CANADA, THE DOMINION OF, a Federal Union of Provinces and Territories, comprising all the British possessions in North America, except the Island of Newfoundland. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the west by Alaska and the Pacific Ocean, on the south by the United States, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. Its area is 3,745,574 square miles, or, including its water areas, 901,806,879 acres.

Face of the Country.—It is but natural to suppose that in such a vast extent of country there is every variety of surface—mountain, plateau and valley. Beginning at the Atlantic frontier of Nova Scotia a range of highlands skirts the seaboard and extends inland for or 20 miles. This dislocated range of metamorphic hills nowhere assumes the height of mountains. Sixty miles inland from this seaboard, and nearly parallel thereto, the Cobequid Mountains, some of which are 1,100 feet high, traverse Nova Scotia, from the Bay of Fundy to the Strait of Canso. This range is clothed with a large growth of timber, to its summit, where agricultural products grow luxuriantly. Between the Atlantic and Cobequid ranges is a wide and fertile valley, embracing the entire length of Nova Scotia proper. The third mountainous range, of moderate elevations, traverses the boundary between Quebec and New Brunswick, from the State of Maine to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Between this range and the Cobequid Mountains, with which it runs parallel, is an extensive plateau of fertile lands embracing nearly the whole of New Brunswick and a large part of Nova Scotia. The coast of Labrador is mountainous. The mountain formations of the country lying between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Rocky Mountains assume a different direction from the lower mountain ranges above referred to. The country presents a terraced character; the navigation of the principal streams is obstructed by numerous falls and rapids, the result of convulsions of no ordinary nature. The principal part of the mountainous districts runs in the direction of the great rivers and lakes lying between the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Rocky Mountains. On either side of the valley of the estuary of the St. Lawrence is a range of mountainous country. That on the north is called the Laurentides. It terminates easterly at the coast of Labrador and extends up the north side of the Ottawa for 100 miles, then sweeps round to the Thousand Islands near Kingston, then gains the southern extremity of Georgian Bay, continues along the eastern and northern shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior, and ultimately reaches the Arctic Ocean; its whole course is about 3,500 miles. This chain varies from hills of 200 feet to that of mountains, culminating near Lake Superior to a height of 2,100 feet. It gives the watershed separating the tributaries of the St. Lawrence from those of Hudson Bay; but beyond the basin of the St. Lawrence it is traversed by two affluents of this bay, the Saskatchewan and the Churchill, the former taking its source in the Rocky Mountains; while, still farther on, the range becomes the limit of the Hudson Bay rivers, dividing their sources and those of the Back River and other streams, for 800 miles, from the Mackenzie River. In the valleys and lower parts of the Laurentian region there are considerable areas of good land, having a deep, rich soil, and bearing heavy timber. In the higher parts the rigor of the climate scarcely permits the cultivation of the cereals. The southern range (called Notre Dame Mountains) is a spur of the Alleghanies, which, commencing at the Gulf of St. Lawrence, forms a prolonged chain of mountains through the United States as far as Virginia. In its course through Canada it runs nearly parallel to the River St. Lawrence at from 20 to 50 miles distance; and passes south of Lake Champlain. Its greatest elevation on the Canadian side (the Shickshock Mountains on the Gaspe peninsula), is about 4,000 feet. The Blue Mountains on the south side of the Georgian Bay attain a height of 1,900 feet above the level of Lake Huron. The country lying between Lake Superior and the Rocky Mountains is intersected by numerous chain's of mountains, with extensive valleys of fertile lands intervening. The Rocky Mountains, the dominant ridge of the continent, stretch from Alaska to California. Some peaks on Canadian territory attain a height of over 16,700 feet. Between these mountains and the Pacific coast, are the Selkirk Mountains, the Gold Range, the great central hilly plateau or table land, and the Coast or Cascade Range. All these mountain chains as well as the central plateau have a general north-western and south-eastern course. The Cascade Range is the northward extension of the Sierra Nevada; the central plateau bears a similar relation to the great volcanic arid and hilly table land of the State of Nevada; and the Selkirk and Gold Ranges may be paralleled with the Bitter Root Mountains between Montana and Idaho. The highest points of the Cascade Mountains do not exceed 7,000 feet. The central plateau has an average elevation of from 1,000 to 3,000 feet. The Selkirk Mountains, towards the north, in the vicinity of Cariboo and about the sources of the North Thompson, have a somewhat greater average elevation than the Cascades. The highest known summits of the Rocky Mountains are Mount Murchison, Mount Hooker, and Mount Brown, estimated at from 15,000 to 16,760 feet. Of the principal part of the territory lying around Hudson Bay comparatively little is yet known, though it is now bordered by the provisionally organized districts of Keewatin and Ungava. The inland sea of Hudson Bay has an area of 350,000 sq. miles. Including its two arms, it has an extreme length north and south of 1,000 miles, and a width across the bay proper of about 600 miles. The great spruce forest of Canada, states the “Statistical Year-Book,” extends through all the Eastern Provinces, goes as far north as Ungava Bay, east of Hudson Bay and south of Hudson Strait, and on the west side of Hudson Bay extends as far northwest as Coronation Gulf and the mouths of the Mackenzie River, thus constituting one of the greatest pulp wood regions in the world.

