BRITISH NORTH AMERICA. 



125 



Parliament was prorogued almost immediate- 

 ly after this event. Amongst the items voted 

 during the session was one of over $1,000,000 

 for the permanent defences of the Province. 

 The Governor-General dismissed the Legislature 

 with a speech, in which he congratulated them 

 upon having laid the foundation for a more inti- 

 mate union of British North America. 



In accordance with the intimation conveyed 

 in the latter portion of the speech, shortly after 

 the rising of Parliament, four members of the 

 Canadian Government (Messrs. Macdonald, 

 Carter, Gait, and Brown) were appointed as a 

 delegation to proceed to England, to confer 

 with the Imperial authorities on questions af- 

 fecting the interests of Canada, and of British 

 North America generally. The reception of 

 these statesmen by the Mother Country was of 

 the most gratifying and satisfactory character, 

 and showed the strong desire of the Home 

 Government to perpetuate the connection be- 

 tween the Colonies and Great Britain. 



The proceedings of the Commissioners were 

 reported to the Governor-General, to whom a 

 despatch was also addressed by the Right Hon. 

 Edward Cardwell, describing the Conferences 

 of the Commissioners with the Imperial Gov- 

 ernment. This last document presents very 

 clearly the views of the Home Government 

 relative to British North America, as follows : 



DOWNING STREET, 17th June, 1S65. 



Mr LORD : I have the honor to inform your Lord- 

 ship that several conferences have been held between 

 the four Canadian Ministers who were deputed, and 

 the Duke of Somerset, the Earl De Grey, Mr. Glad- 

 stone, and myself, on the part of her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment. 



On the first subject referred to in the Minute, that 

 of the Confederation of the British North American 

 Provinces, we repeated on the part of the Cabinet 

 the assurances which had already been given of the 

 determination of her Majesty's Government to use 

 every proper means of influence to carry into effect 

 without delay the proposed Confederation. 



On the second point, we entered into a full consid- 

 eration of the important subject of the defence of 

 Canada, not with any apprehension on either side that 

 the friendly relations now happily subsisting between 

 this country and the United States are likely to be 

 disturbed, but impressed with the conviction that the 

 safety of the empire from possible attack ought to 

 depend upon its own strength and the due application 

 of its own resources. We reminded the Canadian Min- 

 isters that on the part of the Imperial Government 

 we had obtained a vote of money for improving the 

 fortifications of Quebec. We assured them that so 

 soon as the vote had been obtained the necessary in- 

 structions had been sent out for the immediate ex- 

 ecution of the works, which would be prosecuted 

 with despatch ; and we reminded them of the sug- 

 gestion her Majesty's Government had made to them 

 to proceed with the fortifications of Montreal. 



The Canadian Ministers, in reply, expressed un- 

 reservedly the desire of Canada to devote her whole 

 resources, both in men and money, for the main- 

 tenance of her connection with the Mother Country; 

 and their full belief in the readiness of the Canadian 

 Parliament to make known that determination in the 

 most authentic manner. They said they had in- 

 crased the expenditure for their Militia from 300,000 

 to 1,000,000 dollars, and would agree to train that 

 force to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State for 

 War, provided the cost did not exceed the last-men- 



tioned sum annually, while the question of confed- 

 eration is pending. They said they were unwilling 

 to separate the question of the works of Montreal 

 from the question of the works west of that place, 

 and from the question of a naval armament on Lake 

 Ontario. That the execution of the whole of these 

 works would render it necessary for them to have 

 recourse to a loan, which could only be raised with 

 the guarantee of the Imperial Parliament. They 

 were ready to propose to their Legislature on their 

 return a measure for this purpose, provided that the 

 guaranty of the Imperial Parliament were given 

 now, and that they were authorized to communicate 

 to the Parliament of Canada the assurance that, the 

 occasion arising, England will have prepared an ade- 

 quate naval force for Lake Ontario. They thought 

 that if the guaranty were not obtained now it was 

 probable that the Canadian Government and Parlia- 

 ment would think it desirable that the question of 

 defensive works should await the decision of the Gov- 

 ernment and Legislature of the United Provinces. 



On the part of her Majesty's Government we as- 

 sented to the reasonableness of the propo_sal that if 

 the Province undertook the primary liability for the 

 works of defence mentioned in the letter of Lieuten- 

 ant-Colonel Jervois, and showed a sufficient security, 

 her Majesty's Government should apply to Parliament 

 for a guaranty for the amount required ; and we said 

 that her Majesty's Government would furnish the ar- 

 maments for the works. But we said that the desire 

 and decision of the Provincial Legislature ought to 

 be pronounced before any application was made to 

 the Imperial Parliament. On the subject of a naval 

 force for Lake Ontario, we said that, apart from any 

 question of expediency, the convention subsisting 

 between this country and the United States rendered 

 it impossible for either nation to place more than the 

 specified number of armed vessels on the lakes in 

 time of peace. In case of war it would, as a matter 

 of course, be the duty of any government in this 

 country to apply its means of Naval Defence accord- 

 ing to the judgment it might form upon the exigen- 

 cies of each particular time, and the Canadian Min- 

 isters might be assured that her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment would not permit itself to be found in such a 

 position as to be unable to discharge its duty in this 

 respect. This was the only assurance the Canadian 

 Ministers could expect, or we could give. 



Upon a review of the whole matter, the Canadian 

 Ministers reverted to the proposal which has been 

 mentioned above, that priority in point of time 

 should be given to the Confederation of the Prov- 

 inces. To this we,, on the part of her Majesty's Gov- 

 ernment, assented. In conformity, however, with a 

 wish strongly expressed by the Canadian Ministers, 

 we further said that if, upon future consideration, 

 the Canadian Government should desire to antici- 

 pate the Confederation -and to propose that Canada 

 should execute the works, they would doubtless 

 communicate to Her Majesty's Government that 

 decision ; and we trusted that after what had passed 

 in these conferences they would feel assured that 

 any such communication would be received by us in 

 the most friendly spirit. 



On the third point, the Keciprocity Treaty, the 

 Canadian Ministers represented the great importance 

 to Canada of the renewal of that treaty, and requested 

 that Sir F. Bruce might be put in communication 

 with the Government of Lord Monck upon the sub- 

 ject. We replied that Sir F. Bruce had already re- 

 ceived instructions to negotiate for a renewal of the 

 treaty, and to act in concert with the Government 

 of Canada. 



On'the fourth point, the subject of the Northwest- 

 ern Territory, the Canadian Ministers desired that 

 that territory should be made over to Canada, and 

 undertook to negotiate with the Hudson's Bay Com- 

 pany for the termination of their rights, on condition 

 that the indemnity, if any, should be paid by a loan 

 to be raised by Canada under the Imperial guaranty. 



