SIR ALBERT J. SMITH

The Beginning of a New Era. 479

Joly, L. $. Huntington, John Carling, John Rose, J. C. Blanchet, Alexander Morris, and J. J. C. Abbott still swelled the Parliamentary ranks. Conspicuous among the representatives from the Maritime Provinces were Joseph Howe, a statesman of profound and capacious intellect, who, under favourable auspices, might have taken rank among the foremost orators of his time ; Dr. Tupper, Mr. Howe’s most redoubtable opponent in Nova Scotia, a man of vigorous understanding, who, without being a greab orator, is an apt, a voluble, and withal an earnest and effective speaker both in and out of Parliament; Albert James Smith, an able lawyer of New Brunswick, who had recently declined the post of Chief Justice of that Province; Charles Fisher, who had for many years fought side by side with Lemuel Allan Wilmot in the struggle for Responsible Government in New Brunswick ; and Timothy Warren Anglin, at that time known only as one of the foremost journalists in the Maritime Provinces, but since recognized as an exceedingly powerful debater, possessing à comprehensive krowledge of Canadian affairs. Ontario and Quebec also returned several new members of exceptional ability, by far the most noteworthy of whom was Edward Blake, the eldest son of the distinguished man who has already figured prominently in this narrative.* Up to a short time prior to Confederation, Mr. Blake had taken no part in public affairs, He was the acknowledged head of the Equity bar in Upper Canada, and his attention had been entirely bestowed upon his profession. He was induced to embark in political life in consequence of urgent overtures from the leaders of the Reform party, which was much disorganized, and in need of capable men to direct its policy. Having responded favourably to these overtures, he was at the general elections of 1867 retum. » to both Legislatures, West Durham electing him to the House of Commons and South Bruce to the Ontario Assembly. His attendance

* Ante, pp. 107-110, 141, 142, 151-153, 161, 162, etc.

480 The Last Forty Years.

in the House of Commons was for some time not very assiduous, his chosen work lying chiefly in the local Legislature; but the significance of his entry into political life was recognized throughout the Dominion, and the party to which he belonged—more especially the younger and more enthusiastic portion of it—anticipated great things therefrom. Ifan unprejudiced mind cannot declare that all the sanguine predictions of 1867 have been fulfilled, it is at all events certain that Mr. Blake’s presence in public life has had the effect of broadening and elevating the Canadian politics of his time. As a constitutional lawyer he probably has no rival among his contemporaries. His profound legal knowledge and acumen, his large mental grasp and power of expression, his rigid integrity and purity of purpose, his aspirations towards a higher and better morality than is currently supposed to prevail in the conduct of public affairs, are doubted neïither by friends nor foes. His defects as à public man are easily pointed out, Among them may be enumerated a hyper-sensitiveness which renders him peculiarly susceptible to the petty irritations that necessarily beset the leader of a somewhat divided and incongruous political party. He is moreover imbued with a degree of caution almost amounting to timidity in dealing with questions upon which public opinion has not been clearly pronounced; and his demeanour is marked by a want of that savoir faire which is absolutely essential to the achievement of wide personal popularity. A less sincere and earnest man, possessing greater power of tact and conciliation, would unquestionably have a more united following than Mr. Blake can rally to his side, But examples are not wanting where earnestness and sincerity in politics have gone hand and hand not only with lofty statesmanship and great powers of mind, but with a warm-hearted geniality which attracts to its side instead of chilling into antipathy or indifference, There are scores of earnest and able young men in Canada who would willingly range themselves under Mr. Blake’s leadership, were it not that they are repelled by a manner as devoid

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The Beginning of «a New Era. 481

of warn as is a flake of December snow, and as devoid of magnetism as is à loaf of unleavened bread.

Immediately upon the assembling of Parliament the Hon. James Cockburn was elected by acclamation to the Speakership of the House of Commons, and on the following day—the 8th—the session was formally opened by the Governor-General. The Speech congratulated the Houses on the accomplishment of Confederation, and foreshadowed many important legislative measures which were to be introduced during the session. The Address in Reply gave rise to a discussion in the Commons which lasted several days, in the course of which Mr. Howe gave utterance to the grounds of Nova Scotia’s dissatisfaction with Confederation, A speech by Mr. Howe on an important public question was certain to be eloquent and forcible, but it is doubtful whether he on this occasion spoke from mature conviction, and he certainly d'd not appear at his best, He was replied to by Dr. Tupper, who pointed out various inconsistencies in the stand taken by the anti-Unionists of Nova Scotia, and denied that the issue of Confederation had been fairly put before the people of that Province. The Address was finally carried without a division, and the attention of members was thenceforward directed to the legislation of the session, which included a number of statutes of great practical utility. Prominent among them was a measure which established reduced rates of postage and inaugurated the Post Office Savings Bank system in Canada. An endeavour to place the telegraph system of the Dominion under the control of the Government, as had previously been done in Great Britain, was not successful, it being considered that the existing system was adequate to the public needs. An Act to provide for the construction of the Intercolonial Railway was among the most important measures of the session, the route being left to be settled by the Imperial authorities, in accordance with the terms upon which the guarantee of three millions had been granted.* An amendment moved by Mr.

* Ante, p. 467.

482 The Last Forty Years.

Dorion to the effect that the route should not be determined on without the consent of Parliament was defeated by 83 to 35, which vote was a conclusive proof of the power of the Government. That power there was no apparent intention of abusing. The public business was carried on with judgment, and the discussions were conducted with moderation. The Opposition, though not fully organized, had begun to assimilate their materials. In their ranks were many able men who went far to supply the place of numbers; but there were no barbarous onslaughts, nor any displays of factious bitterness. It may be said, in a word, that the tone of Parliament had perceptibly improved. Even the discontented members from Nova Scotia treated questions, as they arose, on their merits, and showed no disposition to monopolize the debates by long discourses on the injustice to which their Province had, as they believed, been subjected. The old obstructive policy was for the time numbered among the things of the past, and Parliament seemed to be actuated by an honest desire to test the working qualities of our new constitution.

