The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-02 00:00:00

The Recent Honours to Canadians•

By the mails just delivered, we learn that the
Hon. Messrs. Cartier and Galt have requested his
Excellency the Governor-General to represent to
her Majesty their desire to be allowed to decline the
honour recently conferred upon them of Companion
of the Bath. The Hon. John A. Macdonald, it will
be remembered, was created a K.C.8., while his
colleague, the Hon. G. E. Cartier, was made only a
C.B. These honours were conferred, it was under-
stood, on the Colonial Ministers who came to Eng-
land in their capacity of delegates on the question
of the confederation of the provinces, and it was
generally believed that the whole of the gentlemen
forming the delegation would receive at the
hands of her Majesty some mark of distinction. But
for some unaccountable reason, known only in
Downing-street, only seven gentlemen out of the 16
forming the conference were so honoured. The
Hon. John A.-Macdonald was made a K.C.8., and
the Hon. Messrs. Cartier, Galt, Howland, M'Dougall,
Tupper, and Tilley were made Companions of the
Bath ; but the Hon. Messrs. Langevin, Mitchell,
Henry, Ritchie, 111‘ Cully, Archibald, Wilmot, Fisher,
and Johnson, whose services in the cause of confe-
deration justly entitled them to some similar mark
of distinction to that conferred upon their col-
leagues, were entirely overlooked. It is unnecessary
to add that the action of the Colonial-office in this
matter has been freely canvassed throughout the
dominion, and much acrimonious feeling created.
Mr. Galt begs, in his communication to the
Governor- General, that his Excellency would
convey to his Grace the Dak of Buckingham
his grateful thanks for the approval which her
Majesty has been graciously pleased to accord to his
public services in c mnection with the union of Bri-
tish North America ; but while deeply impressed
with a sense of gratitude to her Majesty, he was ex-
ceedingly pained by the position in which he was
placed through the unexpected and public announce-
ment of the distinction conferred, and through
which he is compelled to perform the most ungra-
cious task of appearing to que-,tion an act of royal
grace and favour. No personal consideration could
induce him to do so, but his conviction of public
duty left him no alternative. He found that his
colleague Mr. Cartier was unable to recognise the
justice of the conclusions upon which his Grace the
Principal Secretary for the Colonies had advised her
Majesty to act, and, sharing his views, it had be-
come impossible for him to retain the distinction
which had been conferred, as his acceptance would

necessarily indicate acquiescence in the position
which had been assigned to the leading public men
of Lower Canada, and especially to Mr. Cartier and
himself, with their colleague Mr. Langevin, a course
which, if taken by him, would seriously impair his
usefulness as a public man. He had the honour,
therefore, to request that his lordship, while con-
veying to the Duke of Buckingham his grateful
thanks to the Queen for the honour conferred upon
him, would at the same time move his Grace to
obtain for him her Majesty's gracious permission to
resign the distinction of Companion of the Bath.
Mr. Cartier's communication to the Governor-
General is, we believe, pretty much to the same
effect.—Canadian News, August 1.