the canadian dominion-第1节

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The　Canadian　Dominion
a　Chronicle　of　our　Northern　Neighbor
　by　Oscar　D。　Skelton



PREFACE

The　history　of　Canada　since　the　close　of　the　French　regime　falls　into　three　clearly　marked　half　centuries。　The　first　fifty　years　after　the　Peace　of　Paris　determined　that　Canada　was　to　maintain　a　separate　existence　under　the　British　flag　and　was　not　to　become　a　fourteenth　colony　or　be　merged　with　the　United　States。　The　second　fifty　years　brought　the　winning　of　self…government　and　the　achievement　of　Confederation。　The　third　fifty　years　witnessed　the　expansion　of　the　Dominion　from　sea　to　sea　and　the　endeavor　to　make　the　unity　of　the　political　map　a　living　realitythe　endeavor　to　weld　the　far…flung　provinces　into　one　country；　to　give　Canada　a　distinctive　place　in　the　Empire　and　in　the　world；　and　eventually　in　the　alliance　of　peoples　banded　together　in　mankind's　greatest　task　of　enforcing　peace　and　justice　among　nations。

The　author　has　found　it　expedient　in　this　narrative　to　depart　from　the　usual　method　of　these　Chronicles　and　arrange　the　matter　in　chronological　rather　than　in　biographical　or　topical　divisions。　The　first　period　of　fifty　years　is　accordingly　covered　in　one　chapter；　the　second　in　two　chapters；　and　the　third　in　two　chapters。　Authorities　and　a　list　of　publications　for　a　more　extended　study　will　be　found　in　the　Bibliographical　Note。

O。　D。　S。

QUEEN'S　UNIVERSITY；　KINGSTON；　CANADA；　July；　1919。

CONTENTS

I。　THE　FIRST　FIFTY　YEARS

II。　THE　FIGHT　FOR　SELF…GOVERNMENT

III。　THE　UNION　ERA

IV。　THE　DAYS　OF　TRIAL

V。　THE　YEARS　OF　FULFILMENT

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL　NOTE

THE　CANADIAN　DOMINION

CHAPTER　I。　THE　FIRST　FIFTY　YEARS

Scarcely　more　than　half　a　century　has　passed　since　the　Dominion　of　Canada；　in　its　present　form；　came　into　existence。　But　thrice　that　period　has　elapsed　since　the　fateful　day　when　Montcalm　and　Wolfe　laid　down　their　lives　in　battle　on　the　Plains　of　Abraham；　and　the　lands　which　now　comprise　the　Dominion　finally　passed　from　French　hands　and　came　under　British　rule。

The　Peace　of　Paris；　which　brought　the　Seven　Years'　War　to　a　close　in　1763；　marked　the　termination　of　the　empire　of　France　in　the　New　World。　Over　the　continent　of　North　America；　after　that　peacee；　only　two　flags　floated；　the　red　and　yellow　banner　of　Spain　and　the　Union　Jack　of　Great　Britain。　Of　these　the　Union　Jack　held　sway　over　by　far　the　larger　domainover　the　vague　territories　about　Hudson　Bay；　over　the　great　valley　of　the　St。　Lawrence；　and　over　all　the　lands　lying　east　of　the　Mississippi；　save　only　New　Orleans。　To　whom　it　would　fall　to　develop　this　vast　claim；　what　mighty　empires　would　be　carved　out　of　the　wilderness；　where　the　boundary　lines　would　run　between　the　nations　yet　to　be；　were　secrets　the　future　held。　Yet　in　retrospect　it　is　now　clear　that　in　solving　these　questions　the　Peace　of　Paris　played　no　inconsiderable　part。　By　removing　from　the　American　colonies　the　menace　of　French　aggression　from　the　north　it　relieved　them　of　a　sense　of　dependence　on　the　mother　country　and　so　made　possible　the　birth　of　a　new　nation　in　the　United　States。　At　the　same　time；　in　the　northern　half　of　the　continent；　it　made　possible　that　other　experiment　in　democracy；　in　the　union　of　diverse　races；　in　international　neighborliness；　and　in　the　reconciliation　of　empire　with　liberty；　which　Canada　presents　to　the　whole　world；　and　especially　to　her　elder　sister　in　freedom。

In　1763　the　territories　which　later　were　to　make　up　the　Dominion　of　Canada　were　divided　roughly　into　three　parts。　These　parts　had　little　or　nothing　in　common。　They　shared　together　neither　traditions　of　suffering　or　glory　nor　ties　of　blood　or　trade。　Acadia；　or　Nova　Scotia；　by　the　Atlantic；　was　an　old　French　colony；　now　British　for　over　a　generation。　Canada；　or　Quebec；　on　the　St。　Lawrence　and　the　Great　Lakes；　with　seventy　thousand　French　habitants　and　a　few　hundred　English　camp　followers；　had　just　passed　under　the　British　flag。　West　and　north　lay　the　vaguely　outlined　domains　of　the　Hudson's　Bay　Company；　where　the　red　man　and　the　buffalo　still　reigned　supreme　and　almost　unchallenged。