The portfolio of Minister of Finance, which had recently been vacated by Mr. Galt, was accepted by the Hon. John Rose during the month of November, while Parliament was in session. Mr. Rose was reëlected by acclamation for his constituency of Huntingdon. He devoted himself assiduously to the duties of his department, which had become more complicated and onerous in consequence of the admission of the two Maritime Provinces. On the 4th of December a series of resolutions, based on the 146th section of the Confederation Act, were introduced in the House of Commons by Mr. McDougall, with a view to bringing Rupert’s Land and the North-West Territory under the control of the Dominion Government. A week later these resolutions were adopted, and in due course an address embodying them was forwarded to Her Majesty. On the 21st of December Parliament adjourned for a long recess, in

The Beginning of a New Era. 483

order that the local Legislatures might complete their sessions during the interval. The only other notable political event which marked the close of the year 1867 was the death of Mr. Fergusson- Blair, President of the Privy Council, which occurred at Ottawa on the 29th of December.

During the recess Mr. Howe applied himself with characteristic vigour and resolution to the extension and consolidation of the agitation in his native Province for the repeal of the Union. The local Legislature met on the 30th of January, 1868, and had not been long in session ere an address to the Queen was passed, praying for a repeal of “so much of the Act for the Union of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as relates to Nova Scotia.” Four delegates, one of whom was Mr. Howe, were sent to England to lay the address at the foot of the throne, and generally to urge the matter of repeal upon the Imperial authoritiss. The Canadian Government deemed it advisable to send over à representative to counteract these efforts, and selected Dr. Tupper for the purpose. The Doctor proceeded to England, and bestirred himself vigorously to refute the arguments of the Nova Scotian delegates. The mission of the latter was doomed to failure, and after considerable delay they returned therefrom with their minds partly made up to accept the inevitable.

Meanwhile the Dominion Parliament re-assembled on the 12th of March, 1868. The Government were subjected to some adverse criticism on the part of the Nova Scotian members for having sent Dr. Tupper to England to oppose Mr. Howe and his co-delegates. The discussion on the subject, however, came to nothing, and even before it was ended the sessional legislation began to be actively pushed forward. A number of important practical measures came before the House of Commons, and were in a fair way to become law when an event occurred which for a time suspended all efforts at legislation, and sent a thrill of horror through the land.

During the early weeks of this adjourned session no representative attracted a greater share of attention on the part of his fellow-members than Thomas D’Arcy McGee. Reference has been made in former pages* to the beneficial influence exerted over him by his altered surroundings. His inind had steadily developed, and he had become not only a loyal subject of his Queen, but an ardent enthusiast on the subject of Canadian nationality. He had learned to look back with shame and disgust upon much of his past life, and had long since cut himself adrift from associations which had once been dear to his heart. No man had done so much to place Fenianism in its proper light before his fellow-countrymen in Canada. No man had felt and expressed more abhorrence at the Fenian invasions to which our country had been subjected. As an inevitable result he had lost popularity among the Irishmen of Montreal, many of whom were adherents of “the Brotherhood.” At the last

| general election he had narrowly escaped defeat in Montreal West, a constituency where he had once been all-powerful. He had soon afterwards been struck down by a serious illness, from which he had barely recovered when the session opened in November. He had been brought very near to death’s door, and had for the first time realized the frail tenure by which even a strong man holds his life. His convalescence was marked by great changes, mental as well as physical. Though still genial and good-humoured, it was noted that he seemed to be pervaded by a serious earnestness that at times bordered upon gloom. The old rollicking tone seemed to have entirely departed from him, and there was an entire change in his personal habits. He had formerly been addicted to drink. He was now rigidly abstemious. His conversation had once been impetuous, often reckless, and more or less interlarded with expletives. It was now staid, decorous, and thoughtful. Much of his time every day

* Ante, pp. 361-363,

The Beginning of a New Era. 485

was devoted to the offices of religion. Those who knew him most intimately declared their belief that the change in him was permanent, and not merely the result of serious physical prostration. It was afterwards remarked that his impending doom had cast its shadow upon him.

Ever since the last election, and indeed for some weeks before it, he had been subjected to periodical inflictions in the shape of anonymous letters. Some of these came from Ireland, others from the United States, and others from Canada. Their tenor varied somewhat, but most of them harped to the same tune. They denounced him as a renegade and a time-server, and ended by threatening his life for having abandoned his old friends. These missives were not without effect, for though Mr. McGee tried to regard them with indifference, he knew that he was a marked man, and he resolved that he would erelong retire from public life. Meanwhile he applied himself assiduously to his duties, and took à prominent part in some of the debates. On the evening of the 6th of April he made a brilliant and statesmanlike speech, in which he counselled the adoption of à pacific and conciliatory policy in dealing with Nova Scotia. The House adjourned about two o’elock on the following morning, and a few minutes afterwards Mr, McGee started for his boarding-house on Sparks Street, accompanied by several other persons whose course lay in the same direction, On the corner of Sparks and Metcalfe Streets the others parted from him, and pursued their several ways homeward. The doomed man proceeded to his boarding-house, and had actually inserted his latch-key in the door when a pistol bullet, fired by an unseen hand, crashed through his brain. Death was necessarily instantaneous. In a few moments a crowd had collected on the spot, but no traces of the assassin could be found.

À general burst of indignation was evoked when the wires flashed the news to all points of the compass. Mr. McGee had become popular in his adopted country, and for some time there had been a general

486 The Last Forty Years.

belief that he was entering upon the noblest and most productive epoch of his career. He had not quite completed his forty-third year, and had seemed to have “a wealth of days” before him. Out of respect to the dead man's memory Parliament adjourned until after the funeral, which took place at Montreal, at the public expense, on the 13th. A pension of £300 a year was voted to his widow, and provision was also made for the support of his children. The Dominion Government offered a large reward for the arrest of the murderer, and the Quebec Government and the City of Ottawa pursued a similar course. Erelong a Fenian named Patrick James Whelan was apprehended, tried, and found guilty. He was probably only one out of a number of miscreants who conspired to commit the murder, but the whole truth respecting the dark affair has never been disclosed. Whelan was hanged at Ottawa on the 11th of February, 1869.* Parliament reassembled on the 14th of April (1868)—the day after | the funeral—and thenceforward remained in session until the 22nd of May. Among the important measures adopted were Acts establishing and regulating the management of various offices of State. | New Customs and Militia Acts were passed, and also a new Act to secure the independence of Parliament. By the last-named measure any person holding a position of profit or emolument under Government is declared ineligible for a seat in Parliament, and any person sitting or voting under such cireumstances is rendered liable to a fine of $2,000 per day. A similar disqualification is extended to all contractors with any of the departments. The Customs Act was merely à further carrying out of the purpose of the Act of

*This was the last public execution that has taken place in Canada. During the session of 1869 an Act was passed providing that executions of sentences imposing the extreme penalty of the law shall take place within the prison walls, and that no one shall be present thereat except necessary officers and such other persons as may be admitted by special order of the Sheriff,

