266 THE GROWTH OF CANADA 



to share through its government in the imperial 

 diplomacy that affected it. Complaints had 

 always been made by the colonials that their 

 interests were lightly regarded in the adjust 

 ments reached between the British Government 

 and the United States. A Canadian represent 

 ative in the negotiations would shield the gov 

 ernment against such complaints, though, as 

 Sir John Macdonald shrewdly foresaw, colonial 

 wrath, if things went wrong, would not again 

 be dissipated in long-range fretting against 

 Westminster, but would fall with concentration 

 and promptness upon his own devoted head. 

 Despite the suspicion that his function might 

 be primarily that of the scapegoat, he served 

 on the joint high commission with force and 

 efficiency, and strengthened pro tanto the pres 

 tige at home and abroad of the recently organ 

 ized Dominion of Canada. 



The union of all the British provinces of 

 North America in a single governmental system 

 had been contemplated as possible and desirable 

 by thoughtful publicists for many decades. 

 With the increase of population, the growth of 

 intercourse, commercial and social, and the im 

 provements in means of communication, the 

 advantages of union became ever more percep- 



