462 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 
ward now, for it might be defeated and leave England in the awkward position of 
having to protect colonies she did not want, or make an open confession to the world 
that she could not protect them. Mr. Lefevre!# son of Viscount Eversley and who 
was a Junior Lord of the Admiralty in the last Government, and is M.P. for Reading 
used similar language to me, and seemed to consider the loyal preference of Nova 
Scotia for British connection a bother, and that Confederation would be a relief to 
the Mother Country by forming a convenient excuse for letting us all go; and his 
language indicated further that Annexation to the United States if we did not get 
on with Canada would be the best and most natural destiny for us. 
Others held the same views so that you see there was a deep undercurrent; 
which any logic or loyalty we could appeal to could not stem, it was melancholy to 
discover how utterly ignorant the majority of English Editors and politicians are 
concerning us, they did not know the first thing about us and they did not care to 
know. 
None of them ventured to deny the Justice of our case, but then nobody could 
spare a thought from the questions at home to waste time on us. John Stuart Mill 
who has written such great things about the liberty of the people, and representative 
government, and who is so anxious to have even women entitled to vote on public 
affairs, admitted in my presence that he thought Confederation was being pushed 
through with disgraceful haste and disregard of Nova Scotia wishes, but he added 
he could not spare a moment to fight our battle. He thinks no doubt Nova Scotian 
men are of less importance to him as voters, than the Orange women in Westminster, 
upon whose right to the franchise he insists so strongly. Mr. Lowel! was also 
against Confederation on principles of right but then Mr. Lowe had done enough 
already to destroy his chances with both parties, and I heard him tell Howe that it 
was of no use to speak at all in a cause which would be lost through both sides follow- 
ing their leaders. Bright thought Confederation would be remedied by Annexation. 
And so did Mr. Hadfield M.P. for Sheffield whom I interested in our case, so far 
that he agreed to move an amendment, which Mr. Howe drew up for him, but Card- 
well got at him and cajoled him to withdraw it, after he had expressly promised to 
procede with it and after I had given him his “brief” of facts and figures on the sub- 
ject. The great body of the House was utterly indifferent, even the delegates seemed 
chagrined at the lazy contempt with which a thin House suffered their bill to pass 
unnoticed through Committee. 
A clerk at the table gabbled on not the clauses even but the numbers of the clauses 
and as if that were not, a quick enough mode of rushing through a disagreeably 
dull measure which did not affect anybodys seat, and which therefore could not be 
listened to, he used to read a whole batch of numbers at once, for example saying 
“Moved that clauses 73, 74, 75 pass and they passed sure enough, without anybody 
worrying himself about their contents.“ One member who had been in Australia 
and therefore wanted to drag himself into notice as a great Colonial authority asked 
some solemnly absurd questions about the Governor General’s duties and so forth, 
and got equally solemn and absurd replies, from Adderley, who stood with Cardwell, 
as if both were wet nurses for a foundling bill. 


140 George John Shaw-Lefevre, afterward Baron Eversley, born 1832. He was a son of Sir George 
Shaw-Lefevre, not of Viscount Eversley, as Garvie states. Member of Parliament for Reading 1863— 
85; Civil Lord of Admiralty 1856; Secretary to Admiralty 1871-74; Postmaster-General 1883-84; 
President Local Government Board 1894-95. 
141 Robert Lowe, afterward Viscount Sherbrooke (1811-1892). He was Member of Parliament for 
Calne in 1867. Chancellor of the Exchequer 1868-73; Home Secretary 1873-74. 
14 A graphic and sufficiently mortifying picture of the birth of the Canadian Constitution. 
