The sun., 1907-08-25

felt Q disinterested wish 20 Soe Canada
| form a part Of the American Confedorncy.
but would mako no move In that direction
| without the approval Of the loader Of his
| American allies. Now that leader himself
proposed such a movement. and his pro-
posal was rejected. What could such a
reversal OF French policy signifyf Prof.
Smith thinks that IL signiaed for one thing
rhat probably Washington had given him
! self unnecessary trouble In vctoing the
great scheme OF October. HIS; beoause.
had he not interviewed. France would
| almost certainly have taken similar at
| titude. IL had come 10 be felt at Versailles
that should England retain Oanada tho
United States would have a lasting need
Of French support. Moreover. Spain
had made IL q condition Of her joining
France in the war against England that ths
province of Canada, with its nominally
appurtensnt territory between the Great
lakes and the Ohio. should not be given
to the United States.
In the negotiations for peace which began
in the spring Of 1882 Franklin from the
very first proposed the oession OF Canada
by Great Britain to the United States. He
earnestly counselled England TO yield the
point in order to obliterate frontier that
the two countries more firmly together.
John Adams took similar stand The Brit
ish Government, however. did not wish IN
part with Canada. So long as she should
hold Quebec and Nova Scotia she would
have II in her power to attack the United
States and the French and Spanish pos
sessions. and she also needed those prov
inoes TO supply her West India islands
with bread and lumber and TO furnish her
army and navy with hospitals and dock.
wards. The Canadian trade was precious
TO her and the seamen OF the fisheries al.
most invaluable Washington himself had
acknow wledged THAI for Great Britain the
loss Of Canada would be a deadly blow 10
her trade and empire The truth Of this
assertion was understood quite as thor
oughly at Whitehall. shelburne. on be-
coming Prime Minister, said that the preser.
walton OF Canada was so important that
his Majesty himself had ordered the new
British Comma nder in Chief. Gen. Sir Guy
Carleton. the successor Of Sir Henry Clinton.
to leave New York and return 10 Canada.
should he deem it needful, taking with him
as many Of the troops as he should think
required. For the United States, on the
other hand. fighting for its recognition as a
nation and struggling not only against
enemies but against perfidious aliee
Canada. though highly desirable, was not
essential, and IL seemed by no means wise
TO risk the vital for the valua BILE. Having
discovered that a announcement Of the
hope Of securing Canada was a condition
Of the recognition OF American independence
the ENJOYS OF the United States, Franklin.
Jay and Adams, made UP their minds 10
insert no alusion TO the matter in the formal
draft Of treaty submitted by them 20 the
British agents. Our commissioners had come
TO understand not only that the British
Government would reject emphatically
the idea but that secretly France also was
opposed to it. They had arrived, there
fore. at the conclusion. in which Congress
had anticipated them. that it would be
sounder policy to battle for other points: and
SO IL came to pass that when the treaty of
peace was agreed upon il drew an invisible
yet adamantine line between the United
States and Canada. The long struggle for
that rich and beautiful province, the missing
Fourteenth Colony. the fourteenth sts.s
that might have been, was at last over
In the notable peroration ofthis admira-
BILE narrative Prof. Smith comedies that
the whole series OF plans and measures to
win Canada might be called Eight Years
Of Failure He denies with earnestness.
however, that they were altogether failure.
In the nrst place. their indirect benefits,
pointed out above. were a. we have seen
neither Few nor slight. In the second
place. two great facts OF enduring signif-
canoe were craven deep upon the Laurentian
Gins. namely that our fathers. the builders
of TINS republic. believed that Canada should
form part OF IL. and that only force aided
that oonsummation.' We are reminded
III Vic tuuu pihNo tuht WHO t0c CSnvr9 OF