OTTAWA. 59 



fellow-citizens. The mean of civilization is fully as high 

 as the mean in England, even though the extreme may 

 not be. 



Ottawa, the capital, though in the province of Ontario, 

 is on the borders of Quebec, and in the very heart of the 

 Dominion. It was chosen as the capital for two reasons, 

 (1) central position and distance from frontier; (2) 

 because to have made the capital in one of the then great 

 cities of Canada, viz. Montreal, Quebec, or Toronto, would 

 have created jealousy in the others. Although at the time 

 Canadians were dissatisfied that a small lumbering village, 

 called Bytown, should have been selected for their capital, 

 yet events have quite justified the selection, and it is now 

 generally conceded that Ottawa is a fit capital for their 

 Dominion; Montreal, the commercial capital, is unfit to 

 be the political capital. In the first place, it is on the 

 frontier ; in the second place, it is just the point in Canada 

 where two races and two religions meet, and where conse- 

 quently in time of political or religious agitation popular 

 feeling and popular demonstration run highest. In the 

 third place, it is no doubt wise to separate as much as 

 possible politics from commercial jobbing. As matters 

 stand at present, this is not always an easy task, but if 

 Montreal, the centre of commerce, was also the centre of 

 government, the difficulty would be the greater. 



The Government buildings are beautiful, and beautifully 

 situated. -On the summit of a rocky bank they rear their 

 stately heads above the river. With the same good taste 

 which led to the sounding and peculiarly Canadian name 

 of Ottawa being given to the capital instead of calling it 

 Smith-ville or Jones-ville, the rock and the spruce 



