INTKODUCTION 19 



British Empire. An attempt at this was indeed made at a 

 later date. This possibility was afterwards formulated, evi- 

 dently as a threat, by Senator Charles Sunmer during the 

 " Alabama Claims " discussion, in his astonishing memoran- 

 dum to Secretary Fish. " The greatest trouble, if not peril," 

 he said, " is from Fenianism, which is excited by the British 

 flag in Canada. Therefore, ' the withdrawal of the British 

 flag ' cannot be abandoned as a preliminary of such a settle- 

 ment as is now proposed- To make the settlement complete 

 the withdrawal should be from this hemisphere, including 

 provinces and islands." A refreshing proposition, truly ! 



It was the Imperial Government, of course, which figured 

 most prominently throughout the " North- West " question. 

 But, it may be reasonably asked, what was Canada doing, 

 with her deeper interests still, to further them in those long 

 years of discussion and delay? With the exception of the 

 Hind Expedition, the Draper mission, the printing and dis- 

 cussion of the Bed River settlers' petition and consequent 

 Commission of Inquiry, certainly not much was done by Par- 

 liament. More was done outside than in the House to arouse 

 public iuterest; for example, the two admirable lectures 

 delivered in Montreal in 1858 by the late Lieutenant-Gover- 

 nor Morris, followed by the powerful advocacy of the Hon. 

 William Macdougall and others, aided by the Toronto Globe, 

 a small portion of the Canadian press, and the circulation, 

 limited as it was, of the Bed Eiver newspaper, the Nor- 

 WesUr, in Ontario. 



An unseen, but adverse, parliamentary influence had all 

 along hampered the Cabinet ; an influence adverse not only to 

 the acquisition of the Territories, but even to closer connec- 

 tion by railway with the Maritime Provinces.* This sinister 

 influence was only overcome by the great Conferences which 

 resulted in the passage of the British ISTorth America Act in 

 1867, which contained a clause (Article 11, Sec. 146), 



"Vide a series of articles contributed to the Toronto Week, in July, 

 1896, by Mr. Malcolm McLeod, Q.C., of Ottawa, Ont. 



