COMMERCIAL INTERCOURSE AND TRANSPORTATION. 249 



The entire history of all European Colonies in 

 America proves that the sentiment oi7iationality, that 

 is, of attachment to the Mother Country, is very weak, 

 and readily yields place to other sentiments of ambi- 

 tion, interest, or passion, so as to produce feelings of 

 hostility between the inhabitants of the Metropolis 

 and those of the Colonies more intense than such as 

 exist between either of them and the inhabitants of 

 other countries. This fact is particularly remarkable 

 in the incidents of revolution in Spanish America, ex- 

 ample of which we have now before the eyes in the 

 insurrecfion which ra£::es in Cuba. But the same fact 

 appears distinctly in the past history of British 

 America. And there is no reason to suppose that 

 the sentiment of mere loyalty^ that is, political attach- 

 ment to the Mother Country, is any more strong at 

 present in the Dominion of Canada than it formerly 

 was in the British Colonies now constitutino- the 

 United States. 



M. H. Blerz}^, in a very instructive essay on the 

 Colonies of the British Empire, discussing the question 

 whether the English beyond sea are likely to remain 

 attached to England by recollections of family or of 

 country, observes Avith great truth that " the very 

 aptitude for colonization of which the English are 

 so proud could not exist without implying a cer- 

 tain insouciance of family on their part and disdain 

 of their native country." 



How true is this remark! It is illustrated by 

 contrasting; the devoted attachment of the French to 

 France, who in our day send so few colonists to 