+ See Maclean’s Tariff Hand Book, p. 12

The Beginning of a New Era. 487

In July Mr. Howland received the appointment of Lieutenant- Governor of Ontario, and forthwith entered upon his duties. At the same time the Hon. Lemuel Allan Wilmot, a veteran politician and jurist of New Brunswick, became Lieutenant-Governor of that Province. Throughout the summer the Nova Scotia question was the absorbing topic of interest. In August Sir John Macdonald and several other members of the Government attended a convention held at Halifax, at which an attempt was made to reconcile the discontented Nova Scotians to their lot. The attempt was for the time unsuccessful, but the seed of success was sown in the course of the following autumn, when approaches were made to Mr. Howe to induce him to bend to the imperative necessities of the situation. The petition for repeal had been rejected by the Imperial authorities and further opposition was hopeless. A revision of the terms upon which Nova Scotia had agreed to enter the Union was now suggested, and promises were made that a more liberal arrangement would be assented to on behalf of the Dominion. A place in the Government was offered to Mr. Howe himself. That gentleman had no choice but either to receive with favour the very liberal advances made to him, or to withdraw altogether from public life. After taking time for mature deliberation he resolved to adopt the former alternative. But before he had arrived at this conclusion certain other events took place which must be briefly recorded.

In order that Confederation might be inaugurated under Lord Monck’s auspices, his original term of office as Governor-General of Canada had been extended for two years. That period had now expired,. and on the 14th of November he bade farewell to our shores. During his term of office he had been created a peer of the United Kingdom, by the title of Baron Monck of Ballytrammon, in the county of Wexford. His subsequent career calls for no special remark in these pages. Sir John Young, his successor, reached Canada towards the end of November, and was sworn in, first as

488 The Last Forty Years.

Administrator, and sometime afterwards as Governor-General of the Dominion. Sir John—better known to us by his later title of Lord Lisgar—was the eldest son of an Irish baronet, whom he succeeded in 1848. He was a Conservative in politics, and had represented the county of Cavan in the Imperial House of Commons for many years, during which he had held various ministerial offices. He had for some time administered the government of the Ionian Islands, and had afterwards spent six years as Governor of the colony of New South Wales. He had thus enjoyed ample experience, and had received a thorough official training, though, having now entered upon his sixty-second year, he was somewhat advanced in life to enter upon a new sphere of duty.

The acquisition of the North-West still engrossed considerable attention, though it was to a great degree overshadowed by the agitation on the subject of Nova Scotia’s discontent. Before the close of the year Sir George Cartier and Mr. McDougall were ap-

pointed a deputation to proceed to England to make definite arrange-

ments as to the terms of transfer by the Hudson’s Bay Company.

They departed on their mission, and were absent several months. 1 1 In January of the new year (1869) Mr. Howe entered the Government, and accepted the office of President of the Council, which had been rendered vacant by the death of Mr. Fergusson-Blair more than a year before. This proceeding was disastrous to Mr. Howe’s reputation. For the first time in the course of a long and stormy political career he was accused of having sold himself and his principles to the highest bidder. The Reformers of Nova Scotia refused to endorse his action, and when he returned to his constituents for reëlection he found himself deserted by his old friends, many of whom entered with spirit into the campaign against him. Dr. Tupper, who had been his bitterest foe, rallied the Conservatives to his assistance, and it was to Conservative votes that he was chiefly indebted for his return. The obloquy that was heaped upon him

The Beginning of a New Era. 489

did much to break his spirit, and to destroy his usefulness to the Government which he had joined. His popularity was gone, and he was much shattered in health. Inconsistent as his conduct undoubtedly was, there is no difficulty in finding various grounds of justification for it. He had struggled hard and conscientiously to obtain repeal. His struggle had been ineffectual, and nothing was to be gained by prolonging it. On the contrary, by surrendering himself to the inevitable he could undoubtedly gain many advantages for his native Province. This is precisely what he did, and if he erred—a matter as to which there is at least room for argument —he erred from want of judgment, and not from personal venality. His services to his native Province in times past had been such as might well have induced his compatriots in Nova Scotia to look with a tender and forgiving eye, even upon much graver errors than any which he had been proved to have committed.

The “better terms” granted to Nova Scotia were embodied in an Order in Council, passed on the 25th of January. In addition to some lesser concessions, the amount of the Provincial debt assumed by the Dominion was increased from the original $8,000,000 to $9,186,756, and an annual subsidy of $82,698 was granted to the Province for a term of ten years, to be computed from the birthday of the Dominion. During the ensuing session these terms were embodied in an Act of Parliament, and from that time forward Nova Scotia’s active opposition to Confederation ceased. Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island still remained out of the Union. During the month of March resolutions in favour of entering the Dominion were passed by both branches of the local Legislature of Newfoundland, and immediately afterwards delegates proceeded to Ottawa to arrange the terms. The negotiations gave rise to little difficulty, but at the ensuing elections the people of the colony declared against the project, which to this day remains in abeyance. As

will hereafter be seen, Prince Edward Island eventually overcame 32—2

490 The Last Forty Years.

her reluctance to enter Confederation; but for the time she, like Newfoundland, refused to lend a favourable ear to the voice of the clsrmer.

The second session of the First Dominion Parliament met on the 15th of April. The strength of the Administration was unimpaired, and the Address in reply to the Speech from the Throne was carried in both Houses on the following day. The most important debate of the session arose out of an amendment by Mr. Blake to the official resolutions moved by Mr. Howe, in the House of Commons, on the subject of contirming the “ better terms” granted to Nova Scotia. Mr. Blake disputed the constitutionality of the grant, arguing that the British North America Act had settled the basis of Union, and that the Canadian Parliament had no power to change it. He was ably supported by Mr. Mackenzie, who seconded the motion, and delivered a carefully-considered argument to the same purport. The motion was opposed by many of the ablest speakers in the House ; conspicuously by Mr. John Hillyard Cameron and Dr. Tupper. Owing to the great majority at the command of the Government, there was no possibility of success for such a hostile motion as this, and it was defeated by a vote of 96 to 57; but the course of the discussion proved that the Opposition, if numerically weak, were strong in debating power, and had attained to a more advanced stage of organization than had been supposed. Mr. Howe’s resolutions were finally carried, and a Bill founded upon them, confirming the grant to Nova Scotia, was passed as already recorded. Important legislation was a!so enacted affecting the North-West, Sir George Cartier and Mr. McDougall had concluded their negotiations in England, and arrangements had been made for the surrender of the rights of the Hudson’'s Bay Company. The conditions of surrender were that the Company should receive fror: the Dominion Government the sum of £300,000 sterling, and that all rights of the Company, with certain specific reservations, should enure to the

