Chapter VIII: Part II (5)

Gentlemen and Friends of the French-Canadian race from abroad as well as from our own Province,--I rise with the greatest pleasure to thank you for the way in which you have received the toast which has been proposed by the President in drinking the health of the Princess and myself. The Princess has especially desired me to convey to you her gratitude, and I regret that owing to the short duration of the stay of Prince Leopold in this country, she has been unable to remain with me for the imposing celebration which we have witnessed to-day. She is at all times sorry to quit Quebec--a place she loves as much for the moral worth of its people as for the grandeur of its scenery. As for myself, gentlemen, I have obeyed a pleasant call in being amongst you to-day to testify my respect for our French-Canadian fellow-citizens, and my appreciation of the value of the element furnished by its noble and gallant race in influencing for good our young and growing Canadian nationality. I am here to show how much I prize the loyalty evinced by you on all occasions towards Her Majesty the Queen, whose representative I am. At the same time I do not wonder at the devotion shown to so august an embodiment of the principle of Constitutional Rule. The Queen sets the example of a Sovereign, who has at all times given constant proof, that with us the acts of power are the expressions of the will of the people. It is this that gives to her the highest rank amongst rulers in the eyes of the nations who acknowledge her sceptre. It is among you especially that all men will expect that this should be recognised. It was the Normans, who in France watched and guarded the cradle of that liberty at present enjoyed in England-- it was the men of Normandy and Brittany who at a later age laid the foundations of the liberty-loving community of Canada. The very usages in the Parliament of Britain survive from the days when they were planted there by our Norman ancestors. I do not know that it has been observed before in Canada, but it has often occurred to me, that in the British Parliament we still use the old words, used by your fathers for the sanction of the Sovereign given to bills, of "la reine le veut," or "la reine remercie ses bons sujets, accepte leur benevolence et ainsi le veut,"--forms which I should like to see used at Ottawa as marking our common origin, instead of the practice which is followed, of translating into modern French and English. In celebrating this fête, all can join in pride in the element predominant amongst us to-day, as it is to your race we owe the liberties of Runnymede and the practices that mark the free discussions of our Parliament. I rejoice to see so many met together, and that we have representatives of our allies the French, as well as of those who have made a home--let us hope a temporary one only--among our friends in the United States. I rejoice to see these members of the race repatriated, if only for a time, and may assure them that our old and our new lands of the West are wide and fertile enough to justify us in detaining them here and in annexing any number who may be willing to be so treated. As they well know, they will always have with us the most perfect guarantees of liberty, the fullest rights of franchise, while they will not suffer so much as now from frequent waves of moral heat incurred by all who have to take part in constant electioneering; nor will they, on the other hand, have to endure the winter and moral cold which may be experienced by all who have to undergo the effects of a Gubernatorial or Presidential veto. Our visitors will see with us to-day the signs of a happy, a loyal, and contented people; they will see us sharing in that revival of trade which I am happy to say is marking the commencement of another decade; they will see us holding in highest esteem those traditions which associate us with the past; they will see you in the fullest enjoyment of your laws, your language, and your institutions; they will see, above all, that you use the strength you thus inherit from your ancestors for no selfish purposes, but as imparting vigour and unison with the powers of other races to our great confederation, and in cementing a patriotism which is willing to bear the burdens as it shares the glory of a great country, the greatest member of the mightiest Empire ever known among mankind.

The following was delivered at the opening of Provincial Fair.

