Ixxvi 



provinces, became the capital of the colony, and is now that of the con- 

 federated "dominion." 



In the same year, and in the conduct of those negotiations, Sir Edmund 

 Head visited England, and was appointed of the Privy Council. 



In 1860 occurred the '^progress" of His Royal Highness the Prince of 

 Wales through British North America. The Goyernor- General met 

 the royal party at Gaspe, at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, and accompa- 

 nied them in their lengthened tour through his province. Shortly after 

 this he paid a visit to England, on which occasion he was made a Knight 

 Commander of the Bath. 



The last business of public importance in which Sir Edmund was en- 

 gaged in Canada related to the confederation of the British North- American 

 provinces. The movement towards the attainment of this object originated 

 in Canada. By the terms of the union between the two divisions of that 

 province, Canada East and Canada West had an equal voice in the pro- 

 ceedings of the legislature. But the latter division was rapidly outgrow- 

 ing the former in population and wealth. The result was a collision of 

 interests which tended to a deadlock in the Government— the reforming 

 party in the West advancing the principle of representation according to 

 numbers, the East clinging to that equality which the existing constitution 

 secured to it. To obtain the union of the so-called Lower Provinces (Nova 

 Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward's Island) with 

 Canada, and thus to recast the entire political arrangement, was an obvious 

 expedient for getting rid of the difficulty. Other motives concurred, but 

 this was the principal; and in 1858 delegates from Canada waited on Sir 

 Edward Lytton, then Colonial Minister, in order to urge it. The Governor- 

 General, though sincerely anxious to promote the scheme, thought it of the 

 utmost importance that the initiative should be taken by the communities 

 themselves and not by the executive, and therefore confined himself to 

 the exercise of his good offices in removing all difficulties in the way of 

 the negotiation. Personally, he was of opinion that the best course would 

 be to eifect a union between between the Lower Provinces first, and then 

 to connect the newly-consolidated dominion with Canada. But circum- 

 stances rendered it impossible to proceed in that direction. The whole 

 project, however, was adjourned for some time ; nor was it practically re- 

 vived until after the departure of Sir Edmund from Canada, which took 

 place in 1861. It was finally carried into execution under the government 

 of his successor. Lord Monk. 



From the position which he had held in the University of Oxford and 

 his taste for literary pursuits, it might have been expected that Sir Edmund 

 should pay attention to the promotion of education and the extension of 

 science in the provinces which he was called on to govern ; and the sequel 

 shows that he successfully exerted his influence to further these objects, 

 both in New Brunswick and Canada. 



