DOMINION OF CANADA. 



219 



such measures as may bo found necessary, to 

 prevent violence to the lives and property of 

 American citizens there, and, in the exercise 

 of a sound discretion, to demand and obtain 

 prompt redress for any extreme insult or vio- 

 lence that may have been arbitrarily commit- 

 ted against the flag of the United States or 

 their citizens." In compliance with this re- 

 quest, the naval forces of the United States 

 demanded and obtained an apology, and prom- 

 ise of reparation. 



DOMINION OF CANADA. It is known 

 that by an Act of the Parliament of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, passed in March, 1867, 

 this Dominion was created, and that by royal 

 proclamation, issued in the subsequent month 

 of May, it was proclaimed to exist, and its 

 operations directed to commence. This act 

 abrogated the constitutions, respectively, of 

 the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and 

 New Brunswick, and enacted that thenceforth 

 they should be "federally united into one 

 Dominion under the crown of Great Britain 

 and Ireland, with a constitution similar to that 

 of the United Kingdom." Although the same 

 preamble states that these Provinces had " ex- 

 pressed their desire " to be so united, it would 

 be more strictly true to say that the measure 

 originated in the political necessities of the 

 Province of Canada. ,The maritime Provinces 

 had desired a Confederacy apart from Canada, 

 and had entered into consultation to that end ; 

 but the authorities of the latter Province seized 

 upon the occasion to effect the larger Union, 

 and thus escape from local embarrassments, 

 which had become almost chronic, and the na- 

 ture of which may be somewhat understood by 

 an outsider when told that in twenty-three years 

 there had been fourteen governments, giving an 

 average duration of nineteen months ; besides 

 which was the frequent forcing out of indi- 

 vidual members of the Cabinet to make way 

 for others, who might possibly bring more 

 strength, and the equally glaring scandals of 

 keeping offices of the Executive vacant for 

 months from sheer inability to fill them by 

 men in popular favor, and having others occu- 

 pied by ministers who could not obtain seats 

 in Parliament. Let it not be understood, how- 

 ever, that good had not been effected under 

 this regime. The Act of 1840, which united 

 the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, 

 was intended to correct long-standing abuses, 

 and to introduce changes demanded by the ad- 

 vanced knowledge and love of freedom of the 

 time ; and, notwithstanding the mutations and 

 errors referred to, these objects were, to a great 

 extent, attained. The improvident and not 

 less imprudent Act of King George III., in 

 reserving one-seventh of the lands of Upper 

 Canada for the support and maintenance of the 

 Protestant clergy "produced, as might have 

 been foreseen, much bitter dissension," which 

 was but little relieved by the several attempts 

 made, under imperial dictation, to vary the 

 bearings of the law ; but by an act of the free 



Parliament of Canada, passed in the session of 

 1856, the "clergy reserves" again became a 

 portion of the public domain due provision 

 being made for the interests of clergymen to 

 whom salaries and allowances had been made 

 under the old law the act also solemnly 

 affirming that its provisions were intended 

 "to remove all semblance of connection be- 

 tween church and state" an all-important 

 preparation for " a new nationality." In the 

 period referred to, education was much im- 

 proved and extended in the two Canadas. In 

 the Upper Province the Toronto University, 

 endowed from the public lands, but the bene- 

 fits of which had been long monopolized by 

 the Church of England, was remodelled by the 

 legislature, and a remarkable impetus given to 

 grammar and common school education. In 

 Lower Canada much was also done, especially 

 as regards elementary instruction, colleges and 

 high schools having been from an early period 

 in good standing. But the grand reform in 

 favor of the latter Province was the abolition 

 of the " feudal rights and duties " which had 

 obtained . since the first settlement of the 

 country by the French, and "the substitution 

 of a free tenure for that under which the prop- 

 erty subject thereto hath heretofore been 

 held." This change was effected at a cost 

 of nearly four millions of dollars to the public 

 chest, and is universally regarded as an act 

 par excellence of liberal legislation. It is also 

 said to be the only case in the history of the 

 world, excepting the recent change in Eussia, 

 in which the feudal system was abolished 

 without resort to violence. For the benefit 

 of the United Provinces throughout, were es- 

 tablished, since 1850, railways of an aggregate 

 length of nearly two thousand miles. The 

 principal of these is the Grand Trunk, extend- 

 ing over eleven hundred miles. Toward the 

 construction of these several railways the Gov- 

 ernment contributed $20,000,000, which ex- 

 penditure, however, induced the investment in 

 the same work of at least $100,000,000 of Eng- 

 lish capital. The telegraph was introduced in 

 1847, and soon extended to all the principal 



laces in the country. In 1853 the Montreal 

 cean Steamship Company was formed, and in 

 1856 its regular mail service commenced. It 

 was at first fortnightly," but in 1859 it was 

 made weekly, and so continues. The capital 

 of the company may be estimated at $9,000,000. 

 To an ordinary observer such regular progress 

 as this outline indicates would seem to insure 

 a continuance of the form of government under 

 which it was effected, at least for years yet to 

 come. But, with collective bodies as with the 

 individual man, prosperity produces not so 

 much contentment, or rest, as the desire for 

 more or, as we prefer to have it, Excelsior is 

 the natural motto. 



The Dominion of Canada, thus brought into 

 existence, the creature of circumstances ex- 

 posing it to early and probably hostile criti- 

 cism, required skilful guidance, at least in the 