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The Beginning of « New Era. 491

Tmperial Government, by whom the same were to be transferred to the Dominion within one month thereaft:r. The reservations included certain lands, amounting in all to about 50,000 acres, contiguous to the trading posts of the Company, in addition to onetwentieth of all the land in the great fertile belt south of the north branch of the Saskatchewan. It was expressly agreed that the rights of the Indians and Half-breeds of the territory were to be respected, and the 1st of October following was fixed as the date of transfer. Such being the terms agreed upon, they now received the sanction of the Dominion Parliament, which passed an Act providing a Territorial Government for the country soon to be acquired. The immense tract was designated by the general name of “the North- West Territories,” and it was enacted that the affairs thereof should be administered by a Lieutenant-Governor to be appointed by the Governor-General in Council. Provision was made for the appointment of a Council to assist in carrying on the administration. AI laws then in force in the territories, and not inconsistent with the British North America Act or the terms of admission, were to remain in force until amended or repealed. The Supply Bill provided for the borrowing by the Dominion Government, under Imperial guarantee, of the sum necessary to complete the purchase ; and provision was also made for an unguaranteed loan of such sums as might be needed for surveys and other publie improvements. The Territorial Government, it will be understood, was a mere temporary expedient, and the intention was that a regular Provincial Government, similar to that of the other Provinces, should be established at as early a date as possible.

The other Acts of the session were not historically significant. The prorogation took place on the 23rd of June. With a view to advancing matters in the North-West, Lieutenant-Colonel Dennis, whose acquaintance we have already made in connection with the Fenian Raid of 1866, was despatched to Red River during the

492 The Last Forty Years.

summer, to set on foot a system of public surveys. The arrival of Prince Arthur in Canada in August, his subsequent tour through the country, and the multiform festivities in his honour, were the chief topics of interest during the late summer and early autumn. In October, Mr. Rose, having resolved to take up his abode in London, England, as member of a well-known banking firm, resigned his portfolio of Minister of Finance. His successor was a gentleman of whom we have lost sight for 50me time past. When we parted from Mr. Hincks* he had left Canada to fill the important oftice of Governor of Barbadoes and the Windward Islands. After administering the Government there for six years he had been promoted to the Government of British Guiana, where he had remained until the year at which the history has now arrived (1869), when he retired upon a pension, and was created a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George. After a brief sojourn in England he returned, as Sir Francis Hincks, to the land where his earliest political fame had been gathered. The financial ability which he had displayed in the old days when he held the Inspector-Generalship were not forgotten, and he had been in Canada only two or three months when Mr. Rose’s resignation led to his receiving from Sir John Macdonald the offer of a seat in the Government as Minister of Finance. He accepted the offer, and was returned to the House of Commons as member for North Renfrew. Various other ministerial readjustments took place before the close of the year, Mr. Dunkin becoming Minister of Agriculture, Mr, Alexander Morris becoming Minister of Inland Revenue, and Mr. James Cox Aikins Secretary of State for Canada and Registrar- General. Mr. Howe became Secretary of State for the Provinces. Mr. McDougall, having received the appointment of Lieutenant- Governor of the North-West Territories, ceased to be a member of the Administration, which, after all readjustments had been made,

* Ante, p. 324,

ral of rough ‘e the tumn.

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tenantmber of n made,

The Beginning of a New Era. 493

no longer partook very strongly of the nature of a coalition. As has been remarked by a contemporary writer, “Coalition had served its purpose, and there were now enough questions of great national importance arising on which to divide two great parties, so that from this time forward we see Sir John abandoning the idea of having ‘all shades of political opinion’ represented in his Cabinet, and recruiting his strength from the ranks of his own party.” *

Mr. McDougalls appointment to the Lieutenant-Governorship above mentioned was generally regarded as à fitting reward for his public services in bringing about the acquisition of the North- West by the Dominion. It was to take effect after the formal transfer of the territory to Canada, which proposed transfer, owing to a temporary difliculty with reference to the payment of the purchase money, had been postponed for two months, and was not to take place until the 1st of December. It would seem that the arrangements were conducted with extraordinary want of judgment, and that the troubles which subsequently arose were materially increased, if indeed they were not altogether brought about thereby. Mr. McDougall set out for Fort Garry, the seat of his proposed Government, in October. It was his intention to proceed directly to his destination, and to place himself, upon his arrival, in communication with Mr. William MeTavish, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Before starting on his journey he received certain ominous warnings from Colonel Dennis, who, as just intimated, had been sent on in advance to make surveys. The inhabitants of the country were chiefly made up of French Canadian half-breeds, descendants of the voyageurs and coureurs de bois who had formerly been the only white explorers of that wild region. They had made some progress in husbandry, and had brought under cultivation considerable tracts of the more fertile portions of the territory. They were of the Roman Catholic faith, and had a

* See Tuttle’s History of Canada, Vol, IT., p, 87.

494 The Last Forty Years.

resident bishop in the person of the Right Reverend Alexandre Antonin Taché, a nephew of the late Sir E. P. Taché, who has figured conspicuously in the present narrative. The seat of the bishopric was at St. Boniface, on the opposite side of Red River from Fort Garry, and barely half a mile distant therefrom. Bishop Taché’s influence over his flock was n: turally very great, but unfortunately he was at this time absent from his diocese, attending the sitting of the Œcumenical Council at Rome. Colonel Dennis had not been long in the country before he observed manifestations of an uneasy, suspicious feeling on the part of the inhabitants. The French half-breeds were solicitous lest their title to their lands should be disputed by the Dominion Government, and were unwilling that any present surveys should be proceeded with. They considered that they ought to have been consulted as to the proposed changes, instead of being transferred from one owner to another, as it appeared to them, like so much merchandise, Their displeasure was in no small degree intensified by the injudicious and intemperate language of some of the Canadian settlers, who irritated them in various ways, and filled their minds with forebodings of evil. These cireumstances were carefully noted by Colonel Dennis, and communicated by letter to Mr. McDougall. He also drew attention to the necessity of effecting the extinction of the Indian title. Mr. McDougall does not seem to have attached much importance to these representations. Having proceeded by way of St. Paul, Minnesota, he reached Pembina on the 30th of October, accompanied by his family, and by several gentlemen who were intended to be members of his Council. The party were provided with three hundred rifles and a stock of ammunition. While on the way from St, Paul they had heard rumours of increasing disaffection at Red River, but they had pushed on, not dreaming that they would have to encounter armed insurrection. At Pembina, however, they began to realize the situation when Mr, McDougall was served by a half-breed with a written notice, professing to emanate from a

dre has the iver hop 1forthe [not f an ench 1 be that lered nges, as it sure temhem evil.