Gentlemen of the Agricultural and Arts Association of Ontario,--Believe me that any service which I can render to your invaluable association will always be at your command, and you may be sure that it is the desire of the Princess always to join me in such endeavours. It must at the same time be remembered that ladies have not that iron constitution which it is necessary that an official should possess, and it is not always possible for them to be present as well in the body as in the spirit. I congratulate you on the great progress visible in the manufactures exhibited, and on having the Provincial Show held this year at Hamilton. In Ontario, where the science of agriculture is beginning to be so thoroughly understood, I fear I can say but little that may be of use to you, but I cannot too pointedly praise that most prudent of all speculations, which has made several of the gentlemen who lead the way in such matters purchase some of the best of British cattle. To be content with raising inferior stock is as unfortunate in economy as is an illiberal and unscientific treatment of the land. Great as are the advantages possessed, in this country by the new soil, which has comparatively recently been broken up, yet the effects of unscientific farming are necessarily to be seen in many places, and it is quite as much an object of our agricultural exhibitions to point out defects of this nature, as it is to display the triumphs of those who, pursuing agriculture upon a wiser plan, can year after year show the superiority of a scientific and liberal culture of the land. I have no doubt that much good will result in the advice given in the report which will be issued of the Agricultural Commission now sitting in this Province. There is much upon which you may be congratulated. The great increase in the numbers of horses raised here is meeting the demand for them--the growth of the cheese manufacture under the factory system-- the increased attention given to root growing in connection with cattle feeding--the care bestowed on more general under-draining--the development of fruit and vine culture, and the excellence and cheapness of your agricultural implements, are all features upon which we may dwell with the utmost satisfaction. Your pasture lands are so wide, and the facilities afforded by the country for the raising of stock are so great, that it will be your own fault if you allow any others, be they breeders in the old country or the United States, to take the wind too much out of your sails. It is to be desired that provision be made against bad usage of the meat sent to England, for sufficient care is not taken of it at present after debarkation, and it appears to disadvantage in consequence in the markets. It must be remembered that at the present moment you have advantages with regard to the protection afforded you in the permission given to land your cattle alive in the old country, when it is denied to the States, which cannot be expected to last. It is impossible to urge too strongly the necessity of preparation against a time when American cattle will be again admitted alive into England. Unless you get the very best stock, and produce high graded beasts, you cannot hold your own. The necessary expense attending the purchase of high-bred cattle will now pay you, and if with their produce you can maintain your place in the European markets, you may be assured that the money so spent could never have been spent to better purpose. I am informed that lately at Toronto--and I hope we may see the same feature here in two days--Galloways, Polled Angus, as well as good Shorthorns, were to be seen in the yards. In sheep also, some of the gentlemen who with so much foresight lead the way amongst our agricultural communities, have made purchases this year of Shropshire and other high-class animals. I trust that each year may see a marked improvement with respect to following such leaders, and I have the utmost confidence that with the spirit of enterprise which has made British North America proportionately equal to any area on this continent in population, and in all the arts which can lead to that population's prosperity and happiness, Canada will not be found to be one whit behindhand.

To an address presented at the opening of the Quebec Provincial Fair, held at Montreal, His Excellency, the Governor-General, replied, both in French and English, as follows:--

Gentlemen,--It is a happy augury for our country that the expressions of loyalty to the throne, and confidence in the institutions under which we live, should be emphasised by you, who represent the different races of which our nationality is composed, when we meet to-day under roofs which shelter the products of the industrial and agricultural industry of a wide territory, now enjoying marked and unusual prosperity. It is not only a personal sentiment of reverence toward the august occupant of the throne, the faithful interpreter of our constitutional law, but it is to the perfected fabric of the experience of many centuries,--to the freest form of government on earth, that you declare your devotion. The love for such institutions can therefore be no passing phase dependent upon any single life; but is a love that lives with the life of the nation by whose decrees those institutions exist and abide.

