OUR HISTORIANS. 



Complex elements in our population, duality of lan- 

 guage, diversity of customs, traditions and creed, in 

 Canada, as well as the change of masters, in 1759, in 

 the old French Province of Quebec, added to successive 

 and widely-differing political regimes have had for 

 natural outcome equally varied estimates and diversified 

 records of our historical past. 



Two schools, two currents of thought, often, we say 

 it with regret, unsympathetic in their teachings, have 

 sprung up. Writers of history have drifted unawares into 

 two or. more widely- apart literary channels ; the pen of 

 the annalist, seemingly more than once, obeyed the 

 promptings of his nationality. In portraying some of 

 the deadly feuds dividing our ancestry, the British or 

 the Gallic blood would tell ; let us be candid ! 



'Twere more than chimerical to expect among our 

 historians entire unity of sentiment on events, absolute 

 absence of party leanings, notwithstanding the high 

 sense of truth and honour pervading the theme of 

 many of them : the facts evolved may have been the 

 same, the grouping and colouring differed toto ccelo. 



Shall the lesson of years, shall the teachings of changes 

 be lost on us ? Shall we continue forever to keep our 

 eyes fixed on the dead past, insensible to the living- 

 present, insensible to the march of destiny ? God forbid ! 



National life enlarged and safeguarded by the solemn 

 compact of Confederation, a scheme devised and 

 accepted by all political parties and by every races, small 

 provincial communities expanded into vigorous maturity, 

 a new order of things, new wants created by novel 

 circumstances, interests doubled in magnitude, old poli- 