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The Beginning of « New Era. 495

“National Committee,” and forbidding him to enter the territory. The Lieutenant-Governor was not to be deterred by such means, and proceeded to enter upon his domain. He had no sooner reached the Hudson’s Bay Company’s post, about two miles from the frontier, than he received grave intelligence from Colonel Dennis, from which it appeared that the operations of the surveyors had been interfered with, and that the French half-breeds had held a meeting ab which it had been formally resolved that Mr. McDougall should not be permitted to enter the territory. The insurgents had placed themselves under the guidance of one of their number whose name was Louis Riel, an impetuous young man of weak and immature judgment, who doubtless believed that he was acting in the best interests of his compatriots. By his directions, armed parties had been despatched to various points along the route between Fort Garry and Pembina, and were now posted there with the avowed purpose of resisting Mr. McDougall’s progress. Several of the Hudson's Bay Companys authorities had remonstrated in vain, and the Roman Catholic priest in charge of the diocese during Bishop Taché's absence declined to interfere. As for the Scotch and English halfbreeds, they were negatively loyal and well-disposed, but the prevalent sentiment among them was that they had been treated with insuflicient consideration, and very few of them were inclined to go so far as to take up arms against the French party. “We think,” said they, “that the Dominion should assume the responsibility of establishing among us what it, and it alone, has decided on.” The only residents who could be depended upon to support Mr. McDougall with energy and zeal were the little handful of Canadian settlers, who were too few in number to eftectively oppose the force at Riel's command,

Mr. McDougall was thus placed in an extraordinary predicament, He had no suflicient force at his command to enable him to frht his way to Fort Garry, even if such a line of action would have been

496 The Last Forty Years.

advisable, He resolved to remain, for the time, where he was. Meanwhile he forwarded a statement of the facts to the authorities at Ottawa. Having determined to communicate with Governor Mec- Tavish at Fort Garry, he despatched an emissary thither, but the latter had only proceeded a few miles when his course was stopped by a barricade manned by armed men, who informed him that neither Mr. McDougall nor any member of his party would be allowed to advance any farther. The envoy was sent back under an escort, and warned not to repeat his attempt. On the 2nd of November à party of fourteen armed horsemen called at Mr. Mec- Dougalls headquarters, and demanded an interview with him. Their demand being complied with, they notified him that he must leave the territory before nine o’clock next morning. Mr. McDougall endeavoured to place the real state of affairs before them, and after a time they retired; but early next morning they again presented themselves, and made such demonstrations that Mr. McDougall and his party promptly retired across the boundary-line, and took refuge in the United States.

Within the territory matters had already assumed the shape of active rebellion. A “ Provisional Government ” had been formed under the nominal presidency of a Mr. John Bruce, but the secretary, Riel, assumed the chief direction of affairs, and erelong became President in name as well as in fact. On the 24th of November the insurgents, having mustered in considerable force, took possession of Fort Garry and its armaments, and set Governor MeT'avish’s authority at defiance. As the days passed by they became more and more aggressive. The Canadian population were placed under surveillance, and about fifty of them, who had assembled at the house of a prominent resident named Dr. Schultz, were besieged and compelled to surrender, whereupon they were marched to Fort Garry and placed in durance. Governor MeTavish, who was mortally ill, was subjected to various indignities, and the stores of the

of Mcim.

Lust call fter ited and

uge

ape ned crehme bber SeSsh’s 1ore der the ged 'ort morthe

The Beginning of a New Era. 497

Company, as well as those of various loyal subjects, were pillaged. AIl was confusion and alarm, and the future looked exceedingly ominous to the prisoners confined within the fort.

As previously mentioned, the 1st of December had been the date fixed upon for the transfer of the territory from the [Imperial Government to Canada. Owing to the disturbed aspect of affairs, no peaceful transfer was possible at that time, and the Dominion Government were not disposed to accept the territory in a state of insurrection. Mr. McDougall, acting on the erroneous impression that the transfer had been duly effected, issued a proclamation on the 1st of December, commanding the insurgents to peaceably disperse and return to their homes, and threatening the penalties of the law in case of disobedience. He also issued a commission authorizing Colonel Dennis t5 raisc a force and put down the insurrection. No respect was paid to the proclamation, which produced no other effect than to make Riel commit more flagrant excesses than before. Colonel Dennis was unable to accomplish anything by virtue of his commission, and abandoned the territory in despair. Mr. McDougall, finding that he had made a false move, returned to Ontario, much embittered against the Government for having placed him in such a position. He believed the rebellion to have been connived at, and to some extent fomented, by the Hudson’s Bay Company and the Roman Catholic priesthood of Red River, as well as by his late colleague, Mr. Howe, who had visited the territory a short time before. He published a series of letters giving currency to his views, and disclosing many facts which seemed to afford no inconsiderable foundation for them. The truth appears to be that some of the Hudson’s Bay Company's officials at Fort Garry had from the first looked with disfavour upon the project of transferring to the Dominion a territory whereof they had come to regard themselves as lords paramount. They were powerless to prevent the transfer,

but did not feel called upon to promote it, and were not sorry that

er

498 The Last Forty Yeurs.

it should be attended with more or less embarrassment to the new proprietors. This, so far as can now be judged, is the extent to which the resident officers of the Company were tainted with complicity in the Red River Rebellion. They paid the penalty of their unwise conduct by seeing “a despotic ruler established for nine months in their own fort, feeding his men on the Company’s provisions, and paying them with the Company’s money.”* As regards the complicity of some of the Roman Catholic clergy of Red River there is unfortunately no room for doubt. It must also be admitted that à very strong sentiment of sympathy with the insurgents prevailed among the French population of the Province of Quebec, and that this sympathy was powerfully reflected in the Dominion Cabinet, although there is no evidence that Mr. Howe was influenced by it, as suggested by Mr. McDousall. As for Mr. McDougall himself, he was profoundly disgusted with the aspect of affairs. All thoughts of his return to the North-West were abandoned, and he soon afterwards received from the Premier of Ontario the appointment of Government Trustee of the Canada Southern Railway Municipal Bonds, in addition to that of a Commissioner to ascertain the western and northern boundaries of that Province.