It is my happy duty to represent among you to-day the countenance given yearly by the Federal Government to one of those great provincial fairs, by which our people in each section of the country show the high value they place upon the comparison and competition to be obtained by such exhibitions. Each year Industrial Art is thus aided, and a stimulus is given to the excellency of workmanship, which can alone content a people with its manufactures, and provide for their acceptance abroad. Each year at such re-unions the prospects of fresh enterprise in agriculture are discussed. For instance, we look forward with confidence to the new organisations for the cultivation of the beet-root, to be undertaken under favourable auspices, experiments having already proved that the beet-root grown here possesses a far larger percentage of sugar than can be shown by that of either France or Germany. Again, in the exportation of phosphates, which have proved themselves so excellent as fertilisers that they have arrested the attention of the Agricultural Chambers of Europe, fresh combinations will ensure a large supply from the Valley of the Ottawa. Lastly, the encouragement of the improvement in the breed of cattle, and the solution of the problem how best to export them with profit, engage your minds. It is almost certain that although in some parts of our country the cattle must be fed during winter for a longer period than in others, yet with good management and proper co-operation, wherever good crops can be produced, the winter will form no obstacle to the profitable sale of cattle in the European markets. By contributing last year at Ottawa, and this year at Montreal, to a Provincial exhibition, the government of our Union designates its desire in the interest of the whole country to supplement each year, at a different place, those provincial resources which are so wisely lavished on many branches of education. The grant given on the part of the Union by which this meeting is constituted a Dominion Exhibition, is the contribution made for a special branch of instruction. As by our constitution, education is a provincial matter, such Federal grants, if made, must be given where more than the interests of one Province only are concerned. The object to be attained is to help forward those who, owing to a less favouring fortune, are behindhand, by enabling them to see the results attained by their neighbours. The question must not only be, "Will such an Exhibition pay its expenses?" It must be asked, "Will such an Exhibition spread useful knowledge over wider districts which require it?"

Let me, in concluding these remarks in answer to your address, express on the part of the Princess the gratitude she will feel at your mention of her name; and I shall now fulfil the duty, for the performance of which I have been invited here, in declaring this Exhibition open to the public.

At the laying of the foundation-stone of a new Museum at M'Gill University, Montreal, in 1880, His Excellency spoke as follows:--

Mr. Chancellor, Members of Convocation, Ladies and Gentlemen,--Now that my part in the physical exercises, which I cannot say I have graced, but have accomplished, is over, I have been asked to take also a part in the intellectual exercises of this day by saying a few words to you. When I first came to Canada, and afterwards at the time when Confederation was coming into being, the first political lesson that I learnt with regard to this country was that the Federal Government would have nothing whatever to do with education. The earliest lesson that I learnt, on arriving in Canada fourteen years afterwards, was that the head of the Federal Government was frequently expected to attend on such occasions as that on which we are assembled to-day, which has certainly a great deal to do with education. Perhaps, however, I may flatter myself by supposing that my presence here to-day has been desired more in the capacity of a friend than as an official--(applause) --and I hope that this may be the footing on which you will always allow me to meet you and see what you are doing. I can assure you I will never betray any of your secrets to my Ministers, except under the advice of my honourable friend on my right (the Lieutenant-Governor Robitaille), who is the natural protector and guardian of this University, and of education in this Province. (Laughter.) I share most heartily with you in the joy you must experience at the prospect of possessing so fine a hall for the accommodation of the treasures which are rapidly accumulating in your hands. That the necessity for a large building should have been so promptly met by the sympathetic support and far-seeing generosity of Mr. Redpath, proves that the race of benefactors, illustrated by the names of Molson and M'Gill, has not died out amongst us. (Loud applause.) The removal of the geological