PROCEEDINGS FOR IS99 XXXIII 



which you both possess upon the "affection and respect of the people of 

 the Dominion, from Sydney on the Atlantic to Victoria on the far Pacific 

 coast. 



" This society only echoes the sentiment of all thoughtful men and 

 women, who have witnessed the history of your respective careers in this 

 country, when it expresses the opinion that Can'ada has been for five years 

 exceptionally favoured by the presence of a distinguished gentleman and 

 lady who have endeavoured to discharge 'all the duties of their exalted 

 positions with so deep a sense of the great responsibilities resting upon 

 them, and who have super- added to their official duties a sincere land 

 almost passionate desire to promote the best interests of the inhabitants 

 of Can'ada, irrespective of race, creed, or party, by every means in the 

 power of persons raised so far above the ordinary conditions of things 

 in this country. 



" It has been a happy thing for the unity of the British Empire that 

 ever since the concession of responsible government, which removed the 

 head of executive 'authority from the active conflict of party, we have had 

 a succession of distinguished governors, animated by the most earnest 

 desire to carry out dispassionately and honestly the principles of British 

 administr'ation, and to leave behind them at the close of their tenure 

 of office a deep respect for the rules and traditions of the great school of 

 British statesmanship. Not only at an hour like this, when it becomes 

 the duty of all, ' to speed the parting guest ' with kind words and 

 thoughts, but in long years to come, all classes of Canadians will recog- 

 nize that the lustre of the historic name of Aberdeen has not been 

 dimmed in this dependency of the Crown, but will justly take a high 

 place on the brilliant roll where are already inscribed the honoured 

 names of Elgin, Dufferin, Lome and Lansdowne. 



" A keen student of British political institutions has well observed 

 that among other useful attributes the Crown represents what may be 

 called ' the dignified part ' of the British Constitution. It is safe to say 

 that in Canada, as in other parts of the Empire, this important charac- 

 teristic of monarchy has been invariably well maintained, and Canadians 

 have learned to value highly the advantage of living under a system of 

 government which lifts the Governor-General, like the Queen, above the 

 conflict of party and entibles him to discharge his high obligations with 

 a dignity which allows men of all opinions to meet on a common ground 

 of social intercourse and in that respect helps to modify the harsher 

 features of our political life. At the Government House in Ottawa, and 

 at other places in the Dominion, where your Excellencies have given 

 opportunities to the people to pay their respects to the representative of 