Minerals.—The Dominion of Canada contains within its limits almost every variety of mineral wealth. The value of her mineral production was, in 1901, &66,712,708. The gold deposits of British Columbia and Nova Scotia are rich. The gold area of Nova Scotia is known to spread over an extent of at least 6,000 square miles. The lodes are regular in structure, and preserve their richness to depths of 200 and 300 feet. The gold extracted from quartz rock is remarkably fine and pure. In 1901, the gold product of the Dominion was 1,167,320 ounces, valued at $24,128,503. In British Columbia the precious metal is not confined to any one section. It is found all along the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, and in the Klondike (Yukon district), again in the north along the Peace and Omineca Rivers, and on Germansen Creek and on Vancouver Island From the United States frontier to the 53rd degree of latitude, and for a width of from 1 to 200 miles, gold is found nearly everywhere. Gold mines are worked in the county of Beauce, Quebec. Gold is also found in the county of Hastings, Ontario; on the banks of the Shiktehawk, a tributary of the River St. John. N.B.; on the Athabasca, McLeod, and Pembina Rivers, which flow into the Arctic Ocean and on the North Saskatchewan, Red Deer and Bow Rivers, flowing into Lake Winnipeg. Extraordinary deposits of silver ore are found in several islands on the north shore of Lake Superior; also in numerous veins of argentiferous galena scattered over that portion of Quebec to the south of the St. Lawrence. Silver is also found in Nova Scotia, and in the Fraser valley in British Columbia. Recent discoveries in the Kootenay district promise rich results; while in New Ontario, in the Cobalt region, valuable deposits of silver ore have been unearthed and worked, ably worked. At Sudbury there are important nickel mines.

Mineral Production.—The value of the total mineral production in Canada was, in 1903, $63,226,510, most of it being raised in British Columbia, Manitoba and the Tierritories (chiefly from the Yukon district), Ontario and Nova Scotia, with a small yield, comparatively, from the Province of Quebec. The chief products include gold, the yield of which in the year named amounted to $18,834,490; silver, yield of in 1902, 4,291,317 ounces, valued at $2,238,351; coal, which yielded a value of $15,957,946; copper, $5,728,261; nickel, $5,002,204; Portland cement, $1,090,842; lead, $762,660; coke, $1,663,725: iron ore, $922,571; asbestos, $891,033; petroleum, $922,672; and pig iron, $707,838. The exports of these minerals, etc., was in value, in 1903 $35,042,071, of which $32,340,071 in value was shipped to the United States.

The Coal Areas of Canada, according to surveys and official estimates, are affirmed to be 97 200 sq. miles in extent, not including areas known, but as yet undeveloped, in the far north. The amount of coal in Nova Scotia is estimated at 7,000 million tons, covering an area about 635 sq. miles in extent. The workable measures in Cape Breton, in the Pictou and Cumberland basins, are known also to be very deep, ranging in depth from 30 to 70 feet. The coal areas of British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains, as well as those in the Saskatchewan Valley, are known also to be both large and rich. The total coal production of the Dominion was, in 1903, 7,996,634 tons, the greater bulk of which (close upon 5,713,000 tons) was mined in Nova Scotia. In Manitoba, the coal area is roughly estimated at 15,000 square miles, though the yield is only of a poor quality of lignite. Better in quality and large in yield is the product drawn from the Belly. Bow, and Peace Rivers districts, along the base of the Rockies (estimated area 50 000 square miles).

