268 



DOMINION OP CANADA. 



wholesome advice and wise instruction for both 

 old and young have been disseminated through 

 the medium of two little magazines which she 

 conducts. The efforts of the Countess of Aber- 

 deen in connection with the Irish village at the 

 Columbian Exposition, and her zeal, in securing 

 the best possible exhibit of Irish industries there, 

 are well known. 



Political Parties. Though an early disso- 

 lution of Parliament was not anticipated, and a 

 general election was still distant, considerable 

 activity had been displayed in the sphere of par- 

 ty politics since the Canadian Parliament was 

 prorogued in the spring. On June 21 a Liberal 

 convention was held at Ottawa, which was pro- 

 ductive of great enthusiasm, and though no im- 

 portant changes were made in the party plat- 

 form, a better organization of the Liberal forces 

 was effected than existed heretofore. 



Though no material change in the Conserva- 

 tives' policy of protection is expected, it is prob- 

 able that a revision of the tariff will be attempt- 

 ed at the next session of the Canadian Parlia- 

 ment. At a Conservative demonstration held in 

 honor of Sir John S. Thompson, Premier, in 

 Montreal, Sept. 12, he announced that such a 

 revision would be made, and that the Govern- 

 ment would endeavor to serve the interests of 

 all and favor no particular class. At a meeting 

 held at Berlin,0ntario, Sept. 26, Sir John declared 

 that the issue before the country was free trade 

 or protection a statement which is sufficient to 

 indicate that whatever changes are contem- 

 plated respecting the tariff, they will not be such 

 as to alter materially the policy of protection 

 pursued by Canada since 1879. At the same 

 time he made the announcement that an intima- 

 tion had been conveyed to Washington of Cana- 

 da's willingness to treat for freer trade relations 

 with the United States. 



Opposed generally to both Liberals and Con- 

 servatives, Hon. H. Mercier, late Premier of 

 Quebec, delivered numerous addresses before his 

 French Canadian countrymen in the New Eng- 

 land States, in which he bitterly inveighed 

 against both political parties in Canada, and 

 recommended annexation as the panacea for all 

 the ills afflicting their native country. 



Military. The militia of Canada, numbering 

 about 50,000 men. has always been commanded 

 by a British officer, the commander now being 

 Major-Gen. Herbert. In the summer this officer 

 prepared a scheme of changes in the militia, 

 which was agreed to by the Minister of Militia 

 and Defense, the most important being that the 

 post of quartermaster-general, recently created, 

 be bestowed upon an officer of the British army. 

 The proposal was regarded with disfavor by 

 militia officers generally, who thought that a 

 Canadian should be appointed to the office. 

 Notwithstanding their and other protests, Major 

 P. H. Lake, of the East Lancashire regiment, 

 was assigned to the post. Other changes pro- 

 posed and made were the retiring of Lieut.-Col. 

 Straubenzie, district adjutant general of the Ot- 

 tawa and Kingston district, and Lieut.-Col. Vil- 

 liers, of the Winnipeg district. A still more 

 sweeping change was the transference of all the 

 brigade majors excepting Major Roy, of Mont- 

 real. 



A much more serious change, involving the 



removal of the fortification walls of the city of 

 Quebec, has also been under consideration by 

 the Dominion Government, but has not yet been 

 determined upon. These fortifications were 

 constructed by the British Government early in 

 the century, at a cost of $25,000,000, on a gen- 

 eral plan drawn up by the Duke of Wellington, 

 and including the best features of the fortified 

 towns of France and Spain. Though they are 

 now regarded as practically useless and involv- 

 ing needless expenditure to the Dominion 

 Government, besides being supposed to retard 

 the progress of the city, the attempt to remove 

 them would probably provoke more than a mere 

 protest. They add much to the picturesqueriess 

 and attractiveness of Quebec, and the inhabit- 

 ants and Canadians generally, as well as tourists, 

 would regret the change. 



The only garrison maintained now by the Brit- 

 ish Government in Canada is at Halifax:, Nova 

 Scotia, where usually 2,000 troops are stationed. 

 Gen. Sir John Ross, who for several years com- 

 manded the British land forces in Canada, retired 

 from the command in May, and was succeeded at 

 Halifax by Lieut.-Gen. Montgomery Moore. 

 There is also a naval station at Esquimalt, Brit- 

 ish Columbia, and the Dominion Government 

 contributed $105,000 at its last session as its 

 share of the expenditure for the works and 

 buildings being constructed there. 



Religions. Heretofore the metropolitan, 

 usually the Bishop of Montreal, was the highest 

 dignitary of the Church of England in Canada. 

 Recently, however, two Canadian archbishops 

 were appointed Rev. Dr. Lewis, past bishop of 

 the diocese of Ontario, and Rev. Dr. Machray, 

 Past Bishop of Rupert's Land. The Church of 

 England in the Dominion has now 2 archbish- 

 ops, 19 bishops, about 1,000 clergymen, and 644,- 

 106 adherents. 



The Roman Catholic Church is presided over 

 by 1 cardinal, 5 archbishops, and 1,250 priests, 

 and has a membership of 1,990,465. The Roman 

 Catholic is a state church in the province of 

 Quebec, and clergy tithes are a legal impost, 

 collectable like the state tax. The Church owns 

 much valuable property in Montreal and Que- 

 bec and throughout the province, and nearly all 

 of it is exempt from taxation. There are 51 

 parishes in the province, in which the taxable 

 property amounts to $24,000,000, while the ex- 

 emptions are valued at $12,775,000, nearly all of 

 the latter being on church property. 



The Presbyterian Church of Canada has a 

 membership of 754,142, 1,000 ministers, and 

 2,358 churches. At the General Assembly of this 

 denomination, convened at Brantford, June 13, 

 Prof. Campbell, of the Presbyterian College at 

 Montreal, was tried for teaching views supposed 

 to invalidate the authority of the Bible. The 

 assembly referred the matter back to the Pres- 

 bytery of Montreal, and the latter, by a vote of 

 21 to "13, found Prof. Campbell guilty. 



Of the other churches, the Methodists have 

 1.712 clergymen and 847,469 adherents, and the 

 Baptists 500 clergymen and 303,749 adherents. 



Educational. The Dominion census com- 

 missioner recently tabulated the educational 

 statistics of the last census. Taking the adult 

 population, 84'65 per cent, can read and 80-34 

 per cent, can write. Canada is below the 



