UNITED STATES AND CANADA 95 



A, *' Well, how do you think the Canadian 

 people would favour any proposal in England dis- 

 criminating between Canada and the United 

 States ? I think human nature is the same on both 

 sides of the water. Your answer would probably 

 be mine." 



We had another big banquet at Government 

 House on the night of the 22nd, no fewer than 

 thirty-six sitting down to dinner, including Sir 

 Charles and Lady Tupper. 



The next day we indulged in skating and curling 

 in the grounds of Government House. I was kept 

 going on skates by some of the Ottawa ladies till my 

 ankles fairly ached. One has to go to Canada to 

 realise what skating really is. One young man that 

 afternoon skated up to a five-barred gate and jumped 

 over it apparently without an effort. Lord Lans- 

 downe, among his many accomplishments, was quite 

 an expert at curling, and initiated Mr. Chamberlain 

 into the art. The curling stones used in Canada 

 are particularly heavy ones, weighing from 60 to 70 

 lbs. The Chief's first effort was a very resolute one, 

 so much so that he overbalanced himself and came 

 down heavily. Moreover, he had inadvertently 

 omitted to provide himself with the conventional 

 broom, a piece of heterodoxy that horrified His 