No need to follow in detail the progress of the insurrection. Riel conducted himself as an absolute dictator, and no one could effectually gainsay him. He confiscated publie and private property at will, and arrested or banished those whom his fear or caprice led him to dislike, Fort Garry was full of loyal British subjects, who were treated as “political prisoners,” and kept in close confinement, Dr. Schultz, after being imprisoned about three weeks, effected his escape, and, in conjunction with other Canadians in the settlement, soon succeeded in organizing a considerable force for the release of the captives in Fort Garry. Fortunately it did not become necessary to resort to the strong arm

* The Red River Expedition, by Captain G. L. Huyshe ; p. 9.

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The Beginning of « New Era. 499

to accomplish this object. An imperative demand was made that the prisoners should be set at liberty, and the rebel commander, seeing the force arrayed against him, and being further influenced by prominent residents, yielded to the pressure brought to bear upon him. The prisoners were released, but Riel expressed his determination to recapture Dr. Schultz, to whom he was especially inimical. The Doctor, however, made his escape to Ontario, and thereby doubtless escaped a tragical fate. Vicar-General Thibault, Colonel De Salaberry, and Mr. Donald A. Smith, Chief Agent of the Hudson’s Bay Company at Montreal, had meanwhile been sent up as Special Commissioners to inquire into the causes of the insurrection, and to explain to the people the intentions of the Canadian Government. They accomplished little in the way of restoring order, but Mr. Smith’s urgent representations were the means of saving the life of Major Boulton, a Canadian officer of militia, who had been captured at the head of a little force of loyalists.

Power is dangerous in the hands of a fool. Riels head, what little there was of it, was completely turned by the “high degree? to which he had attained. Finding that nobody disputed his will, he seems to have become downright intoxicated by his position, and as the winter passed by the hereditary savage in his nature asserted himself more and more strongly. In the early days of spring he committed what has justly been designated “the dark crime of the rebellion :” a crime which was the means of arousing publie opinion in Ontario to the necessity of putting down the insurrection at any cost, and without avoidable delay.

Among the Canadians besieged in Dr. Schuitz’s house on the occasion above referred to was a young man named Thomas Scott, a former resident of Ontario. He was not among those who surrendered to Riel, but he was arrested during the same evening and lodged in Fort Garry. He subsequently made his escape, but was one of the party which had more recently been captured with Major Boulton. Poor Scott was a somewhat turbulent youth, enthusiastically loyal,

500 The Last Forty Years.

but rash and imprudent in his language. He was a firebrand among the prisoners, and scouted Riels authority. This was in itself sufficient to account for the latter’s animosity towards him, but it is said that Riel also bore him a personal grudge. On the evening of the 3rd of March, 1870, he was tried by a court martial improvised by Riel within the walls of the fort. The offences charged against him were that he had taken up arms against the Provisional Government, and that he had struck one of the officials. The so-called court martial was the veriest farce, Riel appearing in the threefold capacity of prosecutor, witness, and judge. The prisoner was not permitted to offer any defence, but was sentenced to be shot at ten o’clock on the following morning. He did not at first realize his position. It doubtless seemed to him utterly incredible that his life should be sacrificed on such pretences. Shocking to relate, the sentence of this mock tribunal was carried out. A little after noon on the 4th the prisoner was led out through the chief entrance co the fort, to a spot a few yards from the walls. His arms were then pinioned, and he was ordered to kneel, which he had no sooner done than he was fired upon by à party of six insurgents, under the direction of “ Adjutant-General” Ambrose Lépine. Several of the bullets pierced his body, but he was not killed, One of the firing party, observing this, stepped up to where he lay, and discharged a revolver at his head. The body was then hurriedly thrust into a rude coffin and conveyed within the fort. It is said that a human voice was distinctly heard to issue from the coffin after the adjustment of the lid. The subsequent fate of the body has been made the subject of various sensational but unauthenticated stories. Riel refused to deliver it to the Bishop of Rupert’s Land and a Wesleyan minister who applied for it with a view to giving it Christian burial. A box alleged to contain the body was burned in the courtyard of the fort, but it was subsequently ascertained that this box contained nothing but stones. The general belief is that the corpse was thrust

man 1stade

iel

an ia].

1 of ned

Must

The Beginning of a New Era. 501

below the ice in Red River, The truth has never come to light, and is likely to remain an unsolved mystery.

Some weeks before this time the Government had taken measures which they hoped would be the means of bringing about a peaceful solution of the Red River difficulty. As already mentioned, Bishop Taché, whose ecclesiastical position and long residence in the North- West had given him almost unbounded influence over the French half-breeds of the territory, was at Rome. Early in January the Canadian Government, recognizing the importance of securing his coôperation, caused Mr. Langevin, Minister of Public Works, to communicate with him by means of the Atlantic cable. The imperative nature of the cireumstances induced the Bishop to set out promptly for Canada. He proceeded to Ottawa, where he received his instructions, and had a conference with several members of the Cabinet. He was authorized to assure the insurgents of the kindly intentions of the Government, and to offer them an amnesty for all past offences. He proceeded at once to Fort Garry, but five days before his arrival the insane folly and cruelty of the rebellion had culminated in the hideous butchery of Scott. Bishop Taché, a man of fine sensibilities, could not avoid being shocked at the terrible news that greeted him, but, according to his own account of the matter, he did not realize the fact that his instructions were affected by what had occurred. He recognized the Provisional Government, and entered into negotiations with Riel, promising complete amnesty for all offences theretofore committed. He made promises on behalf of the Canadian Government which that Government had no power to make without Imperial sanction. It is not extravagant to infer that he exceeded his authority with full knowledge of what he was doing, believing that the Canadian Government, though not bound by his promises, would feel themselves to some extent compromised thereby, and would therefore exert their influence with the Home Government to obtain a proclamation of complete amnesty. That the Right Reverend Father was instrumental in preventing further

502 The Last Forty Yeuwrs.

bloodshed and in calming public opinion in the settlement must be admitted ; though he was undoubtedly guilty, to say the least, of grave errors of judgment, and was in consequence subjected to much galling criticism.