Petroleum has been found a rich asset in Ontario, principally in Lambton co., though it is also found in the Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and in the Northwest Territories. The product at the oil refineries of Canada, in 1901, was as follows; crude oil, 21,438,500 imp. gallons, and of distilled, 17,745,182 imp. gallons. The value respectively of these two classes was, for the year named, $1,305,540 and $980,222. The quantity of illuminating oil produced was, in 1901, 9,463,262 imp. gallons, and of lubricating oil 764,861 imp. gallons.

Of the other minerals coal is the most important. It is found in Nova Scotia, in New Brunswick, in British Columbia, and in the Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. The coal fields of Nova Scotia are of vast extent and value, and have been worked more or less since the first settlement of the colony by the British. The beds are said to be well nigh inexhaustible; in 1903 the output of coal and coke was 5,637,847 tons, that of iron ore 415,192 tons, and of gold 25,198 ounces. The coal mines of British Columbia are even more valuable than the gold. Anthracite coal is found on Vancouver Island in several places, especially along the east coast. The coal is of fair quality, superior to the Scotch, but not equal to the Welsh. Veins of coal have been found in other parts of the Province. Anthracite coal, very excellent in quality, is found on Queen Charlotte's island. The coal fields of New Brunswick cover an area of about 10,000 square miles. The Albert coal is one of the most beautiful of all carboniferous products; it is jet black, brilliant and lustrous, with a conchoidal fracture, and is extremely brittle. It is chiefly used in the manufacture of illuminating oils (of which it yields, by distillation, a large percentage, and of the very best quality) and gas. The coal mined at Grand Lake is of an excellent quality being hard, rather lustrous, giving out much heat in burning, and lasting longer than most other coal The great coal bed of the Northwest Territories commences 150 miles east of the Rocky mountains. It is 300 miles in width, and extends over 16 degrees of latitude, to the Arctic Ocean. The coal areas of Manitoba are estimated at 15,000 sq. miles. There are no coal mines of any great extent in Ontario or Quebec.

Salt springs, strongly saturated, are numerous in New Brunswick, and salt wells of great richness are worked in the counties of Ontario bordering on Lake Huron. Agates, jaspers, diamonds, rubies, pearls, feldspar, amethysts, carnelians, chalcedonies, cairngorms, porphyries, etc., are found in several parts of the Dominion.

Gulfs, Bays, Rivers, Lakes, etc.—The coasts of the Dominion have numerous indentations, the most remarkable of which are Hudson Bay—one of the most extensive inland seas on the globe—the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the Gulf of Georgia. The hydrographical basin of the St. Lawrence and its estuary comprises an area of about 530,000 square miles. In form it presents an irregular parallelogram running nearly southwest for about 900 miles, with a pretty uniform breadth of 250 miles, the southern side in its farther progress sweeping round in a wide semi-circle, the diameter of which extends about 900 miles to the north west. The Great Lakes into which the river expands—Superior, Huron, Michigan, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario,—with its estuaries, have an area of about 130,000 square miles, leaving for the lands drained by the river an area of 400,000 square miles. At least 330,000 square miles of these belong to Canada; the remainder constitutes a part of the United States. With the exception of about 50,000 square miles (including the whole of the Gaspe Peninsula) in the eastern part of Quebec, the Canadian portion lies wholly on the north side of the river, while the only part of the United States which does so is situated at the west end of Lake Superior. The chief lakes in the western Provinces of Canada are Lake Winnipeg (area, 9,400 sq. miles), Manitoba and Winnipegosis; Great Bear Lake (11,200 sq. miles), Great Slave (Lake (area, 10,100 sq. miles), Athabaska Lake (4,400 sq. miles), and Reindeer Lake.

