The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
THE SUN, SUNDAY, DECEMBER %. 1894

her Empress OF India. The title Kingdom Of
Canada" appears in the Interpretation clause
Of the sixth draft OF the British North America
bill, being substituted for the words United
Provinces" Impressed with the Importance OF
the monarchIcal term, Macdonald made every
effort to retain II. but, as we have said, the Inn
perial authorities would not consent to approve
It. He r fcrs 10 this incident in n letter to Lord
Knutsford, written in July. 1880. After de-
scribing the then overnor-Genera Lord Monck,
and the then Colonial Secretary, the late Duke
OF buckingham. as both good men. certainly,
but quite unable from the constitution Of their
minds to rise TO the OCCASION he goes on TO say
that the union was treated by them much
rs n the b. n. A. act were n private bill
uniting two or three English parishes. Had a diff
ferent course been pursued; for instance. had
united Canada been declared to be an auxi-
larry Kingdom, as It was in the Canadian draft
of the bill. | feel almost sure that the Austria
llan colonies would, ere this, have been apply
ing to he placed in the same rank as The King
dom Of Canada" In a postscript he adds: " On
reading over the above. | see that II will convey
the impression that the change Of title from
Kingdom to Dominion was caused by the Duke
Of buckingham. This was not so. 1t was made
ut the instance of Lord Derby, then Foreign
Minister, who feared the first name would
wound the sensibilitics Of the Yankees" 1t Is
Will hlOWHl hhb Nlt lISb " lth W. NV
by the Governor-G enetal Of the new Dominion
OF Canada was TO announce that. in recognition Of
his distinguished services, her Majesty had been
pleased To confer upon Mr.. John A. Macdonald
the dignity OF Knight Commander OF the Bath.
At the same time Messrs. Cartier, Gait. Tilley,
Topper, Rowland. and McDougall were created
Commanders Of the Bath. Mcssrs. Cartier and
Calf, considering the recognition Of their SER
vices inadequate, declined to receive the decora-
ton. To allay the feeling of irritation or jeal-
ousy upon their part a baronetcy was offered to
Mr.. Cartier, and Mr.. Calf was made n Knight
Commander OF 1t. Michael and ~. George. In
1870 Sir John Macdonald was sworn Of her
Majesty's Privy Council, and in 1884 he was in
vested by the Queen herself with the Grand
Cross Of the Bath. n decoration which Lord
Beaconsfleld declared to be practically the high
est meritorious distinction in the power OF tho
British sovereign to bestow. After his death, in
June. 1891, as a further mark Of his services
the Queen made his widow, Lady Macdonald,
a peerless of the United Kingdom, with the title
of Baroness Macdonald of Earnscliffe.
Ostensibly Sir John Macdonald was made a
member OF the imperial privy Council as a re-
ward for his services in helping to negotiate the
treaty OF Washington. one outcome OF which
was the settlement of the Alabama claims. He
himself was not of the opinion that any Of those
who represented Great Britain In the negotia-
tion OF that treaty had much cause for self-con-
graduation. In r letter TO Sir John Rose, dated
In June, 1879. he refers to the treaty In the fol-
lowing words: Never was there such n bum
gled matter from beginning to end. You may
tell Lord Granville for me confdentially
that. IL he wants his business done at
Washington correctly at any time. he must
send me alone. But, seriously. the whole
thing was badly managed. first at Wash
ington, and still worse in England" He