[BURPEE] HOWE AND THE ANTI-CONFEDERATION LEAGUE 429 
Downing Street, 
16 August, 1866. 
The Honorable Joseph Howe. 
Sir, 
I am directed by the Earl of Carnarvon to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter 
with its enclosures dated the 6th instant, relative to the proposed Confederation of 
the British North American Provinces. 
I am to acquaint you in reply that Lord Carnarvon will be ready to receive at 
once any written communication from you on the subject to which these documents 
refer, or, if you and Mr. Annand should prefer to see His Lordship, he will be happy 
to appoint a day for that purpose about a fortnight hence. 
I am at the same time to observe to you that His Lordship will shortly be called 
upon to enter upon the consideration of the question of Confederation with Dele- 
gates deputed by the Governments and Legislatures of their several Provinces to 
treat with the Imperial Government, and that His Lordship whilst very happy to 
receive any communication from yourself and Mr. Annand would not consider him- 
self at liberty to anticipate the discussion of this important subject with the gentle- 
men who have been so accredited to Her Majesty’s Government. 
Iam 
Sir, 
Your obedient Servant, 
Pah ELLIO ry, 
43 Sackville Street, 
17 August, 1866. 
P. F. Elliot, Esq. 
Sir, 
Referring to your Letter of yesterday, Mr. Annand and myself have to request 
you to convey to the Earl of Carnarvon our thanks for the Message which you were 
directed to communicate. 
We have no desire to ‘anticipate’ the discussion of Confederation. On the 
contrary, entirely satisfied with the Manner in which His Lordship treated the sub- 
ject in his place in Parliament, we are content, having submitted the documents with 
which we were entrusted and placed ourselves in official communication with the 
Department, to wait His Lordship’s pleasure, sincerely anxious to afford all the in- 
formation in our power, and cause the least embarrasment. 
Will you kindly assure the Earl of Carnarvon that we gave no credence to the 
statement made in a Morning Paper that His Lordship had already arranged the 
details of a new scheme of Confederation with the Delegates from Nova Scotia and 
New Brunswick without notice and without discussion. We have no desire to enter 
prematurely even on that branch of the general subject which touches the Inter 
Colonial Railway, but as a very imperfect account of the real state of that question 
has been put before the public, we have prepared a brief Memorandum for the Colo- 
nial Secretary which is enclosed. 
I have the honor to be 
Sir, 
Your obedient Servant 
JOSEPH HOWE. 
