He was not a man of much personal magnetism, and did not seem to court devoted friendships ; but he was careful, painstaking and conscientious, and rarely affixed his signature to a public document until he had read and comprehended the contents. He was fond of superintending minute details, and would have made an excellent head of a department. Notwithstanding his learning and his knowledge of politics, it may be said that he found his intellectual level as Poor Law Commissioner, in which capacity he proved himself to be a useful and clear-headed man. Some idea of the texture of his mind may be formed from the fact that he wrote an entire book (a

*T leave my character behind me,” says Sir Peter Teazle, Had Sir Edmund echoed the sentiment he would have been fully borne out by the sinister blessing which The Globe sent after him on the 26th of October. Witness the following extract: ‘Sir Edmund Head departs, leaving a worse character behind him than any of his predecessors, not excepting even his worthy cousin, the other baronet.”

418 s'he Last Forty Years.

small one itis true ; but still, one that must have required considerable labour) on the proper use of the two little words shall and will.* Soon after his return to England he was an unsuccessful candidate for the representation of the borough of Pontefract in the House of Commons. He derived some solace for his disappointment by being gazetted to a Civil Service Commissionership. He was also elected Governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, a position which he retained until his death on the 28th of January, 1868, when, as he left no male issue, the baronetcy became extinet.+

His successor as Governor-General of Canada was Charles Stanley, Fourth Viscount Monck, a native of Templemore, in the county of Tipperary, Ireland, where he was born in 1819. He was descended from the old Norman family of Le Moyne, and was the son of an Irish viscount, to whom he succeeded in 1849. He had been called to the Irish bar, and had sat for some years in the House of Commons for the English constituency of Portsmouth. Upon the formation of Lord Palmerston’s Ministry in February, 1855, he was appointed a Lord of the Treasury, and he retained that position until the general elections of 1857, when he failed to secure a seat in Parliament. He had manifested some aptitude for official life, but did not again hold any public position until his appointment as Governor-General of Canada in 1861. He arrived at Quebec in the steamship North Briton on the 23rd of October, and assumed charge of the Administration two days afterwards.

Scarcely had Lord Monck succeeded to the direction of affairs ere an event occurred which for a time threatened to involve serious consequences, and which proved that the Duke of Newcastle’s sanguine anticipations with reference to the Prince of Wales’s visit to the United States had not been well grounded. The forcible

#4 Shall and Will; or, Two Chapters on Future Auxiliary Verbs.” London, 1856,

+ His only son, John, lost his life in Canada on the 25th of September, 1859, when he was drowned while bathing in the St, Maurice River, near the Falls of Shawanegan.

he

The Eve of Confederation. 419

taking of the Confederate envoys, Messieurs Mason and Slidell, from the British mail steamer Trent, in mid-ocean, by Captain Wilkes, of the United States sloop of war San Jucinto, occurred on the 8th of November. No need to tell in detail a story which every Canadian knows by heart. The conduct of the American Government and the language of the American press were unsuited to the gravity of the occasion, and war seemed inevitable. Our Canadian volunteers sprang to arms. Steps were taken to organize the militia. New companies were formed, and every Canadian youth old enough to bear arms exhibited an enthusiasm for drill From that time to the end of the American conflict the cause of the North found few adherents in our midst. The all-but-universal hope was that Jefferson Davis and his coadjutors would be successful in establishing a Southern Confederacy upon a firm and solid basis. Southern refugees found a warm welcome among us, and in some instances were fêted as though they had been the representatives of a noble and righteous cause. Many of our public men renewed the agitation as to the necessity for an intercolonial railway from Quebec to Halifax, whereby we might have a route to the seaboard through British territory. Our military enthusiasm was intensified by the presence among us of regular troops which arrived from England in considerable numbers. Had an appeal to the God of battles been necessary, Canada would doubtless have approved her loyalty in the field. Happily no such attestation was required at her hands. The American Government—albeit with a very bad grace—receded from the untenable attitude which they had assumed, and on the first day of the new year the captured envoys were surrendered to Great Britain, And so the threatened danger passed by.