collections belonging to the nation from Montreal to Ottawa, which has been determined upon as bringing more immediately under the eye of the Legislature and the knowledge of the Government the labours and results attained by our men of science, necessarily deprives the residents of Montreal, who are students, of the facilities hitherto afforded by the presence in this city of those collections. It is satisfactory to know that this loss will be palliated by such noble gifts as those which have furnished you with other collections, which are now to find at last a proper place for their display. (Applause.) You who have in your Chancellor and members of Convocation such eminent and worthy representatives of judicial attainment, of classical learning, of medical and surgical knowledge, and of scientific research, will well know how to give full value to the last of these subjects, namely, to the culture of the natural sciences. (Applause.) Besides the direct utility of a knowledge of zoology, botany, geology, and chemistry, and of the kindred branches grouped under the designation of natural science, the pleasure to be derived from them is not amongst the least of the advantages of their study. (Hear, hear.) However forbidding the country in which he is placed, however uninteresting the other surroundings of a man's life may be, he need never miss the delights of an engrossing occupation, if the very earth on which he treads, each leaf and insect, and all the phenomena of nature around him, cause him to follow out new lines of study, and give his thought a wider range. This is enough to make a man feel as though in the enjoyment of a never-dying vitality, and I doubt if any one amongst you feels younger than your honoured Principal, although his studies have led him in fancy over every region, and must make him feel as if a perpetual youth had caused him to live through all geological time. (Laughter and applause.) To parallel a saying, spoken of another eminent man, he certainly has learnt all that rocks can teach, except to be hard-hearted. (Renewed laughter.) It seems to me peculiarly appropriate that he who first established the certainty of the "Dawn of Life" amongst the Laurentian rocks of Canada, should here, through his untiring zeal, officiate in launching into the dawn of public recognition the young manhood of his country. (Applause.) It is your great good fortune that in your Principal you have a leader who is an admirable guide, not alone in the fairy realms of science, but also through those sterner, and, to some, less attractive regions which own the harsher rule of the exigencies of the daily life around us. (Hear, hear.) He has traced in the rocks the writing of the Creator, and with the magic light, only to be borne by him who has earned the power through toil of reason and of induction, he has been able to see in the spirit and describe the processes of creation. His knowledge has pierced the dark ages, when through countless aeons the earth was being prepared for man; he has shown how forests--vast as those we see to-day, but with vanished forms of vegetation and of life, grew, decayed, and were preserved in altered condition to give us in these days of colder skies the fuel we need. He has been for his beloved Acadia the historian of the cycles when God formed her under the primal waters, fashioned her in the marshes teeming in His fervent heat, caused His fire to fuse the metal in her rocks, and His ice to scourge the coasts, thereafter to be subjected to yet more stupendous changes, and raised and made fit for the last and highest of His works. (Loud applause.) But Dr. Dawson's great knowledge and wide learning have not led him, as they might lead many, to live apart in fastidious study and in selfish absorption, forgetful of the claims and contemptuous of the merits of others. (Hear, hear.) His wisdom in these difficult studies has not separated him from us; it has only been a fresh cause for us to hail that public spirit which makes him give all he has, whether of strength, of time, or of knowledge, for the benefit of his fellow-citizens. (Applause.) Just as it was not for Acadia alone, but in the interests of science, that his first labour was undertaken; so now it is not for any especial locality, but for the good of the whole of our country, that he is head of this place of learning, whence depart so many to take their lot in the civil life of Canada. Even in his presence it is right that this should be said of him, here on this spot, where you are to raise a new temple of the practical sciences, and now that he, with you, has become the recipient of this gift, which is a tribute from one who has earned success in the hard battle of life, offered to men who, with so much devotion, are training other lives to win their way by knowledge through the difficulties that may lie before them. (Loud applause.)

