Year: 1868

within thirty hours sail of Halifax, and be-
| hind these stretches whole continent free
trade with which would place factories upon
all her streams, supply capital for all legiti-
mate enterprises; and, though political asso-
elation with the thirty-four millions of free
men who inhablt this great country might tor
lime ,'me involve high taxation, it would open
o,os ealeer Tor her children and ensure to them
"-equa'e protection forever by land and sea-


Tue ueleSates go on to say that true to
'"e'r oid traditions, preferring their old flag
anu 'ueir own iorms of administration, the
people OF Nova Scotia" were content with
all these temptations before them - 70 follow
the fortunes OF a new British emnira rrovidad
their liberties could have been respected and
their prosperity considered; but as il is thev
think they have great reason to comp,ain
What they will do next they do not say eav-
ing that for the Legislature of the Province
to decide; but the whole document reads vpry
much like those prepared by our own Rev.
olutionary fathers. 1t has the ring OF '76 in
it. Ia fact the action of the British govern.
ment IN this matter is an exact repetition Of
Its course towards the Thirteen Colonies
nearly century ago. One would have sup
posed that 1t might have gained some wisdom
by the lapse of all these years, but it is evil
dent that in regard to the condition and tenn
per OF its North American colonies 1t is stu
pidly in the dark as ever.


The Parliament of Nova Scotia meets on
the 9th proximo, when doubtless some def
mite action will be taken. What that will
be it is impossible to predict. Possibly the
legislature may not be able to agree on any
course, there may be deadlock between the
two houses, in which case resignation of
the Local Government, a dissolution OF the
House oi Assembly, and another appeal TO
the country would follow. II the people re-
ject the Union a second time it is hard to see
how it can be sustained in that province.


In the meantime public feeling runs very
high. The newspapers discuss the question
OF secession, the probability of coercion by
the Canadian and Imperial Cove nments. and
the alternative of annexation. One infuan-
tialjournal says: "Let the Canadians do their
best, and they cannot hold Nova Scotia against
the will of the people" The ictou ChIoni-
Gle states: "Brute force alone can keep us in
the Union" The Halifax Chronicle says:


Our sole desire now is to escape from the
Dominion. To that alone we bend our ener-
gies. II we fail, the question may be put to
us Confederation or Annexation, and our
answer will come speedily and to the point.


The Halifax Recorder has an article on
THE Ingratitude of England to Nova Scotia"
in the course of which the following sueges-
tive passage occurs:


In 1776 Nova Scotia was free to take the
same course that was taken by those colonies
which are now the United States, anu thus
attain position which would enable her to
rival any one OF those States, but she then
chose another course, trusting to do as well
under the old flag as under the new; each
year since then has shown her error.


IL is plain from these extracts, which might
be indefinitely multiplied, in what direction
the current of feeling in the Province is set
ting. That the people are becoming wholly
alenated from their sister Provinces and al
most as much from the mother country is ev-
ident. Whether any attempt will be made on
the part OF the Dominion, or England, or both,
TO coerce Nova Scotia; whether in case of
such attempted coercion the Province will
quietly submit, or resist and throw herself
into the arms OF the United States, are ques-
tions whose solution would seem to lie in the
not remote future