The death of the Prince Consort on the 14th of December evoked much sympathy in Canada for Her Majesty's bereavement, and warmly-expressed addresses of condolence were forwarded to her across the sea. There were no local events of importance during the

fl rm rennes eme D ANNE DE ENTRE EME RSI

420 The Last Forty Years.

early months of 1862. Parliament had been summoned for the 20th of March. Just before that date Messieurs Vankoughnet and Morrison accepted seats on the bench, and thereby vacated their places in the Cabinet, the membership whereof was accordingly incomplete at the opening of the session. Mr. Vankoughnet became Chancellor of Upper Canada, and Mr. Morrison became a puisné judge of the Court of Common Pleas for the same section of the Province.

The opening was attended by unusual pomp and display, it being the beginning, not only of the first session of a new Parliament, but of the first session held under Lord Monck’s régime. In the Assembly, Joseph Edouard Turcotte, member for Three Rivers, the ministerial candidate for the Speakership, was elected to that office by a majority of thirteen over Mr. Sicotte, the Opposition candidate. The Speakerelect had sat in the Assembly for many years, and his experience, as well as his talents, fitted him for the honourable office imposed on him. The Legislative Council for the first time exercised the privilege conferred upon them by the Act of 1860,* and elected Sir Allan MacNab to the office of Speaker of their House, thereby superseding Sir N.F. Belleau. The latter, however, retained his seat in the Government, and accepted the office of Minister of Agriculture, which thenceforward became à separate department, and was no longer held ex officio by the President of the Executive Council.f

The Speech from the Throne bore testimony to Her Majesty's recognition of the loyalty of the Canadian people, as exhibited during the Trent imbroglio. A free exchange of commodities between Canada and the Maritime Provinces was recommended, as was also a reorganization of the Canadian militia. The discussion of the Address in Reply was delayed in consequence of the recent ministerial resignations, and of further modifications which took place after the opening. On the 26th, when the session was less than a week old, Mr. Ross resigned the Presidency of the Council,

* Ante, p. 347. + Ante, p. 266,

D dd

The Eve of Confederation. 421

and retired from the Government. Mr. Sherwood resigned the Receiver-Generalship and became Commissioner of Crown Lands. The vacancies were filled on the 27th by the appointment of John Beverley Robinson as President of the Council, John Carling as Receiver-General, and the Hon. James Patton as Solicitor-General West. As these gentlemen favoured representation by population, it was at first supposed that their admission to office would produce some modification of the ministerial policy, but as matter of fact the only modification which supervened was that “Rep. by Pop.” as it was called, was left an open question in the Cabinet, whereas it had previously been closed to consideration there, in consequence of the opposition to it of the Lower Canadian members. Messieurs Robinson and Carling were reëlected in their respective constituencies of Toronto West and London, but Mr. Patton, who sat in the Legislative Council for the Saugeen Division, upon returning to his constituents for reëlection—as he was bound to do under the Act of 1856*-—was defeated by John McMurrich, of Toronto, an anti-ministerialist. Mr. Patton, however, retained his portfolio.

The Address was adopted in the Upper House without division. The debate upon it in the Assembly was of wearisome length, and was not terminated until the 5th of April, when Ministers were sustained on a motion which was practically one of want of confidence, by a vote of 65 to 48—involving a majority of 17. The interval was almost entirely occupied in discussing amendments on the subject of representation by population, the most vigorous advocate of that measure being Mr. William McDougall. With the exception of an Act organizing the Bureau of Agriculture as à separate public department, under the direction and management of the Minister of Agriculture, the legislation of the session was unimportant. The influence of the Government perceptibly declined as the weeks went by. They suffered considerable loss of

* Ante, p. 347.

422 The Last Forty Yeurs.

prestige in consequence of a debate on the subject of the new Parliament Buildings at Ottawa, for the erection whereof #900,000 had been appropriated. It now appeared that the entire appropriation had been consumed, in addition to considerable sums which had been expended without the authority of the Legislature ; and yet the structures were not half completed. Mr. Rose, who had had charge of the Public Works Department when the contracts had been “let, now came in for some strong criticism, and it was alleged that his want of practical knowledge had cost the country immense sums. Other abuses came to light in some of the departments, and it was evident that the Ministry had been in power so long as to have become somewhat careless of the public interests. The prevalent feeling of the Assembly was such that before the session had lasted two months the Government held office by a very frail tenure, and a suitable opportunity was all that was needed to ensure their defeat,. The opportunity was afforded by à Bill for the reorganization of the militia, introduced by Attorney-General Macdonald. It was a strong measure, and, if carried, would unquestionably have rendered the Province strong to resist attack; but it would have required an expenditure out of all proportion to the revenue, and its introduction caused no little alarm, more especially among the Lower Canadian members. When it came up for its second reading on the 20th of May it was rejected by a vote of 61 to 54 On this question Mr. Macdonald had a clear Upper Canadian majority of seven ; and the defeat of the Bill was owing to the defection of a number of Mr. Cartiers supporters. On the following day the Government resigned.

