80 The Winning of the West 



eral Republic, had begun to adopt that tone of brutal 

 insolence which reflected well the general attitude 

 of the British people toward the Americans, and 

 which finally brought on the second war between the 

 two nations. 



The British officials in Canada were quick to re- 

 flect the tone of the home government, and, as 

 always in such cases, the more zealous and bellig- 

 erent went a little further than they were author- 

 ized. On February loth Lord Dorchester, Gover- 

 nor of Canada, in an address of welcome to some 

 of the chiefs from the tribes of the north and west 

 said, speaking of the boundary : "Children, since 

 my return I find no appearance of a line remains; 

 and from the manner in which the people of the 

 United States push on and act and talk ... I shall 

 not be surprised if we are at war with them in the 

 course of the' present year ; and if so a line must 

 then be drawn by the warriors . . . we have acted 

 in the most peaceable manner and borne the language 

 and conduct of the people of the United States with 

 patience; but I believe our patience is almost ex- 

 hausted." 6 Of course such a speech, delivered to 

 such an audience, was more than a mere incitement 

 to war; it was a direct appeal to arms. Nor did 

 the encouragement given the Indians end with 



6 Rives' "Life and Times of James Madison," III, 418. A 

 verified copy of the speech from the archives of the London 

 foreign office. The authenticity of the speech was admitted 

 at the time by the British Minister ; yet, extraordinary to 

 say, not only British, but American historians, have spoken 

 of it as spurious. 