When intelligence of the Scott tragedy reached Canada the publie mind was stirred thereby to its inmost depths. The news of the failure of Mr. McDougall’s expedition had been received with surprise, but the sentiment had been apathy itself as compared with the horror and indignation which now found expression. Public meetings were held in the principal cities and towns of Ontario, as well as in Montreal and at several other places in the Province of Quebec where there was a large Protestant population. Resolutions were passed calling upon the Government to despatch an expedition to restore authority at Red River, and to abstain from receiving certain delegates who had been sent to Ottawa by Riel. As for the delegates themselves, they were twice arrested before they could obtain an official interview with the Dominion Government, but were on both occasions discharged for lack of direct evidence. The precise result of their interview with the Government is not easy to pronounce upon. The delegates afterwards declared that a general amnesty was promised, whereas the Ministers themselves denied that any such promise was made. There is no documentary evidence to establish either one statement or the other, but it is in the highest degree improbable that the Government would commit themselves to a promise which they could only redeem after obtaining the concurrence of the Home authorities, even had they been willing to brave public opinion in Ontario, where the indignation waxed louder and louder from day to day. The public pulse had not been so stirred since the Fenian Raids of 1866. It was somewhat quieted by an official assurance that measures for maintaining Her Majesty’s supremacy in the North-West would be promptly taken by the Dominion and Imperial authorities conjointly. Erelong it became known that troops were to be sent up to Fort Garry to

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The Beginning of « New Era. 503

restore order. The Canadian Parliament had been in session ever since the 15th of February, and the reports of the debates in the House of Commons on the all-engrossing subject were read with avidity in every quarter of the Dominion. On the 2nd of May Sir John Macdonald introduced an Act to establish and provide for the Government of the Province of Manitoba. It was considerably modified in the course of its passage through Parliament, and it has since been subjected to further modifications, so that any minute account of its details would fail to convey an accurate idea of the relations at present existing between the Province and the Dominion. It may be stated in general terms that the limits of the Province were defined, and that provision was made for its representation in the Senate and the House of Commons. Local affairs were placed under the control of a Lieutenant-Governor, an Executive Council, and à Provincial Legislature consisting of a Legislative Council and Assembly. The number of members of each of these bodies and the qualification of voters for members of the Assembly were specified by the Act, and the duration of the Assembly was placed at four years. The Province having no public debt, interest at five per cent. per annum on $472,090 was allowed to it, in addition to a yearly subsidy of $30,000, and eighty cents per head on a population estimated at 17,000. Ungranted lands were vested in the Crown for Dominion purposes ; and, with a view to the extinction of the Indian title, lands to the extent of 1,400,000 acres were appropriated for the benefit of resident half-breed families. The general provisions of the British North America Act were made applicable to Manitoba, which was to come into existence as à Province of Canada on the date when the Queen in Council should admit Rupert’s Land and the North-West Territory into the Union. It was enacted that the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, aided by a Council of eleven members, should likewise be Lieutenant-Governor of the unorganized portion of the North-West,.

504 The Last Forty Years.

The next matter of importance was to restore tranquillity to the embryo Province. On the 11th of May the stipulated sum of £300,000 was paid over to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Iong before that date preparations had been on foot for sending a combined Imperial and Canadian military force to the scene of the rebellion. On the opening of navigation these preparations were pushed forward. The question of route was one requiring careful deliberation. It was a foregone conclusion that the troops could not be allowed to pass through the United States. The route finally determined on was that by way of Lake Superior, Thunder Bay, and across the chain of lakes to the Winnipeg River ; thence down stream to Lake Winnipeg, thence across to the mouth of Red River, and thence up to Fort Garry. This route, which had formerly been in vogue among the agents of the North-West Company, had long since fallen into disuse, and grave doubts were entertained as to the feasibility of conveying a large body of truops thereby. AI difficulties, however, were effectively surmounted. The expedivion was

placed under the command of Colonel (afterwards Sir Garnet) Wolseley, who has since won renown in West and South Africa, and more recently still on the arid plains of Egypt.* He had for some time occupied the post of Deputy Quartermaster-General to

the Forces in British North America, and had already given evidences of possessing those soldierlike qualities necessary to the success of such an undertaking as the one now entrusted to him. The expeditionary force was made up of between 1,200 and 1,300 fighting men. About one-third of these were regulars of the GOth Royal Rifles. There were also small detachments of Royal Artillery and Engineers; while the rest, to the number of more than 700, were picked Canadian volunteer militia. Several weeks were spent in transporting the troops, horses and stores as far as Prince

* As these lines are passing through the press, the announcement is made that Sir Garnet Wolseley for his services in Egypt hus been elevated to the peerage,

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The Beginning of a New Era. 505

Arthur’s Landing,* where the serious difficulties of the route may be said to have begun. After many harassing delays, and after undergoin no inconsiderable amount of fatigue and hardship, the main body of the expedition reached Fort Garry on the 24th of August. The secret of the approach of the troops had been well kept, and was not known at the fort until they were almost within rifle range. There was, however, no need for any hostile display, as Riel and his chief officers had taken timely flight a few minutes before, when the first intimation had reached their ears. The troops entered and took possession of the fort, hoisted the Union Jack, fired a royal salute, and gave three lusty cheers for the Queen, “which,” says an eye-witness, “were caught up and heartily reëchoed by a few of the inhabitants who had followed the troops from the village.”+- Authority and order were reëstablished, and anarchy was at an end.

Three months before this time the Hon, Adams George Archibald, of Nova Scotia, had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the new Province, and on the 23rd of June the territory had been formally transferred to Canada. Colonel Wolseley had now arrived in advance of Mr. Archibald, but h had no civil authority, and the conduct of civil affairs devolved upon Mr. Donald A. Smith, as principal officer of the Hudson’s Bay Company. That gentleman’s nominal rule, however, was very brief, as Lieutenant-Governor Archibald arrived on the 2nd of September, and assamed his official functions on the 6th. Colonel Wolseley and the regulars returned to Ontariv. The militia remained in Manitoba through the winter, but their active military services were not needed, as every symptom of disaffection had vanished with the flight of Riel.

In order that the story of the Red River troubles might bc told

* So named by Colonel Wolseley in honour of the present Duke of Connaught,.

It was formerly known as ‘Thunder Bay, ? and sometimes as ‘Government Landing.”

