46 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



chosen for the mainland at the same election were all well-known and 

 prominent supporters of Confederation ; nor does he see fît to explain 

 to the Home Authorities that in Victoria, where the franchise had 

 previously been confined to British subjects with property qualifica- 

 tions, he had by a special order for this election introduced universal 

 suffrage, thus enabling the alien and annexationist element to make its 

 power felt, whereby Mr. DeCosmos, one of the earliest and most ener- 

 getic workers in the cause, had been defeated. 



A new Legislative Council, which contained amongst its fourteen 

 official mem.bers eight who had occupied seats in the last House, met 

 in December, 1868. So bitterly had the Governor been attacked in 

 the past year for his inaction, or worse, in the matter of Confederation, 

 that in his opening speech he endeavored to defend his conduct. He 

 stated that one week before the resolution of 1867 had been passed 

 he had telegraphed "to urge that a provision be inserted in the Bill 

 then before Parliament for the ultimate admission of British Columbia 

 into the Eastern Confederacy." The wording of that telegram has 

 been already given ; it is difficult to see how it justifies the use of the 

 word "urge"; it was confined to a coldly formal and colorless enquiry. 

 He also omits to state that even this poor action was not upon his 

 own initiative, but was the result of pressure. He then urges that he 

 had been informed that the question must await the settlement of 

 the Hudson's Bay Company's claims upon the intervening territory 

 and its incorporation with the Confederation. It has already been 

 pointed out that it was not the question, but the consideration of the 

 question by the Imperial authorities that must await that issue. He 

 then refers to "some unofficial letters" that he has received from which 

 he judges that the Secretary of State "thinks the obstacles to the 

 scheme extremely formidable." He goes on: "When transmitting 

 formally the Resolution passed by the Legislative Council, I expressed 

 myself desirous of seeing the project carried out, if it were possible." 

 This is almost a suggestio falsi. We have seen in what a half-hearted 

 manner he had expressed himself; in fact more in opposition than in 

 support, and certainly not in the language of a person really desirous 

 of seeing the scheme adopted. 



Again the question came up in the Legislative Council. The 

 Governor's real sentiments of opposition, which were well known to 

 the official members and more than suspected by the populace, had 

 heartened the opponents and they carried the war into Africa by 

 offering a resolution: "That this Council, impressed with the con- 

 viction that under existing circumstances the Confederation of this 

 colony with the Dominion of Canada would be inadvisable, even if 