The　old　colony　of　Acadia；　save　only　the　island　outliers；　Cape　Breton　and　Prince　Edward　Island；　now　ceded　by　the　Peace　of　Paris；　had　been　in　British　hands　since　1713。　It　was　not；　however；　until　1749　that　any　concerted　effort　had　been　made　at　a　settlement　of　this　region。　The　menace　from　the　mighty　fortress　which　the　French　were　rebuilding　at　that　time　at　Louisbourg；　in　Cape　Breton；　and　the　hostility　of　the　restless　Acadians　or　old　French　settlers　on　the　mainland；　had　compelled　action　and　the　British　Government　departed　from　its　usual　policy　of　laissez　faire　in　matters　of　emigration。　Twenty…five　hundred　English　settlers　were　brought　out　to　found　and　hold　the　town　and　fort　of　Halifax。　Nearly　as　many　Germans　were　planted　in　Lunenburg；　where　their　descendants　flourish　to　this　day。　Then　the　hapless　Acadians　were　driven　into　exile　and　into　the　room　they　left；　New　Englanders　of　strictest　Puritan　ancestry　came；　on　their　own　initiative；　and　built　up　new　communities　like　those　of　Massachusetts；　Connecticut；　and　Rhode　Island。　Other　waves　of　voluntary　immigration　followedUlster　Presbyterians；　driven　out　by　the　attempt　of　England　to　crush　the　Irish　woolen　manufacture；　and；　still　later；　Highlanders；　Roman　Catholic　and　Presbyterian；　who　soon　made　Gaelic　the　prevailing　tongue　of　the　easternmost　counties。　By　1767　the　colony　of　Nova　Scotia；　which　then　included　all　Acadia；　north　and　east　of　Maine；　had　a　prosperous　population　of　some　seven　thousand　Americans；　two　thousand　Irish；　two　thousand　Germans；　barely　a　thousand　English；　and　well　over　a　thousand　surviving　Acadian　French。　In　short；　this　northernmost　of　the　Atlantic　colonies　appeared　to　be　fast　on　the　way　to　become　a　part　of　New　England。　It　was　chiefly　New　Englanders　who　had　peopled　it；　and　it　was　with　New　England　that　for　many　a　year　its　whole　social　and　commercial　intercourse　was　carried　on。　It　was　no　accident　that　Nova　Scotia　later　produced　the　first　Yankee　humorist；　〃Sam　Slick。〃

With　the　future　sister　province　of　Canada；　or　Quebec；　which　lay　along　the　St。　Lawrence　as　far　as　the　Great　Lakes；　Acadia　or　Nova　Scotia　had　much　less　in　common　than　with　New　England。　Hundreds　of　miles　of　unbroken　forest　wilderness　lay　between　the　two　colonies；　and　the　sea　lanes　ran　between　the　St。　Lawrence；　the　Bay　of　Fundy；　or　Halifax　and　Havre　or　Plymouth；　and　not　between　Quebec　and　Halifax。　Even　the　French　settlers　came　of　different　stocks。　The　Acadians　were　chiefly　men　of　La　Rochelle　and　the　Loire；　while　the　Canadians　came；　for　the　most　part；　from　the　coast　provinces　stretching　from　Normandy　and　Picardy　to　Poitou　and　Bordeaux。

The　situation　in　Canada　proper　presented　the　British　authorities　with　a　problem　new　in　their　imperial　experience。　Hitherto；　save　for　Acadia　and　New　Netherland；　where　the　settlers　were　few　in　numbers　and；　even　in　New　Netherland；　closely　akin　to　the　conquerors　in　race；　religion；　and　speech；　no　colony　containing　men　of　European　stocks　had　been　acquired　by　conquest。　Canada　held　some　sixty　or　seventy　thousand　settlers；　French　and　Catholic　almost　to　a　man。　Despite　the　inefficiency　of　French　colonial　methods　the　plantation　had　taken　firm　root。　The　colony　had　developed　a　strength；　a　social　structure；　and　an　individuality　all　its　own。　Along　the　St。　Lawrence　and　the　Richelieu　the　settlements　lay　close　and　compact；　the　habitants'　whitewashed　cottages　lined　the　river　banks　only　a　few　arpents　apart。　The　social　cohesion　of　the　colony　was　equally　marked。　Alike　in　government；　in　religion；　and　in　industry；　it　was　a　land　where　authority　was　strong。　Governor　and　intendant；　feudal　seigneur；　bishop　and　Jesuit　superior；　ruled　each　in　his　own　sphere　and　provided　a　rigid　mold　and　framework　for　the　growth　of　the　colony。　There　were；　it　is　true；　limits　to　the　reach　of　the　arm　of　authority。　Beyond　Montreal　stretched　a　vast　wilderness　merging　at　some　uncertain　point　into　the　other　wilderness　that　was　Louisiana。　Along　the　waterways　which　threaded　this　great　No　Man's　Land　the　coureurs…de…bois　roamed　with　little　heed　to　law　or　license；　glad　to　escape　from　the　paternal　strictness　that　irked　youth　on　the　lower　St。　Lawrence。　But　the　liberty　of　these　rovers　of　the　forest　was　not　liberty　after　the　English　pattern；　the　coureur…de…bois　was　of　an　entirely　different　type　from　the　pioneers　of　British　stock　who　were　even　then　pushing　their　way　through　the　gaps　in　the　Alleghanies　and　making　homes　in　the　backwoods。　Priest　and　seigneur；　habitant　and　coureur…de…bois　were　one　and　all　difficult　to　fit　into　accepted　English　ways。　Clearly　Canada　promised　to　strain　the　digestive　capacity　of　the　British　lion。

The　present　western　provinces　of　the　Dominion　were　still　the　haunt　of　Indian　and　buffalo。　French…Canadian　explorers　and　fur　traders；　it　is　true；　had　penetrated　to　the　Rockies　a　few　years　before　the　Conquest；　and　had　built　forts　on　Lake　Winnipeg；　on　the　Assiniboine　and　Red　rivers；　and　at　half　a　dozen　portages　on　the　Saskatchewan。　But　the　〃Company　of　Adventurers　of　England　trading　into　Hudson's　Bay〃　had　not　yet　ventured　inland；　still　content　to　carry　on　its　trade　with　the　Indians　from　its　forts　along　the　shores　of　that　great　sea。　On　the　Pacific　the　Russians　had　coasted　as　far　south　as　Mount　Saint　Elias；　but　no　w