+ The Red River Expedit on, by Captain G, L, Huyshe, p. "96, The ‘‘ village,” of course, was Winnipeg,

ES NE en RE ET SET

506 The Last Forty Years.

consécutively, the narrative of ordinary political events in Canada has been interrupted for some pages back. All that is necessary to be said, however, may be compressed into very brief space. Parliament met on the 15th of February, and remained in session until the 12th of May. The most important measure passed during the interval was the Manitoba Act already referred to. An important Banking Act, for which Sir Francis Hincks was mainly responsible, was also passed during the session. It contained numerous provisions for the protection of the public interests, and was well received by the banking and mercantile community, as well as by the country at large. An Act respecting the tariff was less popular. For some time there had been a steadily growing feeling throughout the Dominion that the country would be benefited by adopting a protective policy towards the United States. There seemed to be no probability of a renewal of the Reciprocity Treaty, and the Americans thus possessed a decided advantage over us. Sir Francis Hincks, in deference to what he concuived to be the prevalent sentiment, introduced a series of resolutions which had a strong semblance of protection without much of the reality. The Opposition took exception to the proposed changes, a'\d alleged that while they were sufficiently retaliatory to provoke ill-will in the United States, they were not sufficiently pronounced to effect any material improvement in the revenue. The Government were subjected to pressure from some of their own supporters, and made certain modifications, which however offeuded other supporters while wholly failing to conciliate the Opposition. They accordingly reverted to tieir original

. scheme, which was passed, but by a very small majority in both

Houses. The m:.sure tended to weaken the G ‘ernment, whose strength, from this and other causes, perceptibly waned during the session, They were accused by the Opposition of la‘hes in not having introduced various important measures which tne country expected from them. There were divisions among them on several

try me the pro- > no 1eriicks, , ine of Lcepsu ff were the some hich conginal both hose the not antry bveral

The Beginning of a New Era. 507

publie questions. The Premier himself was in such poor health that he was frequently unable to discharge his duties, and towards the close of the session he was prostrated by a serious illness. The Government were moreover deserted br ‘veral of their ablest supporters. The grounds of Mr. McDougalls defection have already been sufficiently indicated. That of Sir A. T. Galt was still more significant, though the precise grounds of it were not generally known beyond a very small circle. either of these gentlemen went so far as to formally ally themselves with the Opposition. They called themselves Independents, but it was noticeable that they almost always voted against he Government. Several reudjustments of portfolios had taken p'ace within the last few months, and the internal organization of tie Cabinet seemed to be inefficient. Still, in spite of conspicuous defections and waning popularity, Ministers could command a safe majority on any important question, and they professed the utmost confidence in the future,

While the session was still in progress the Fenians in the United States were busy preparing for another demonstration against Canada. The Red River troubles afforded them an opportunity for causing annoyance, and they threatened to attack and harass Colonel Wolseley’s expedition while it was proceeding on its way westward, No attempt was made to carry out this threat, but on the 25th of May an incursion was made across the Missisquoi frontier, in the Eastern Townships, by a detachment under the command of the same officer —O’Neil—who had directed the raid on the Niagara peninsula in 1866. The preparations for the movement had been notorious, and ample provision had been made in Canada to repel it. A ludicrously small force of volunteers drove the invaders back, and the leaders were arrested by the United States Marshal for Vermont, On the 27th a horde of marauders crossed the border of Huntingdon County. They were repulsed by another handful of volun-

508 The Last Forty Years.

teers, and ran away with such celerity that it seemed difficult to believe they had ever been in action before. A proclamation by General Grant, President of the United States, followed by the seizure of their arms and stores, and by the arrest of some of their leaders, completed the discomfiture of the Fenian Brotherhood, and for the time Canada suffered no further annoyance from them. During the summer an important addition was made to the Cabinet in the person of Dr. Tupper, who accepted the Presidency of the Privy Council, and was thus brought into still more confidential relations with his sometime rival, Mr. Howe. The Hon. Edward Kenny, who had succeeded to the Presidency upon Mr. Howe’s becoming Secretary of State, had in May been appointed Administrator of the Government of Nova Scotia, thus paving the way for Dr. Tupper’s incumbency. The Doctor was reëlected by acclamation by his constituents in Cumberland County, and has ever since been one of the foremost men in Canadian public life on the Liberal-Conservative side. Before the close of the ensuing autumn arrangements had been completed for the final withdrawal of the Imperial troops from our shores. Canada had entered on a career of practical emancipation from Imperial control. The feeling of the authorities at home had long been that England ought to be relieved from the burden of our defence. As our only necessity for defence arose out of our connection with the mother country, we were of opinion that the latter should at least assume a share of the burden. The Imperial authorities, however, did not admit the responsibility. We were somewhat patronizingly informed that while our right to Imperial defence against foreign aggression was fully recognized, it was our duty to protect ourselves in internal affairs. When we replied that we had long been accustomed to maintain our internal peace, and that we required no assistance for that purpose—that what we desired was moral support, which would be effectually evidenced by the continuance of the Quebec garrison—we were informed that

nted the L by ever 1 the umn Imprachorifrom rose inion The . We Imt was plied peace, what nced 1 that

2 Beginning of a New Era. 509

the matter had been repeatedly and fully considered, and that the decis'on arrived at was not likely to be departed from.* The troops were all withdrawn in the course of the autumn, except the force permanently stationed at Halifax— which was considered as an Imperial naval and military station —and a single garrison left for the winter at Quebec, and withdrawn in the following spring. During this period we were threatened with somewhat serious complications with the United States, arising out of the Canadian fisheries. The persistent refusal of the authorities at Washington to entertain any proposal for a renewal of reciprocity had led to a determination on the part of the Dominion Government to prevent Americans from any longer fishing in our waters. Under the Reciprocity Treaty the Americans had possessed the right of so fishing, but that treaty had been abrogated by themselves, and contrary to our often-expressed wishes. Our rights thereupon reverted to us, and the Americans thenceforward were not entitled to approach within three marine miles of our shores for fishing purposes. Our rights in this respect had been established by treaty in 1818, the oniy point in dispute being as to whether the three miles should be measured from the coastline or from the headlands.+ American fishermen, however, continued to ply in our waters, and to take fish as they had been accustomed to do during the currency of the treaty. This they persisted in doing, in spite of repeated notifications from the Dominion Government, and even in spite of a proclamation by their own President, British and Canadian cruisers

were accordingly placed on the coast, and a few trespassing vessels

were seized and contiscated, The American people waxed wroth

* See the Report of the Hon., Alexander Campbell, Postmaster-General, dated 10th September, 1870,

+ Americans claimed that the three-mile limit should follow the sinuosities of the coast, and that measurement across the mouths of bays should only be made when the distance from headland to headland did not exceed six miles, See ‘* Brief on behalf of the United

States,” embodied in the Record of the Proceedings of the Halifax Commission, 1877 ; p. 104.

re