230 WITH MR. CHAMBERLAIN IN THE 



for the Canadians to be associated politically with 

 Great Britain than politically with the American 

 Union. This is a matter which is pressing on, 

 because there is a large portion of the Canadian 

 population, a considerable portion at any rate, who 

 believe themselves to be greatly injured by the 

 commercial difficulties between them and their 

 kinsmen in the United States, and there are, I 

 believe, more than a million of Canadians who 

 have gone south, and are living in the United 

 States. The consequence is that the pressing 

 interest of the populations is such as to raise 

 for discussion a question which, I say, may 

 be one of considerable difficulty ; but I hope it 

 will be one that will not lead to any dangerous 

 collision between the United States and this 

 country. (Cheers.) We have had some discussion 

 lately, as you know, about what is called the federa- 

 tion of the Empire. There is a member of the 

 House of Peers, rather a lively and a plucky noble- 

 man. Lord Rosebery — (cheers) — ^who has been 

 making speeches, interesting speeches, but the most 

 interesting to me and the longest, is that on the 

 reform of the House of Lords. (Cheers.) Now 

 the speech, as I said, was a long one, I think it was 

 at least five columns I read with great interest. It 

 was a speech of singular ability, and the only fault 

 in it was this, that however eloquent were its pas- 

 sages, when you came to examine it thoroughly, you 

 found that they lead to nowhere. (Cheers.) I 

 spoke of him as a plucky nobleman. Well, he is a 

 member of the order of the peerage for whom I 



