The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-25 00:00:00

The Candian Mission to England.

The following is the report of the Canadian De-
legates to England as laid upon the table of Parli-
ment at Quebec on the 9th inst.:—

" To HIS EXCELLENCY THE RIGHT HON. VISCOUNT Mose;
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF BRITISH NORTH AMERICA, &c.
" May it please your Excellency,--The undersigned
having, by Order in Council of the 24th of March, 1865,
been appointed a Committee of the Executive Council of
Canada to proceed to England and confer with her Ma-
jesty's Government on certain subjects of importance to the
province, sailed for England in April last, and, having dis-
charged the duty intrusted to them and returned to Ca-
nada, we now beg to submit for your Excellency's infor-
mation a statement of our proceedings while in London.
" The circumstances under which this mission became
necessary are doubtless freshin your Excellency's recollec-
tion. For a considerable time past, in view of the civil war
going on in the United States, and the impossibility of an-
ticipating what international questions might at any mo-
ment arise, her Majesty's Government felt it their duty
from time to time to direct the attention of the Govern-
ment of Canada to the insecure position of the province in
the event of disturbed relations unhappily resulting, and to
urge the adoption of protective measures. In these com-
munications it was not concealed that her Majesty's Go-
vernment expected the people of Canada to assume more
onerous military duties than they had previously borne.
Your Excellency's advisers were always prepared frankly
to consider these proposals, and to submit for the approval
of Parliament such measures as might be found just and
reasonable ; but they felt, at the same time, that to secure
the hearty assent .of Parliament and the country for any
important changes in the military relations between the
parent State and the colony an explanation on the
whole subject should first be had, so that a clear un-
derstanding as to the state of defence to be borne by each
might be arrived at, and all ground of irritating and hurt-
ful reproach for alleged neglect of duty by the colony
entirely removed. In view also of the anticipated early
union of all the British North American colonies--so well
calculated to simplify the system of defence--the Govern-
ment of Canada deemed it highly desirable that the settle-
ment of this important question should be reserved for the
action of the Government and Legislature of the new Oon-
federation. Her Majesty's Government concurred in these
views.

" In the early part of the year, however, events occurred
let changed the situation of affairs. The conference at
Fortress Monroe for the cessation of hostilities, the dis-
turbances on the Canadian frontier, the imposition of the
passport system, the notice given by the American Govern-
ment for a termination of the convention restricting the
naval armaments on the lakes, and other events, tended to
revive and deepen the feeling of insecurity, and her Ma-
jesty's Government urged -the immediate erection of per-
manent works of defence at Quebec and Montreal—the cost
of the former to be borne by the Imperial Treasury, and
of the latter by the people of Canada. Your Excellency's
advisers were most anxious to meet the wishes of her Ma-
jesty's Government, but they could not feel it their duty
to propose to Parliament a vote for defensive works at
Montreal, while the defence of Upper Canada, on land
and on the lakes, was unprovided for. The position of
affairs was further complicated by the result of the New
Brunswick elections, which postponed, at least for a
time, the union of the provinces, and by the formal notice
given by the American Government for the termina-
tion, in March next, of the Reciprocity Treaty. It
became evident that the time had arrived, and could no
longer be postponed, for a full and frank explanation
with her Majesty's Government on the whole state of
affairs, and with that view an immediate mission to Eng-
land, with your Excellency's assent, was resolved upon. The
state of the case was forthwith communicated to the Legis-
lative Council and Assembly, which was then in Session, and
Parliament was shortly after prorogued, on the understand-
ing that it would be summoned to learn the result of the
negotiations, and complete the business of the session, as
soon as the delegates returned from Great Britain.
"On arriving in England we lost no time in placing our-
selves in communication with her Majesty's Secretary of
State for the Colonies ; and a committee of the Imperial
Cabinet, consisting of his Grace the Duke of Somerset, the
Right Hon. the Earl De Grey and Ripon, the Right Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, and the Right Hon. Edward Cardwell,
having been appointed to confer with us, negotiations were
opened, and continued at frequent interviews up to the
close of the mission.
" The subject to which we first invited the attention of
the conference was the proposed confederation of the British
North American colonies. We reminded the Imperial
Ministers how largely all the questions with the discussion
of which we were charged—and especially those of defence,
foreign commercial relations, and internal communication—
wouldbe affected by the union, and how greatly their satis-
factory settlement would be facilitated by it. We explained
the reasons that existed for obtaining the assent of all the
colonies to the union at an early date, and the promise
to which the Government of Canada stood pledged to pro-
ceed without delay with constitutional reforms for Canada
alone in the event of the larger measure failing to be
obtained. We received at once from the members of the
Imperial Cabinet assurances of their hearty approval of the
confederation scheme, and of theiranxious desire to promote
its early accomplishment by all the legitimate influence of
the Imperial Government. In the discussion of the means
to be adopted for effecting confederation we trust it is un-
necessary to assure your Excellency that the idea of coerc-
ing the maritime provinces into the measure was not for a
moment entertained. The end sought was to ascertain in
what manner the question of union in all its bearings could
be best brought under the full and fair consideration of our
fellow colonists, and the grave responsibility urged upon
them which they would assume by thwarting a measure so
pregnant with future prosperity to British America, so
anxiously desired by the great mass of the people to be
affected by it, and which had been received with such
marked satisfaction by our fellow subjects throughout the
British empire. We received assurance that her Majesty's
Government would adopt every legitimate means for se-
curing the early assent of the maritime provinces to the
union. In the course of these discussions the question of
the intercolonial railway came up as a necessary accompa-
niment of confederation, when we sought and obtained a
renewal of the promised Imperial guarantee of a loan for
the construction of that work.
" The important question of future military relations be-
tween the mother country and Canada received earnest and
grave consideration. Before entering on the discussion of
details, we referred to the recent debates in the Imperial
Parliament on the subject of Canadian defences, and espe-
cially to the assertions confidently made by certain members
of the House of Commons, that Canada was incapable of
efficient protection against invasion across her inland border,
We explained the injury such statements tended to produce,
and the necessity of our ascertaining, as a preliminary step
to our discussions, whether or not they were well founded.
We asked that a report on the whole subject of the defence
of Canada, with plans and estimates, might be obtainedh
from the highest military and naval authorities of Great
Britain. Such a report was obtained and communicated to
us confidently, and we rejoice to say that it is calculated
to remove all doubt as to the security of our country, so
long as the hearts of our people remain firmly attached to
the British flag, and the power of England is wielded in
our defence.
" On the part of Canada we expressed the desire that this
plan for the defence of all parts of the Province should be
taken as the basis of arrangement ; and, that a full and
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candid discussion should be had as to the share of the cost
that ought to be borne respectively by the Imperial and
provincial Exchequers. We expressed the earnest wish of
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connexion with Great Britain, and their entire willing-
quota, according to their ability, of men and money
arise between England and the United States, it could
only be an Imperial war, on Imperial groundstbat our
country alone would be exposed to the horrors of inva-
sion ; and that our exposed position, far from entailing on
us unusual burdens, should, on the contrary, secure for us
the special and generous consideration of the Imperial
Government. We explained, moreover, that though Canada
continued to progress steadily and rapidly, it was a vast
country, sparsely populated—that the difficulties of first
sottleracht were hardly yet overcome—that the profits of ;