CANADA

UNDER THE

ADMINISTRATION

OF

LORD LORNE.

BY

J. E. COLLINS, \ × 55 –

AUTHOR OF THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR JOHN A.

MACDONALD."

Toronto, Canada:

ROSE PUBLISHING COMPANY.

MDCCCLXXXIV.

SOLD BY SUBSCRIPTION ONLY.

MR. GREME MERCER ADAM

GAVE TO ME, WITH GENEROUS KINDNESS,

INDISPENSABLE HELP WHEN I WAS ENTERING THE CALLING OF LITERATURE,

AND TO CONVEY SOME TOKEN OF MY PERSONAL

GRATITUDE,

AS WELL AS TO BEAR TESTIMONY TO HIS UNTIRING ZEAL IN

STRIVING TO FORWARD THE CAUSE OF OUR

WRETCHED CANADIAN LITERATURE,

I DEDICATE TO HIM

This Volume.

403431

THE AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

I

HAVE not withheld approval from Lord Lorne through

these pages wherever I believed that he was entitled to approbation; but no one must regard as toleration of the office, occasional admiration of the officer. If in his personal responsibility the Governor-General does well, he merits our approval and regard, and it would be unjust to lay upon his shoulders the reproaches which belong to the system of which he is only the creature. I need hardly say here—for I reiterate the sentiment in my pages-that it is the duty of every thinking Canadian who has an atom of self-respect to join hands and strive without pause or faltering till foreign importation to the office of our governorship has come to an end. So long, however, as we are satisfied with the domineering superstition, so long would it be a great pity that the desirable change should come.

As for the political opinions expressed in this book, I have only to say that anyone who could give his allegiance to party, in view of the many cases of public infamy that have recently come to light, must either lack a perception of right, or be himself dishonourable. Our system of government—and this is a sad admission for a Canadian who has no interest in either side