176 



CANADA. 



nntil the present session, and its report had but 

 just been made to the House. It recommended 

 the adoption of the Federal principle in British 

 North America as a necessary step toward the 

 attainment of the object in view. In the nego- 

 tiations which ensued between Mr. Brown and 

 the leaders of the Government, he demanded 

 the adoption of this report as the basis of the 

 policy of the Government ; and it is but justice 

 to the leaders of the Lower Canada section of 

 the Administration to say, that in acceding to 

 this proposition they manifested a spirit of 

 patriotism for their country worthy of all praise. 

 Mr. Brown entered the Government, taking 

 the place of Mr. Buchanan as President of the 

 Council, and brought with him two prominent 

 and able members of the Liberal party (Messrs. 

 McDougall and Mowat), who had held office 

 in the previdus Cabinet. 



In the meanwhile, previous to the occurrence 

 of these events, the several Governments of the 

 Maritime Provinces (Nova Scotia, New Bruns- 

 wick, and Prince Edward Island) had resolved 

 upon a Federal Union among themselves, the 

 first-named of which Provinces had taken the 

 initiative in the matter. A joint conference of 

 delegates from each Government took place at 

 Charlottetown on 1st September for the above 

 purpose. Thither the members of the Canadian 

 Government proceeded upon the invitation of 

 their Colonial brethren, and there they unfolded 

 the object of their mission. After the various 

 addresses had been made by prominent mem- 

 bers as to the desirability of Union between the 

 whole of British North America and the mu- 

 tual advantages likely to result from such con- 

 nection, the conference closed, and the second 

 one was appointed to take place at Quebec on 

 15th October. Previous, however, to returning 

 home, the Canadian ministers were the reci- 

 pients of various demonstrations, proving un- 

 mistakably that the best wishes of the people 

 of the Lower Provinces were with them in their 

 endeavors to build up a great Northern Anglo- 

 Saxon nationality. The conference at Quebec 

 was composed of the following members : 



Canada. Hon. Messrs. Sir E. P. Tache, John A. 

 Macdonald, Brown, Cartier, Gait, McGee, McDougall, 

 Campbell, Mowat, Cockburn, Chapais, and Langwin. 



JVova Scotia. Hon. Messrs. Tupper, Henry, Mc- 

 Cully, Dickey, and Archibald. 



New Brunswick. Hon. Messrs. Tilley, Steeves, 

 Johnson, Mitchell, Chandler, Gray, and fisher. 



Prince Edward Island. Hon. Messrs. Gray, Palmer, 

 Pope, Macdonald, Coles, Haviland, and Whelan. 



Newfoundland. Messrs. Carter and Shea appear- 

 ed for the purpose of watching the proceedings on 

 behalf of this Colony. 



The Executive Secretary was Major Hewitt Ber- 

 nard, the Chief Clerk of the Crown Law Department 

 of Canada. 



As the result of perhaps one of the most mem- 

 orable meetings of the kind held on this conti- 

 nent* we give a copy of the resolutions adopted 

 at the Conference. (See PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.) 



After the rising of the Conference the Dele- 



* The Conference sat sixteen days. 



gates paid a rapid visit to the various cities 

 and towns in the Province, and were every- 

 where received by the people with the utmost 

 enthusiasm. The manner in which the reso- 

 lutions were received by the Home Govern- 

 ment is shown in the following letter : 



DOWNING STREET, 3d December, 1861. 



MY LOUD. Her Majesty's Government have re 

 ceived with the most cordial satisfaction your Lord- 

 ship's despatch of the 7th ultimo, transmitting for 

 their consideration the Resolutions adopted by the 

 Representatives of the several Provinces of British 

 North America, who are assembled at Quebec. 



With the sanction of the Crown, and upon the 

 invitation of the Governor-General, men of every 

 Province, chosen by the respective Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernors, without distinction of party, assembled to 

 consider questions of the utmost interest to every 

 subject o_f the Queen, of whatever race or faith, 

 resident in those Provinces : and have arrived at a 

 conclusion destined to exercise a most important 

 influence upon the future welfare of the whole com- 

 munity. 



Animated by the warmest sentiments of loyalty 

 and devotion to their Sovereign ; earnestly desirous 

 to secure for their posterity, throughout all future 

 time, the advantages which they enjoy as subjects of 

 the British Crown, steadfastly attached to the Insti- 

 tutions under which they live, they have conducted 

 their deliberations with patient sagacity, and have 

 arrived at unanimous conclusions on questions in- 

 volving many difficulties, and calculated, under less 

 favorable auspices, to have given rise to many dif- 

 ferences of opinion. 



Such an event is in the highest degree honorable 

 to those who have taken part in these deliberations. 



It must inspire confidence in the men by whose 

 judgment and temper this result has been attained, 

 and will ever remain on record as as evidence of the 

 salutary influence exercised by the Institutions under 

 which these qualities have been so signally developed. 



Her Majesty's Government have given to your de- 

 spatch and to the Resolutions of the Conference, 

 their most deliberate consideration. They have re- 

 garded them as a whole, and as having been de- 

 signed by those who framed them, to establish as 

 complete and perfect a Union of the whole, into one 

 Government, as the circumstances of the case and 

 a due consideration of existing interests would ad- 

 mit. They accept them, therefore, as being, in the 

 deliberate judgment of those best qualified to decide 

 upon the subject, the best framework of a measure 

 to be passed by the Imperial Parliament for attaining 

 that most desirable result. 



The point of principal importance to the practical 

 well-working of the scheme, is the accurate determi- 

 nation of the limits between the authority of the 

 Central and that of the Local Legislatures, in their 

 relation to each other. It has not been possible to 

 exclude from the" Resolutions some provisions which 

 appear to be less consistent than might, perhaps, 

 have been desired with the simplicity and unity of 

 the system. But, upon the whole, it appears to her 

 Majesty's Government that precautions have been 

 taken which are obviously intended to secure to the 

 Central Government the means of effective action 

 throughout the several Provinces, and to guard 

 against those evils which must inevitably arise, if 

 any doubt were permitted to exist as to the respect- 

 ive limits of Central and Local authority. They are 

 glad to observe that, although large powers of legis- 

 lation are intended to be vested in local bodies, yet 

 the principle of central control has been steadily 

 kept in view. The importance of this principle can- 

 not be overrated. Its maintenance is essential to 

 the practical efficiency of the system and to its har- 

 monious operation, both in the General Government 

 and in the Governments of the several Provinces. , 

 A very important part of this subject is the expense 



