be opposed to the obtrusive power of Rome; but it is to be feared that the younger ecclesiastics may be inclined to support more ultra opinions, and may thus bring themselves into collision with the liberal party among the French population who are struggling against the autocratic power of the Church. The French population is increasing, and is gradually taking the place of the Anglo-Saxon inhabitants of the eastern townships, even pushing offshoots across the borders into the State of Maine. Few of them, however, settle at long distance from their homes; but the place of the emigrants to the west is gradually being taken in the province of Quebec by the French, whose numbers are augmenting in the cities of Montreal and Quebec. The former of these important towns is the commercial capital of the Dominion, and being at the head of ocean navigation, will probably grow year by year in wealth and importance.

Its large public buildings, fine churches, and wide well-built streets, will bear comparison with almost any city of the American continent; whilst few can boast of a situation more strikingly suitable for the commercial centre of a rising nation. Stretching along the northern shore of the St Lawrence, its varied edifices of French and English architecture reflected in the clear blue waters, and backed by the wooded hill termed, par excellence, the Mountain, which overlooks the city, Montreal can boast of a truly beautiful site; whilst, as the outlet of Canada to the sea, and fed by the railways and canals which bring down the products of the fertile west, she may look forward to a bright and prosperous future. Her merchants are energetic, and desirous of forwarding every great work of national importance; and consequently all schemes for the extension of com

merce find a ready welcome from her leading men.

As yet the canals of the St Lawrence have not been sufficiently enlarged to accommodate ocean vessels of any considerable burden; and although the Welland Canal between Lakes Erie and Ontario is now being increased in width and depth-and many advocate its still further enlargement-yet the general opinion prevails that the produce of the west will, as a rule, be transhipped into barges at Kingston, the time lost by large ocean vessels in the passage up canals more than compensating for the convenience of not transferring cargoes, even if the movement of grain (one of the principal exports) be not an actual advantage.

Quebec still maintains many of its ancient features, although efforts are being made, by men ignorant of their value, to remove these landmarks of history, and, as far as possible, to reduce the old capital of Canada to the level of an ordinary American city. Happily Lord Dufferin has interfered to prevent this sacrilege; and there is a prospect that, as in some of the old towns of England, the picturesque . features of the past may be preserved without sacrificing the conveniences which modern ideas have rendered necessary. Quebec at first suffered greatly from the withdrawal of the troops; but fresh industries have sprung up, and the city shows signs of activity and life. The lumber-trade is its principal source of wealth, and many of the richest firms have their central offices in the lower town. The seat of an archbishopric, of a college, of many convents, it exercises an important influence over the religious and educational prospects of the surrounding population; whilst the effort now being made to connect it with Montreal by a railway along

the northern banks of the St Lawrence will still further open up its markets to the fertile districts which border on that river.

The old citadel still retains a small garrison, under the guise of being one of the schools of gunnery, -the other being at Kingston-and men who would compare favourably with any battery of the Royal Artillery mount sentry on its walls. The forts on the south side, of modern construction and destined to form a portion of the enceinte of Quebec, are unarmed and ungarrisoned, the Government with some difficulty finding money to keep them from falling into disrepair, through the effects of the severe frosts of a Canadian winter.

Until the last few years, owing to the deficiency of communication between Quebec and the adjacent provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, there was less intercourse than with England: there was little community of interest between their inhabitants, and no feeling of a common nationality, the very name of Canada being only applicable to the two provinces now called Quebec and Ontario. The difficulties in the government of the country, owing to the different manner of regarding important questions in these two provinces, was one cause that led to the formation of the Dominion, by their union with the maritime provinces; and consequently New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island form an element of no little importance in the political scale. Their interests are in many respects identical; the long extent of their coasts, and the seafaring habits of their population, create mutual needs which will gradually lead to the breaking down of local prejudices, and to closer connection in working out their future policy. The intercolonial railway, in process of

construction, will do much to connect them more closely with the seat of Government, and will obviate in great measure the inconvenience arising from the absence of any communication during the winter months except through the United States. The presence of coalfields in Nova Scotia is a source of much wealth; whilst the shipbuilding trade-at one time threatened by the introduction into the mercantile marine of iron vesselshas perceptibly revived. Far up the rivers flowing into the Gulf of St Lawrence and the Bay of Fundy, ships of considerable size are built; and the combination of farming, of shipbuilding, and of fishing, is a curious element in the social life of the population of the maritime provinces. The admission of the United States fishermen to the Canadian waters is, however, producing a change in some of these respects; their large schooners, well manned and well provided, threaten to swamp the efforts of the village fishermen, and will necessitate an alteration in the method of conducting business. Even now the fishing establishments of the Jersey houses are almost as much occupied in supplying the needs of the American fishermen as in pushing their own operations.

