46 ONTARIO. 



manufactures, was yet a temporary inconvenience, and 

 has left a soreness behind it. The refusal of the United 

 States Government to compensate Canada for the Fenian 

 raids that were organized in American territory, and car- 

 ried destruction to life and property into an unoffending 

 and peaceable neighbouring country, has not tended to 

 diminish that soreness. For many years a conflict has 

 existed between the two nations on the subject of the 

 fisheries of Canada ; the American fishermen, by fair 

 means or by foul, by right or by wrong, have always en- 

 croached upon the fishing grounds of the St. Lawrence. 

 Their persistency has had its reward at the expense of 

 Canada, for these fisheries have been finally thrown open 

 to America by the mother-country in an outburst of that 

 cheap generosity which gives away other people's pro- 

 perty. Even now the American Government refuses to 

 give adequate compensation for this encroachment. 



Of Republican institutions it may be said that "dis- 

 tance lends enchantment to the view." Close observers 

 like the Canadians are not enchanted. The best class of 

 American citizens are not enchanted. The latter hold 

 themselves aloof from their own jobbing Government, look 

 down upon the class of " politicians " who pull the wires 

 at Washington, and make it their proudest boast that, low 

 as their families may have descended in the social ladder, 

 they have never furnished a member of Congress. In 

 Canada all this is different ; the best men in the colony, 

 as in the mother-country, esteem it an honour to write 

 M.P. after their names. Twenty times I have heard such 

 words as these from intelligent Americans : " You Cana- 

 . dians ought to be the most contented people on the face 