A fine statue of Colonel de Salaberry, by Mr. Hubert of Montreal, was, in 1880, unveiled at Chambly. A large concourse of people, and representative men from all parts of the Province of Quebec, were present, and after eloquent speeches from Colonel Harwood and other gentlemen, His Excellency said:--

Accept my thanks for your address, which records your patriotic desire to honour in a befitting manner the memory of a patriot. I rejoice to be able to take part with you in this commemoration of a gallant soldier. We are here to unveil a monument dedicated to a man who worthily represented the loyal spirit of his age. That spirit exists to the full to-day. Should need arise, there are many among the Canadian nation who would emulate his example and endeavour to rival his achievements. This statue records a character typical of our countrymen. Content with little for himself, content only with greatness for his country--such was the character of De Salaberry; such is the character of the Canadian to-day. At Chambly, in the Province where he had the good fortune to have the occasion to manifest that valour which was the proud tradition of his race, we place his statue. It is raised in no spirit of idle boasting, but with a hope that the virtues shown of old may, unforgotten, light and guide future generations. These virtues were conspicuous in this distinguished man, whose military talents enabled him to perform his duty with signal advantage to our arms. In rearing this monument to him, let us not forget to pay a passing tribute to his brothers. They, with him, in the hour of danger, took to the profession of arms, we may almost say as a part of their nature. Three of them perished in upholding the honour of that flag which is to-day our symbol of unity and freedom. In this fair region, which was his home, a contrast between our times and those in which he lived comes forcibly before us. Where are now the wide tracts of fertile fields and a country traversed by railways or to be reached by the steamers on our rivers, De Salaberry and his voltigeurs, when they made their gallant defence, saw only scattered clearings among great forests. These, too, often concealed contending armies. While we cherish the recollection of gallant deeds performed, where English and French-speaking Canadians equally distinguished themselves, it is not necessary to dwell on the bitter associations of those times. We are at peace, and live in what we hope will be an abiding friendship and alliance with the great and generous people of the south. They then endeavoured to conquer us, but were in the end only enabled to entertain for the Canadians that respect which is the only true and lasting foundation of friend ship. We must be thankful and rejoice that our rivalries with them are now only in the fruitful fields of commerce. Our resources in these peaceful paths are daily supplying the sinews of strength and the power to us in resources and population which would make any war undertaken against Canada a war that would be a long and a difficult one. They do not desire to invade us. We trust that such a desire will never again arise, for nations do not now so often as of old interfere with their neighbours when no faction invites interference. If in 1812 Canada was dear for her own sake to Canadians, how much more is she so now? Then possessed only of a small population, enjoying liberty under the aegis of a narrow constitution, now we see in her a great and growing people, self-governed at home, proud of the freest form of constitution, and able to use in association with her own representative the diplomatic strength of a great empire for the making of her commercial compacts with other nations. With us there is no party which would invite incursions or change of government. No man has a chance of success in Canadian public life, no one is countenanced by our people, who is not a lover of free institutions. In inviting here the Governor-General you have an officer present, who as the head of the Federal government is nothing but the first and abiding representative of the people. It is, however, not only as an official that I rejoice with you to-day. Personal feelings make it a joyful hour for me when I can visit the cradle of so much worth and valour, surrounded as I am by the members of the family of Monsieur de Salaberry. The Princess and I can never forget the intimate friendship which existed between Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, and Colonel de Salaberry--a friendship between families which, I may be allowed to hope, will not be confined to the grandfathers. The Princess asked me to express the deep interest she takes in this celebration. She wishes me to convey to you her sorrow that she is not here to-day with us. She yet hopes to be able to see this monument, where for the first time Canadian art has so honourably recorded in sculpture Canadian loyalty, bravery, and genius.

In 1880, at St Thomas in Ontario, over 6000 men of Highland descent were present at a meeting attended by the Governor-General, who spoke as follows in reply to an address delivered in Gaelic and English:--