The last province added to the Dominion, although small in extent, is no mean acquisition to her territory. Prince Edward Island has been likened to the Isle of Wight; and her fertile fields and smiling homesteads may challenge comparison with that favoured spot. Happy in her direct connection with England, and imbued with the feelings of all small communities, the inhabitants of Prince Edward Island were for some time loath to merge themselves into the population of the Dominion; but in the end the advantages of consolidation were seen, and good terms in respect to assist

ance in regard to the railway which intersects the island having been offered, she entered the confederation in 1873. Close as the island is to the mainland, the winter passage across the strait, half frozen, and nearly blocked with floating ice, presents difficulties of communication not unaccompanied with danger; and one of the first results of the necessity of more frequent communication will be the endeavour to establish a steam-ferry sufficiently strong and powerful to force a passage during the winter frosts.

On all sides the effect of the consolidation of the provinces under a central government is seen in the impetus given to works of national importance. Besides the intercolonial railway, the project of connecting the Gulf of St Lawrence with the Bay of Fundy has been much canvassed, and plans have been prepared for a channel, termed the Bay Route Canal, across the narrow isthmus which connects Nova Scotia with New Brunswick. A more speedy route to England than that now taken by the Allan steam-ships is also the subject of much consider ation. St John's, Newfoundland, is spoken of as the port for passenger steamers from Liverpool, a railway along the southern shore, in conjunction with steamers to Spiffigan, a port on the north-east corner of New Brunswick connected with the intercolonial railway, being, in the opinion of many, the most direct route between Europe and the American continent. Others, however, advocate Louisburg, the ancient French military port in Cape Breton Island, the passage of the Gut of Canso being effected by a steamferry, or, as traffic increases, by a tunnel under its narrow waters. Some think that a suitable port might be found at or near St Andrews, in New Brunswick; but, whatever may be the result, the

attention paid to this important subject is an evidence of the energy and breadth of view of those who are the leaders of Canadian society. Of the cities of the maritime provinces, Halifax stands first in population, a portion of its prosperity arising from the presence of a naval and military force, and to the vast works in course of construction for the defence of its harbour. St John, the chief town of New Brunswick, nearly equals it in population, although the honour of being the seat of government belongs to Fredrikston, a pleasant English-looking town on the St John River, whose cathedral might take a high place among the most beautiful of the ecclesiastical buildings of the old country.

Having thus endeavoured in rough. outlines to present a sketch of the Dominion as it now is, and to draw attention to the more important objects which, in the last few years, have engaged the attention of its leaders, it will not be out of place to consider to what end its institutions are tending, and what goal its progressive course promises to reach. A few years ago-owing partly to the somewhat sudden withdrawal of the troops and the manner in which that was effected, as well as to the tone adopted by a few of the statesmen in England, and re-echoed by a portion of the press, to the effect that the mother country cared little for Canada, regarding her rather as an incubus to be disposed of than as an offspring which it was our duty to nourish and train to manhooda feeling had arisen among Canadians that their loyalty and attachment for England was not reciprocated. Consequently, although for the most part the Canadians resented bitterly the thought of separation, they were unable to silence the small party in some of the larger towns that hinted at disconnection

with the mother country and a consequent necessary union with the United States. The change of public sentiment in England, and the consistent course followed by Lord Dufferin, the present GovernorGeneral, has completely eradicated these feelings and their results. No hint at separation from England would now be tolerated; the few who might have desired such an event have either been convinced of its unfitness, or reduced to silence; and from one end of the Dominion to the other, a sentiment of loyalty to the Queen and attachment to what is always termed home, prevail to an extent which can scarcely be surpassed in any portion of Great Britain. Much of this alteration in tone is due to Lord Dufferin. His selection to the Governor-Generalship was a most happy one. Connected with the Liberal party in England, and yet imbued with the instincts of her ruling class, he has shown a peculiar adaptability to the habits of thought of a new country, and at the same time a power to guide them into the channels which have made the mother country great. As a trained and skilful statesman, he is able to appreciate the vigour and simplicity of the rulers of a country whose social life is not so complicated as in the older nations of Europe, whilst he can supplement, by his knowledge of affairs and breadth of view, what might be wanting in men whose experiences have for the most part been confined to provincial politics. Although party spirit runs high, and at certain times of political crisis oversteps the bounds of legitimate warfare, Lord Dufferin has won the confidence of the leaders of both the great political parties; and his sound judgment, great patience, and consistent firmness during what is termed the Pacific Railway scandal, and more recently

