[howay] governor MUSGRAVE AND CONFEDERATION 25 



that the Canadian tariff would have upon the infant agricultural, 

 manufacturing, and commercial interests of the Colony.^® 



The Legislative Coimcil having approved of the terms the 

 Governor intimated that he purposed to send three of its members to 

 submit them with the necessary explanations to the Dominion Govern- 

 ment.^^ This delegation consisted of three of his Executive Coun- 

 cillors^ — Mr. Trutch, Dr. Helmcken, and Dr. Carrall. Great surprise 

 was expressed that neither Mr. Robson nor Mr. DeCosmos, both 

 ardent supporters of Confederation, had been chosen. It, however, 

 transpired later that Mr. Robson had been invited to act as one of the 

 delegates, but, owing to private business, was unable to accept. ''* 



Leaving Victoria by way of San Francisco on 10th May. 1870, 

 the delegation arrived in Ottawa on 4th June, ^accompanying them 

 went Mr. H. E. Seelye in the interests of Responsible Government, 

 for its supporters refused to regard the defeat in the Legislative 

 Council as final. In Mr. Robson's words: "We shall fight for and 

 have Responsible Government. . . . We shall enter Confederation 

 with privileges equal to other Provinces."" The reasons for. and the 

 result of, Mr. Seelye's mission are given by Sir Charles Tupper: 

 "The late Hon. John Robson, the late Mr. H. E. Seelye, and Mr. 

 D. W. Higgins held a conference and decided that in order to secure 

 Parliamentary Government it would be necessary for one of their 

 number to proceed to Ottawa and inform the Government there that 

 unless Responsible Government was assured they would oppose the 

 adoption of the terms altogether and thus delay Confederation. 

 Mr. Seelye was selected as the delegate. He succeeded in convincing 

 the Dominion Government that his contention that the Province was 

 sufficiently advanced to entitle it to representative institutions was 

 correct." ^^ 



In the discussions between the delegates and the Dominion 

 Government the central points were the financial terms and the 

 railway. The Government agreed to undertake the early construction 

 of the railroad and press it to completion, but, having made this 

 concession, objection was taken to the proposed coach road as an 

 unnecessary expense; it was accordingly stricken out. The estimated 

 population was reduced from 120,000 to 60,000. This and certain 

 other changes reduced the total annual payments from Canada to 

 about $100,000 less than the delegates could accept. A deadlock 

 seemed to have been reached. Sir George Cartier, however, saved 

 the situation. He proposed that, following the precedent of the 

 offer to Newfoundland, British Columbia be given in perpetuity 

 S100,000 a year for a belt of land twenty miles in width on each side 



