riddell] BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT, 1867 79 



ment."' The Duke of Wellington entered a protest on the Record 

 of the House of Lords with many reasons (27 in all) the most im- 

 portant being No. 26. "Because the Union. . . .will tend to augment 

 the difficulties attending the administration of the Government, 

 particularly under the circumstances of the encouragement given to 

 effect the establishment in the United Province of a local responsible 

 administration of Government."^ Lord John Russell at length ex- 

 plained his meaning by saying : "When an Assembly considered that 

 certain institutions and objects would be for the benefit of the country, 

 and .... these objects were not incompatible with imperial interests . . 

 it must be the height of folly not to accede to their wishes, 

 on the other hand, he never could admit that where the dignity of 

 the Crown was concerned and the interests of the country were 

 involved, any opinion of a Colonial Assembly was to overbear the 

 opinion of the United Parliament."^ 



It is plain from the views of friend and foe that the Bill was ex- 

 pected to give full Responsible Government on the British model 

 in all local, non-imperial, matters. 



Some few adjustments had to be made after the Union, but the 

 Bill was fairly effective. 



It is not without interest to note that the British North America 

 Act 1867 as originally drafted had as its Preamble: "Whereas 

 the Union of the British North American Colonies for Purposes 

 of Government and Legislation would be attended with great benefits 

 to the Colonies and be conducive to the Interests of the United King- 

 dom." (Sir) John A. Macdonald (with his own hand) changed this in 

 the second draft (23 January, 1867) so as to read : "Whereas the 

 Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have expressed 

 their desire to form a Federal Union for the purposes of Government 

 and Legislation based on the principles of the British constitution and 

 whereas such Union of the British American Colonies would be attended 

 with great Benefits to the Colonies and be conducive to the Interests of 

 the United Kingdom."^ 



(Consult the Me morandum on p. 97 injra for an explanation of the Drafts and 

 Conferences.) 

 In the third draft (2nd February, 1867), it reads: 



"Whereas the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia and New 

 Brunswick have expressed their desire to form a Federal Union under 



^ 54 Hansard 3rd Series, p. 745. Colquhoun was a miscellaneous writer of 

 no great importance. He was M.P. 1832-47. 



^ 55 Hansard 3rd Series, p. 666. 



' 54 Hansard 3rd Series, p. 751. 



* See Sir Joseph Pope's "Confederation". Toronto, The Carewell Co., 1895. 

 Inset at beginning of volume, pp. 140, 158, 177, 212, 248. 