in the difficulties arising from the troubles in the north-west, have convinced the leading men of Canada, whether of French or English nationality, that they have in their Governor-General a statesman fully imbued with the principles of constitutional government, and possessed of talent to guide the ship in any troubled waters that might threaten its safety. Not only in politics has Lord Dufferin shown himself an able leader; he has identified himself with the social and intellectual life of the nation, encouraging in every way education, understood in its broadest sense as comprehending the training of the body as well as of the mind. The schools of all denominations look to him as to one personally interested in their success; whilst the impetus he has given to the manly sports which have ever characterised Englishmen, and to the social amusements tending to bring classes and people together who might otherwise never meet, has produced a marked effect on Canadian society. In all these efforts the Governor-General has been seconded by Lady Dufferin, whose winning kindness and courtesy, and evident love for Canada, have endeared her to people of every class, and have exercised an influence far beyond the sphere of her own immediate surroundings. Few brighter pictures can be found than that which the grounds of Government House present on a clear winter's day. The long line of sleighs, the various groups skating with a grace seldom if ever witnessed in England, the curlers engaged in their exciting game, and the succession of young people racing on "tarboggies" or Indian hand-sleighs down the steep and icy slide of the adjacent hill, furnish a scene which is peculiarly Canadian. By bring ing together under the hospitable

roof of Government House men of all shades of politics, and by encouraging a healthy tone in society, much has been done to keep up the love of outdoor amusements inherited from the old country, and to soften the asperities of party warfare. In fact social life in Canada, taking into consideration the difference in climate, and the needs of a new country, is formed on the English model, and has little in common with that of the United States. So it is with her political life. Her wisest and most far-. seeing statesmen are fully satisfied with the present status of the Dominion, knowing well that less than four millions of people, stretching from the Atlantic to the Pacific, could not, if left to stand alone, resist for six months absorption into the neighbouring nation of nearly forty millions, and fully recognising the liberty of action and freedom from restraint which has been accorded to Canada by the Imperial Government. Some, who look beyond the present time, aspire to a more direct representation of Canada and of the other important colonies in the English House of Commons. They argue that great questions in which Canada is interested may be and are debated on and settled without her voice being heard, and that it would be of benefit to both countries if Canadian representatives were at least allowed the privilege of speaking, even if the power of voting could not be accorded to them. The question of distance is little thought of in a country which brings its legislators from places immeasurably more remote than Ottawa is from London, and where six weeks of incessant travelling is needed to enable the representatives of some of the districts in British Columbia to reach the seat of government, whilst a voyage across the Atlantic is easy com

pared with even the winter journey from Prince Edward Island. These are, however, but speculations, not as yet solidified into practical schemes. The work at the present time of statesmen of both parties is to weld together the provinces, to abate and remove local jealousies, to enlarge the ideas of those who aspire to lead the people, and to create a distinct national feeling.

At present the country is almost over-governed; excepting in Ontario and Manitoba the provincial governments comprise a local governor and two houses of parliament; and there is a difficulty, in a society where time is money, to find a sufficient number of competent men to furnish representatives at the local as well as the central parliaments. The recent law which forbids the same men to sit in both parliaments, whilst acting beneficially in regard to the government of the country, has increased this difficulty; and it may be a question whether the other provinces will not gradually follow the example of Ontario by doing away with one of their houses of assembly, and whether the maritime provinces may not even combine and form, of three distinct governments, one that would compare in importance with that of Ontario and Quebec.

The interests of the maritime provinces are closely allied; communication between them is easy; and a powerful counterpoise to the preponderating influence of Ontario might not be an unimportant desideratum in securing a more complete consolidation of the Dominion.

The settlement of the questions which a few years ago divided men into two distinct parties, has left little difference, except in name, between what are called Conservatives and their opponents. Each party is practically engaged in pushing forward works for the opening up and improvement of the