The record-union., 1896-12-04
ENGLAND AND Her COLONIES.
EFFORT TO BRING ABOUT CLOSER
RELATIONS.
The Subject Discussed at a Meeting of
the British Empire League
at London.

LONDON, Dec. 3.-The Duke of Dev-
onshire, addressing the British Empire
League to-day at meeting of that or
ganiZation at the Guild Hall, said that
the idea of imperial unity was progress
ing in some of the colonies as a practi-
cal movement, though those engaged in
the movement were in some degree dis
appointed. Lord Salisbury and Mr..
Chamberlain, he said, were in sympathy
with the idea, but probably the time had
not yet arrived to settle the conferences
of the Ottawa proposals. Still the de-
velopments We're tending toward unfit
cation.
r. r. Dobel moved that the meeting
proceed to the election of officers for the
league for the ensuing year, and the mo-
ton was carried. The Duke of Devon
shire was elected President. A. J. Bal
four and the Marquis of Dufferin were
among the Vice Presidents chosen, and
Il. r. Dobel, J. Mcdonald, Sir Donald
A. Smith and Sir Charles Topper were
chosen, among others, as members of
the council. All of the elections were
unanimous.
Mr.. Dobel delivered a speech, in which
he said that Great Britain stood in the
glorious position of having discarded ali
attempts at retaliatory policy. Cam
ada, he declared, was second to none of
the colonies in her loyalty to England
Canada admired the wonderful success
of the United States, but had greater
admiration for the forbearance and gen.
erosity which this country has shown
toward the United States for the last
twenty-five years. There was no great
reason to hoI,e, he said, that these SEN
timents had not been thrown away, and
the time was coming when the United
states would appreciate them.
The Duke of Devonshire said that the
merchants of London might suggest the
means of establishing a better under
standing between the home Govern
ment and the colonies. Through the
agency OF the league great progress had
been made in recent years for colonial
defense. The colonies knew exactly what
the Government would undertake in
case of any attack, and also what would
be expected of themselves The Gov
ernment attached the greatest impor-
tance to the renewal in some form or
othSi VI iieiN cti arrangements with Aus
tralasia. He hoped that the time would
soon come when another conference
would be held to consider that arrange
ment and extend it to the old colonies.
and expressed the hope that the oppor-
tunlty would be taken to reopen the
discussion of the whole question of colo
hal defense.
The Lord Mayor, who presided. said
that the most fitting manner in which to
celebrate the siXtieth anniversary of the
reign of Queen Victoria would be to Law
at the feet of the first lady of the world
great scheme for the absolute and per-
1ect unity of the British empire.
The Duke of Devonshire in the course
OF his remarks said that the Colonial
DeIense Committee, consisting of rep-
resentatives of the War, Colonial and
Admiralty Offices, had desired him to
make public to colonial citizens the
principles upon which the plans for the
Colonial Defense Committee were based.
He proceeded to explain that the plans
consisted of the maintenance of Great
Br1tain's supremacy at sea, upon the
basis of system of imperial defense
against attack from sea at all places
likely to be attacked. The committee.
he added. would advocate the creation
of adequate fixed defenses and troops
sufficient to cope with any possible en-
emy.