cil KOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



sentiment and mould the plastic character of the youth of this great 

 Dominion — such, I take it, is the meaning and object of to-day's 

 ceremony. 



And now, not to weary you with my Italian English, long live the 

 Gracious Sovereign who for sixty years has occupied the most conspicuous 

 position in the history of the British empire. May a largo increase of 

 prosperity be added to this already prosperous Dominion, which to-day, 

 in memory of the Caboto, unites the British colours with those of my 

 beloved fatherland, Ital3^ (Applause.) 



Following the speech of the Consul-General, Hon. Mr. Justice Sedge- 

 wick called for three cheers for the King of Italy, Avhich were given 

 with a will. 



United States Consul-General Ingraham was then called on. He 

 expressed thanks for the opportunity to speak, laughingly remarking in 

 passing that such an occasion as this would not be complete without a 

 representative from the democracy among so much royalty. The United 

 States people had always considered Queen Victoria a good friend of 

 theirs, promoting peace and good-will. Her message in response to that 

 of the President, in which she referred to the people of the United States 

 as a great nation of kinsmen, touched the hearts of the people of the 

 republic, a people who claim part of the honour of the great name of 

 John Cabot. (Applause). Mr. Ingraham spoke of the mutual interests 

 of the three great Anglo-Saxon peoples in the British Isles, in the United 

 States and Canada. When we look, he said, at the figures representing 

 the trade of Canada with the United Kingdom and that of the United 

 States with both, the mind becomes bewildered in endeavouring to grasp 

 the magnitude and realize the significance. Four-fifths of Canada's total 

 trade of $239,000,000 in value is divided between the United Kingdom 

 and the United States ; $99,000,000 between Canada and Great Britain 

 and Ireland ; $103,000,000 is between Canada and the United States, and 

 $581,000,000 is the total between the United Kingdom and the United 

 States, aggregating $783,000,000 as the fabulous total values of trade 

 and commerce among the three kindred nations during the single year 

 preceding the 400th anniversary o Cabot's discovery. The Consul- 

 General concluded by expressing the happy opinion that such a thing as 

 war between Britain and the United States was an impossibility. When 

 any question of disagreement arises it will pay to send the bellicose 

 politicians to some hotel at the nation's expense and settle the matter in 

 peaceful arbitration. (Applause.) 



Hon. J. Boyd Thacher, of Albany, N.Y., referred to the happy coin- 

 cidence of the jubilee of Queen Victoria and the celebration of the 400th 

 anniversaiy of the Cabot voyage. His personal business was to take 

 part in the exercises of to-da}^, but it was his great pleasure on Tuesda}' 

 to lift his hat and voice in homage to the royal woman who taught the 



