The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-07 00:00:00

all, who are at all able to do so, to forward the pure
pose and foster the interests of so universal an un-
dertaking and so noble an enterprise. It is always
well worth while to study the minor details wh'.ch
are put forward at the meetings and reports of this
society, and at the last one some very noticeable inci-
dents were recorded. There can be no doubt existing
in the minds of the most sceptical as to the efficacy
of the tasks performed by the Lifeboat Institution,
when we hear that altogether a total of 104 lives
were saved by the lifeboats of the institution and
shore boats during the fearful gales of last month.
This is surely a guarantee both of the necessity of
their requirements and the ability with which they
are performed. Ignorant or inexperienced persons
will doubtless be greatly astonished at the great
number recorded, but the initiated will recognise
the vast importance of having on every shore of our
country these refuges in distress and strongholds
in times of need. If any persons deserve a testi-
monial for their services it is these gallant preservers
of life who, at imminent risk, dare the fury of the
elements and brave the peril of waters to save a
fellow creature in danger of destruction. No re-
wards can adequately compensate those who put
themselves in close proximity to a condition
where all highest treasures are dross, and
our vaunted possession as baubles, but it is right
and fitting that some note be made of such services,
and some recognition recorded of their successes, to
incite and encourage others, and to prove of what
avail are the exertions so constantly made by this
society. It is satisfactory to find that some bene-
volent persons have presented three boats to the in-
stitution,and the Great Northern Railway Company,
with praiseworthy liberality, have forwarded them
to their destination free from charge. This come
mendable course has before been pursued by
railway companies, and it is to be hoped will still
be continued, as it is very desirable that all should
contribute their mite to the furtherance of so
worthy a cause. Mr. CARDWELL has very pro-
perly done his utmost to promote the work of the
institution in sending their valuable instructions to
the Colonies, and in making them known there.
The Boulogne Shipwreck and Humane Society have
made an excellent translation into French of these
valuable instructions, and they are now being ex■
tensively circulated on that part of the coast of
France. This is very fortunate, as the services
rendered to human life will be greatly increased in
consequence of this important information being
disseminated. Notwithstanding the great im-
provements in their navy, and the zeal and ability
which they have displayed therein, the French can
❑ever be, to use their own phraseology, so much au
courant with naval affairs or sea transactions as
the English are, end it redounds very greatly to
their credit that they should thus have sought to
inform themselves at the fountain head, and ex-
tended the advantages of such knowledge to those of
their countrymen who stood in need of the teaching.
The Minister of Marine, on the part of the French
Government, has conveyed his thanks to the in-
stitution " for the valuable information the society
has furnished to two officers of the imperial navy,
on the occasion of their recent visit to inspect some
of the lifeboat stations of the institution." This
is as it should be, when one nation coincides
with another in the importance of such
an undertaking, and seeks to improve itself
in matters relating to vital interests. It may
be appropriately observed of this Lifeboat Institu•
tion that their sound has gone cut into all lands,
and their wonders unto the ends of the earth. Not
alone where the waves wash the shores of our
newt ae their agents exert their Elf )rts. but
their emissaries may be said to sweep round the
globe, and to touch every shore, in their compre-
hensive work and mighty achievements. Such a
Society may well be called a national one ; for it is
essentially so in every sense of the word, and as
such should be extensively recognised and warmly
supported.

The project of a grand confederation of the
British North American provinces is proceeding
with unabated spirit, and, notwithstanding a little
temporary opposition on the part of the French

Canadians, it has as yet been developed with singu-
lar unanimity for a work of so momentous a characi
ter. According to the latest intelligence, it is pro•

beble that the confederation will provide for the
appointment of the Governor-General by the Crown
with Cabinet advisers. The Crown will also ap.

point members of the Upper Chamber for life, and

:he members of the Lower House are to be elected

For five years. The Governor-General is to appoint
the Lieutenant-Governors of the provinces. These

are the principal outlines of the scheme es at pre-
sent developed, bat, of course, they are capable of
many modifications hereafter. Those whose atten-
tion has been attracted by a question of so much
moment, which concerns the future of what will
unquestionably be a great and powerful State, will
have read with keen interest the speeches deli•
vered at the grand banquet, given on the 15th ult.
by the Board of Trade of Quebec to the delegates

from the Lower Provinces who were then azsembled

in that city. Mr. JOSEPH, the President of the
Board of Trade, was naturally the chairman, and
he was supported by the most eminent men of the
country, the Canadian Ministers themselves being
among the guests, The feeling expressed was una-
nimous, and the facts elicited in the course of the
evening from the various speakers all tended to
convince the hearers of the prudence and practica-
bility of the proposed scheme. The Chairman, in
introducing the subject of the evening, remarked
that the Board of Trade were naturally anxious for
an increase of the trade between the colonies, and
were desirous of a commercial union, under which
there should be one tariff instead of five as at pre•
sent—a state of things naturally prejudicial to the
commercial interests of the ocuntry. Dr. TUPPER,
the bead of the representatives of Nova Scotia, ob-
served in the ccurse of his interesting address, that
it was difficult, if not impossible, to bring about a
commercial union without a political one. This
gentleman was anxious to set before his Canadian
hearers the extent of the resources to which the
maritime provinces can lay claim, so as to demon-
strate the fact that the union is like to be a mutual
advantage, and is not a mere appeal on the part of
the smaller body to be incorporated in the
larger. It is true that to English or American

ears a population of 800,000 and a revenue o

3,000,000 dole do not sound very considerable, but
when we consider the age and position of the
colonies we shall not be inclined to despise them.
When we come to the statistics of the Premier of
Now Brunswick and find that tho pcpulaticn of
800,000 owns nearly 800,000 tons of shipping, that
the revenue of the four maritime provinces, after
paying the interest on the public debts and laying
out large sums in public works, shows a surplus of
half a million dollars; and, further, that Nova Scotia
alone has doubled her revenue within the last few
years, and that the export and transport trade of
the maritime provinces amounts to between three
and four million dollars, we shall agree with the
delegates that the Lower Provinces come into the
field on an independent footing. But, after all, it
is on the geographical features of t tir country
that they rest their most powerful claim to import-
ance ; for whatever strength, or consequence, or
protection may be given by enact% o her humbler