Highlanders and Friends from the Land of the Gael,--You do not know how much pleasure you give me in coming forward, and in such a touching and eloquent address as that to which I have just listened, giving me the assurance of the unchangeable loyalty which animates your hearts, and of the pride with which you look back upon the country of your forefathers. (Applause.) It is not often that a man gets so many kindly words addressed to him from so great a meeting of his countrymen. Although it is for Canada as a whole that I work in this country, and for her whole population of whatever race that my heart, as well as my duty, urges me to strive, yet it is a peculiar delight that such endeavours should be illustrated by meeting with those who are descended from men at whose side, in the dark ages of trial and of difficulty, my fathers fought and died. We have many ancient memories in common. You tell me that these are rehearsed among you. I know that among your cousins at home the tales of the deeds of the heroes of the Feinn of Ireland and of Scotland, and the achievements of the great men who have lived since their day, in successive centuries, are constantly repeated. I would give nothing for a man who could place little value upon the lives and times of his ancestors, not only because without them he himself would have no existence--(laughter)--but because in tracing the history of their lives, and in remembering the difficulties they encountered, he will be spurred to emulate, in as far as in him lies, the triumphs that have caused them to be remembered. (Cheers.) I would give nothing for a French-Canadian who could not look back with pride on the glorious discoveries and contests of the early pioneers of Canada. I would give nothing for a German who in Ontario could forget that he came from the race who under Hermann hurled back the tide of Roman invasion; nor for an Englishman who forgets the splendid virtues which have made the English character comparable to the native oak. (Applause.) Such reminiscences and such incentives to display in the present day the virtues of our ancestors can have none but a good result. Here our different races have, through God's providence, become the inheritors of a new country, where the blood of all is mingling, and where a nation is arising which we firmly believe will show through future centuries the nerve, the energy, and intellectual powers which characterised the people of northern Europe. (Hear, hear.) And let our pride in this country with reference to its sons not be so much seen in pride of the original stock, as in the feeling of joy which should arise when we can say, "Such an orator, such a soldier, such a poet, or such a statesman is a Canadian." (Cheers.) Keep up a knowledge of your ancient language; for the exercise given to a man's mind in the power given by the ability to express his thoughts in two languages is no mean advantage. I would gladly have given much of the time devoted in boyhood to acquiring Greek to the acquisition of Gaelic. My friends, let me now tell you how happy it makes me to see that the valour, the skill, and the bravery which used to make you chief among your neighbours in the strife of swords, is here shown in the mastery of the difficulties of nature. Your lives are here cast in pleasant places. The aspect of the fertility of your lands, of the success of their cultivation, and of your prosperity in their enjoyment, is producing so powerful an effect upon your brethren at home, that we have some difficulty in persuading the most enterprising amongst them to remain in the old country. (Laughter.) You know that economic causes have forced much of the increasing population of Scotland to seek the towns, and the change in the proprietorship of lands has united in a few unfortunate instances with the love for hunting in tempting men, in more modern times, to care more for their preserves of animals than for the preserves they could point to as being filled with men. My family has always loved, not for policy, but on account of their fellow-citizens, to place in the balance, against the temptation for gain among the people, the love of home; and have thus had many men on their lands. In a small country, of poor climate as compared with Canada, this must of course be regulated by the resources of the land. But I visit always with a peculiar pleasure those districts at home where a large population has been able to find a competent livelihood. One island known to many of you, namely, Tiree, has upon a surface of twelve miles long by about two in width over three thousand souls. At the present day I find that some of those who have visited Ontario, or who know from their friends what this land is like, now come to us and say, "We are tempted to go to Canada, for each of our friends there has for himself a farm as big as the whole island of Tiree." (Laughter.) This is only an instance of how much the western Highlander has thriven in these new and more spacious homes. (Cheers.) Some amongst you are of my name. I find that the Campbells get on as well as anybody else in this country. Lately a gentleman managed to praise himself, his wife, and me by making the following speech. He said, "I am glad to see you here as Governor-General. I always find that the Campbells in this country manage to get most excellent places." He then pointed to his wife, and proved his argument by the announcement, "My wife there is a Campbell." (Renewed laughter.) That you, your children, and children's children, may continue to prosper is the wish of my heart, and the desire of all in the Mother Country, who see that here you are one of the powers that constitute, in the new world, a community devoted to the great traditions, to the might and enduring grandeur of our united empire. (Loud cheers.) Had it not been so you would not have come to meet me here to-day. Some time ago I visited Killin, in Perthshire, a most interesting place. It is a rocky island covered with heather, grass, and pine trees, placed in the centre of the foaming waters of the river Dochart, which streams from Benmore. It was the ancient burial place of the gallant race of Macnab, a clan which with its chief came over to Canada and was illustrious in the history of this country. Its chief, Sir Allan, became, not by virtue of descent, but by ability and integrity, a leader in the public life of Canada. His son came to Killin to see this last resting-place of his fathers, and was there seen by a poet, who in some beautiful verses says:--

"Would a son of the chieftain have dared to invade
The isle where the heroes repose;"

Were it not, that as--

"A pilgrim he came to that place of the dead,
For he knew that the tenant of each narrow bed,
Would hail him as worthy of them."

He then asks how he and they had shown their metal, and in vindication of their fidelity to their ancient fame, he imagines that the very wind that waved the fir branches over the old tombs carries in rustling whisper, or in strong breath of storm, among the boughs:--

"A voice as it flies,
From the far distant forest that fringes the deeps
Of the rushing St. Lawrence, replies:--
That, however to Albyn their name
Has become like a tale of past years that is told;
On the shores of Lake Erie that race is the same,
And as true to the land of its birth and its fame,
As their gallant forefathers of old."

May this be ever so with you, and may God prosper and bless you in all your undertakings. (Prolonged cheers.)

On his return to Winnipeg, after his tour through the North-Western Territories in 1881, His Excellency spoke as follows:--