[howay] governor SEYMOUR AND CONFEDERATION 47 



practicable, urge Her Majesty's Government not to take any decisive 

 steps towards the present consummation of such union." The sup- 

 porters of Confederation offered amendments to the effect that until 

 the intervening territory had been incorporated with the Dominion 

 it was premature to express any definite opinion ; but the amendment 

 received only five votes; all from the mainland; and the motion was 

 carried by eleven to five. At last the decision that the Governor 

 wished had been reached ; and he hurried to convey the good news to 

 London. The resolution was passed on 17th February and on 4th 

 March, about a fortnight before the House prorogued, he forwarded 

 it saying: "With reference to My Despatches noted in the margin 

 respecting the possibility of the union of this colony with the Dominion 

 of Canada, I have now the honour to forward copy of a Resolution 

 passed by the Legislative Council on 17th February antagonistic to 

 the immediate consummation of such a measure." This is the entire 

 letter. The notations on the margin, strangely enough, contain no 

 reference to the favorable resolution of 1867 nor to the accompanying 

 despatch, in which he had according to his opening address expressed 

 himself as desirous of seeing the project carried out. 



The supporters of Confederation, though temporarily defeated, 

 were not downheartened. They placed on the journals of the Council 

 a protest pointing out that the body were not representative of the 

 community and did not in this vote reflect its opinions, which they 

 alleged to be strongly in favour of union upon fair and equitable terms. 

 The long standing negotiations for the transfer of the Hudson's Bay 

 Company's rights had just been completed; and at this moment, 

 when superficially in British Columbia the prospects appeared the 

 darkest, the dawn was, in reality, about to break. 



The session ended 15th March, 1869. In his closing address the 

 Governor made no allusion, whatever, to Confederation. So far as he 

 was concerned the disturbing topic was dead and buried. And this 

 ends his official connection with the matter. He died, as is well known, 

 on 10th June following, while on a mission of pacification to the north- 

 ern Indians. 



And here I would leave the discussion were it not that in his 

 Recollections Sir Charles Tupper says: "Sir James Douglas, ex- 

 Governor, a prominent figure in the early days of the colony, was 

 opposed to Confederation. Until his eleventh hour conversion 

 ex-Governor Seymour entertained similar views. "^ This statement 

 appears to be based upon a remark in the life of Sir James Douglas 

 to the effect that the promise of an overland communication finally 



ip. 124, 126. 



