GREAT BRITAIN, POSSESSIONS OF. 



337 



GREAT BRITAIN, POSSESSIONS OF. DO- 

 MINION OF CANADA. The year 1873 witnessed 

 the most exciting political crisis known in the 

 Dominion of Canada, which resulted in the 

 downfall of the ministry of Sir Johu A. Mac- 

 donald, and the formation of a new ministry 

 under the leader of the Opposition, Hon. Alex- 

 ander McEenzie. 



The causes which led to this result grew out 

 of the charges made in the early part of the 

 year against the Macdonald cabinet hy Mr. 

 Iluntington, who declared that, in the disposi- 

 tion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad contract 

 and franchises, the Government had been act- 

 uated by unpatriotic and corrupt motives. It 

 was alleged that the ministry had favored 

 Americans in this business, for which money 

 had been received. 



It will be remembered that British Colum- 

 bia was admitted into the Dominion of Canada 

 in 1871, on the leading condition that the Do- 

 minion Government was to construct a railroad 

 connecting the Pacific coast with the eastern 

 provinces. This railroad, the Canadian Pacific, 

 was to be not less than 2,500 miles long, and was 

 to extend from Victoria, the present capital of 

 British Columbia, to some point in the prov- 

 ince of Ontario, possibly to Lake Nipissing, 

 about 200 miles north of Toronto. It was to 

 be completed by 1881, and it was expected 

 that it would develop the valuable mineral dis- 

 tricts of British Columbia, and divert the China 

 and Japan trade from its present channel. In 

 H~:i the company, in consequence of financial 

 difficulties, were obliged to surrender their 

 charter to the Government. 



After the charges above alluded to had been 

 made by Mr. Huntington, a royal commission 

 was appointed to take evidence and report 

 upon what was popularly known as the 

 < ' in i luin Pacific Railway scandal." The 

 Parliament of Canada had been opened March 

 5th, adjourned May 23d. and prorogued August 

 13th. On the 23d of October the second ses- 

 sion of the Second Parliament was opened at 

 Ottawa. In a speech from the throne the 

 Governor-General, Sir Frederick Temple, re- 

 ferred to the most important subject before 

 Parliament, as follows : 



Gentlemen of the House of Commoru : In accord- 

 ance with the intimation given by me at the close of 

 the last session. I have caused Parliament to be sum- 

 moned at the earliest moment after the receipt of the 

 report of the commissioners appointed by me to in- 

 quire into certain matters connected with the Cana- 

 dian Pacific Railway. Tho evidence obtained under 

 the commission deserves careful consideration. The 

 report will be laid before Parliament, and it will bo 

 for you then to determine whether it can be of any 

 assistance to you. 



A bill for the consolidation and amendment of the 



law* in force in the several provinces relating to the 



representation of the people in Parliament will au':iin 



be submitted to you. By the postponement of this 



iro from last session you will have the advan- 



>' Including in its provisions the province of 



Prince Kdward Island, now happily united to Canada. 



The Canadian Pacific Railway Company, to whom 



a royal charter wna granted, have, I regret to say, 



been unable to make the financial arrangements ne- 



VOL. an. 22 A 



cessary for the construction of that great undertaking. 

 They have, therefore, executed a surrender of their 

 charter, which has been accepted by me. You will, 

 I trust, feel yourselves called upon to take steps ID 

 secure the early commencement and vigorous prose- 

 cution of the construction of that railway, and thus 

 carry out in good faith the arrangement made with 

 the Province of British Columbia. A measure for 

 this purpose will be submitted for your consideration. 



The opening of Parliament was signalized by 

 a most exciting debate, lasting many days, in 

 which Sir John A. Macdonald took the leading 

 part in defense of the Government. The min- 

 isterial crisis was reached on the 7th of No- 

 vember, when the following new cabinet was 

 formed: Premier and Minister of Public 

 Works, Hon. Alexander McKenzie; Minister 

 of Justice, Hon. A. A. Dorion ; member of 

 the Privy Council, Hon. Edward Blake; Min- 

 ister of Marine and Fisheries, Hon. Albert J. 

 Smith; Minister of Agriculture and Statis- 

 tics, Hon. L. de St. Just ; Minister of Finance, 

 Hon. R. J. Cartwright ; Minister of the Inte- 

 rior, Hon. David Laird; Secretary of State, 

 lion. David Christie; Minister of Customs, 

 Hon. Isaac Burpee ; Postmaster-General, Hon. 

 D. A. Macdonald; Receiver-General, Hon. 

 Thomas Coffin; Minister of Inland Revenue, 

 Hon. Te'lespliore Fournier; Minister of Militia 

 and Defense, Hon. William Ross; member of 

 the Privy Council, Hon. R. W. Scott. The 

 Governor-General is the Right Hon. Sir Fred- 

 erick Temple, Earl of Dutferin. 



The following dispatch from London will in- 

 dicate the position of the home Government 

 on the ministerial crisis : 



Dowunro STBEET, November 29, 1873. 

 To the Governor-General, the Earl of Dvfferin. 



Mr LORD : I have received and^ laia before the 

 Queen your lordship's dispatch No. 267, of the 7th 

 of November, reporting the proceedings of the Do- 

 minion House of Commons on the reassembling of 

 Parliament, on the subject of the charges brought by 

 Mr. Huntington against your ministers, acquainting 

 me that, after a lengthened debate on an amendment 

 moved by Mr. McKenzie to the address in answer to 

 your speech. Sir Johu Macdonald has placed his res- 

 ignation and that of his colleagues in your hands, 

 and that you had thereupon called on Mr. McKenzie 

 to form a ministry. I agree with your lordship in 

 the satisfaction which you express that the result ar- 

 rived at has been reached by a strict application of 

 constitutional principles and by the regular working 

 of the machinery of a free Parliament. I have much 

 pleasure in conveying to you her Majesty's entire 

 approval of the manner in which you have acted in 

 circumstances of no ordinary difficulty. I have, etc., 



KlMBERLEY. 



The Dominion of Canada comprises the fol- 

 lowing provinces and territories: Ontario, 

 121,260 square miles; Quebec, 210,020; Nova 

 Scotin, 18,670; New Brunswick, 27,037; 

 British Columbia, 233,000; Manitoba, 16,000; 

 Prince Edward Island, 2,134; Hudson Bay 

 and Northwest Territories, 2,206,725, exclusive 

 of Labrador and the islands in the Arctic 

 Ocean. These being added, the total area is 

 about 3,502,000 square miles. Of this amount 

 more than half is the property of the General 

 Government, acquired by purchase from the 

 Hudson Bay Company. The portion which is 



