The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-02-17

| HE ANNEXATION or CANADA QuESToS.-We
perceive this question Is agitating the publie
mind OF Canada to very great extent at the
present moment, arising from two causes. One
Is, that the cotton States have seeded, and that
all the other slave States are iikely to follow
them, thus making the annexation Of Canad.
both desirable and practicable; and The other
cause is the outrageous attempt in England. i'm
the case Of the slave Anderson, to contrsl the
judiciary Of Canada and make it snbordinass tn
British courts, though the independence Of
canada has been conceded by the mother coua-
try. That independence, however, is only mo-
minai; it is far from complete, or such as ought
to satisfy or does satisfy the Canadian people.
On this subject the reader will find Ia our
columns to-day two interesting letters One of
them, from Toronto, says:-"Ia the great
events which agitate the Americas Union there
is much to interest the minds of Canadian poll
ticians. Our provincial, dependent position il
looked upon by some as an evil that can he
now best removed by union in'some shspe
with the free States of the North and the
writer then goes on to observe -" There csa
be little doubt that after the exclusions of
the principle and the rejection of sre
fact of slavery by a Northern COZ
federacy Of the disunited States a. large
majority of the Canadian people would be i,s
favor Of joining the republic. The idea Of ac-
quiring a nationality is strongly impressed
upon all classes Of the community, and espe-
cially upon the mind of Young Canada Il
is therefore important that the Canadians should
apply at once for admission into the Union be-
fore the difficulty with the Southern States is
settled; for the slave States would never consent
to the admission OF Canada. II the Guthrie
compromise should be adopted and made part
of the constitution, it will require the votes OF
threcf0urths of the Senate to carry the ad-
mission of any new territory. The North, too,
would care hess for the acquisition Of Northern
territory if the Southern States should come
back Canada, probably, wonld not desire to
come in, as our correspondent remarks, if sia-
very existed in the confcderacy. Let 'Young
Canada" therefore, take the matter in hand at
once. There is no time to be lost.
The other letter, from Montreal remarks with
great truth that, whereas in European coun-
tries traditions possess much force and tenacity
in preventing changes of government, ON the
North American continent, on the contrary,
public opinion rules everything. II is only
necessary, therefore, to move public cpinioa
in Canada to render her annexation to the
Northern confederaey a fixed fact. Now Is ths
accepted time, now is the day of her regenera-
ton, if she has any statesmen with eyes to see.
and ears to hear, and minds to understand.
BY her union with our Northern States her re-
sources would become SO rapidly developed
and her prosperity so increased that in ten
years she would hardly know herself and no
traveller could distinguish the difference be-
tween her condition and that of the republics
on her frontier, which now present so striking
contrast to her disadvantage. as all European
tourists, including those from England, have
uniformly observed. The difference arises
from the form Of government and the beae-
fetal influence OF large confederacy. Let
Canada therefore, lose no time in rcnding the
last link Of the chain of her hereditary bondage.
"Who would be free, themselves must strike
the blow