Somewhat to the public surprise, the Governor had recourse, in this emergency, to Mr. J. S. Macdonald. That gentleman'’s course had been so independent of the considerations by which most partymen were swayed in those days that his personal following in the Assembly was not large, and his ability to form a Ministry was not

The Eve of Confederation. 493

commonly believed in. As public opinion then stood, however, no )0 member of the Opposition could boast of an overmastering Farliades ù mentary influence, and it would not have been easy to say who, if 4 ; not Mr. Macdonald, could command the strongest vote. Mr Maces E donald proved that he was at all events strong enough to form a Ad $ Government. With the assistance of Mr. Sicotte he soon accomse . plished his task, and the Macdonald-Sicotte Government was sworn his 1 in on the 24th. Its composition was as follows :— ns. UPPER CANADA.

Vas ve 1 The Hon. J. $S. Macdonald, Premier, and Attorney-General West, ent “M. H. Foley, Postmaster-General.

téd ; “ € W. P. Howland, Minister of Finance. da É € W, McDougall, Commissioner of Crown Lands, sb. “°° James Morris, Receiver-General, | the | Adam Wilson, Solicitor-General West.

ns LOWER CANADA.

the Ë Len- The Hon. L. V. Sicotte, Attorney-General East, ion “A. A. Dorion, Provincial Secretary.

jan TD. MeGee, President of the Council.

of # # U. J. Tessier, Commissioner of Publie Works, Mr. “°° François Evanturel, Minister of Agriculture. the 0 4 J, JT. C. Abbott, Solicitor-General East, me The only members of the Government with whom the reader is

unacquainted were Adam Wilson, François Evanturel, and John

si : Joseph Caldwell Abbott. Mr. Wilson was a distinguished Toronto je à lawyer, whose political opinions had been formed in the school of ty- Robert Baldwin, and who sat in the Assembly for North York. js Mr. Evanturel, a Lower Canadian advocate and a large landed

at proprietor, sat for Quebec County. Mr. Abbott was a prominent

424 The Last Forty Years.

and rising member of the Montreal bar, and he sat in the Assembly for his native ceunty of Argenteuil. Both the Solicitors-General had seats in the Cabinet. All the Ministers received the endorsement of their respective constituents, except Mr. Morris, who, having been appointed a member of the Legislative Council under the old system, did not need to appeal to electoral suffrage.

On tie 2Cth, Mr. Wallbridge—upon whom, nearly four years prior to this date, had devolved the task of announcing the resignation of the Brown-Dorion Administration—unfolded the ministerial programme to the Assembly. It embodied a recognition of the double majority principle with respect to purely local questions, and announced a determination to submit a measure for the more equitable adjustment of Parliamentary representation in each section of the Province. An amendment of the militia law, a readjustment of the tariff, a new insolvent law, a thorough system of retrenchment in the public service, a searching investigation into all matters connected with the new Parliament Buildings at Ottawa, and the maintenance of Her Majesty's decision with reference to the Seat of Government, were also promised. This exposition of the Governments policy was repeated in French by Mr. Loranger; and in the Upper House à similar explanetion was made by the new Receiver-General, Mr. Morris. In the course of the ensuing discussions it was made manifest that the great question of Representation by Population was practically ignored. The proposed “more equitable adjustment of the Parliamentary representation ” was found to involve merely a rearrangement of the constituencies, without interfering with the equal membership for the two sections of the Province, There was moreover an express understanding that the equality of representation should not be disturbed during the existing Parliament, This determination was the more surprising inasmuch

« . as four members of the new Government—Messieurs McDougall, Foley, Howland and Wilsun—-had long been among the foremost

tte. A ne Lie LT ere