The principal rivers flowing into the St Lawrence are the Ottawa, 800 miles long, with many large tributaries; the St. Maurice, 400 miles long; the Batiscan, the Chaudiere, the Richelieu, the St. Francis, the Hamilton, the Moisic, the Romaine, the Ste. Anne, and the Saguenay. The other chief rivers in the Dominion are the Saskatchewan, which rises in the Rocky Mountains, traverses 15° of longitude, or a distance of at least 900 miles, and falls into Lake Winnipeg in latitude 55° N. This lake is connected with Hudson Bay by the Nelson River, about 500 miles in length. Lake Athabasca, situated about latitude 59° N., and longitude 110° W., receives, among others, the Peace River and the Athabaska, a large stream rising in the Rocky Mountains near the source of the Columbia. The Fraser River, the golden stream of British Columbia, rises in the Rocky Mountains and enters the Pacific after a course of about 700 miles. The Columbia, 1,200 miles long, also rises in the Rocky Mountains and has its outlet in the Pacific. The Mackenzie, entering the Arctic Ocean, is one of the largest rivers on the globe. East of it, and also flowing Into the Arctic Ocean, are the Coppermine and Great Fish Rivers. The Gatineau, the Keepawa, the Mattawa, the Mistassini, the Churchill, the Dumoine, the Miramichi, the Restigouche, the St. John, the Avon, the Clyde, the Grand, the Trent, the Nipigon and the Stickeen, are all important rivers, and the Great Bear, Great Slave, Manitoba, Lake of the Woods, Mistassini, St. John, Nipigon, and Nipissing are all magnificent lakes.

The great Laurentian lakes, five in number (Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, and Superior, though Michigan entirely, and all the others in part, are within the boundaries of the United States) form, with their connecting rivers, a complete system of navigation from the head of Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean, a distance of 2,384 miles. They cover an area of about 100,000 sq. miles. The chief islands in the Dominion are Baffin, Banks, Melville, Bathurst, North Devon , North Somerset, Prince Albert Land, Prince of Wales, Cornwallis, and King William Land, in the arctic seas of Franklin district; Southampton Island at the head of Hudson Bay; Cape Breton, Anticosti, and Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence; and Vancouver and Queen Charlotte Islands in the Pacific, off the British Columbia coast.

Climate.—There is probably more misconception about the climate of Canada than about that of any other known country. The range of temperature is exceedingly great. In the Maritime Provinces the climate somewhat resembles that of the British Isles. In Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba the summers are warm and the winters cold, but the cold is pleasant and bracing. In the new Provinces erected out of the Northwest Territories cattle graze at large through the winter months, and on the Pacific Coast the climate is milder than in any other part of the Dominion. Winter lasts about four and a half months. The climate of Nova Scotia is extremely temperate, considering its northern latitude. In Halifax and the eastern counties the mercury seldom rises in summer above 86° in the shade, and in winter it is not often down to zero. In the interior, the winter is about the same, but the summer is considerably warmer. The climate of New Brunswick is subject to great extremes of heat and cold; the thermometer sometimes rising to 100° during the day and falling in the forest during the night of the same day to 50°. Still the climate is exceedingly healthy and favorable for agricultural operations. The climate of Prince Edward Island is much milder than that of Nova Scotia or New Brunswick, and is remarkably salubrious. The winter is long and cold, but the summer is eminently fitted for the growth of all ordinary cereals. The winters of Quebec are cold and the summers somewhat similar to those of France. There are at times in winter snow falls to the depth of 3 or 4 feet, and the thermometer sinks very low; but the atmosphere is generally dry and exhilarating. The cold, therefore, is not felt to be unpleasant, in fact not nearly so much so as the cold of the winters in England. The climate of Quebec is altogether one of the healthiest under the sun, as well as one of the most pleasant to live in. The winter of Ontario is much milder than that of Quebec, owing to its being near the lakes. Manitoba and the Saskatchewan country have the same summer temperature as the most favored parts of the St. Lawrence valley, as Central Pennsylvania and Southern New England. The winter isothermal is that of Quebec. The climate of British Columbia varies according to the locality, owing principally to four causes, greater or lesser distance from the sea and from the vicinity of the mountain regions, difference in the nature and quantity of the vegetable growth, and difference of level. The low portions near the sea and on Vancouver Island have a moderate climate with a general range of from 20° in winter to 80° in summer. The temperature on the island is lower than on the mainland owing to the prevailing southern winds. Along the coast of British Columbia, for 150 miles inland, the climate is humid, the thermometer rarely falling below 10° or rising above 90°. Rain is abundant during the spring, summer and autumn. Snow neither falls heavily nor lies long, and the frosts are not severe, ice being seldom more than an inch thick. In the middle districts the summer heat is intense, and in winter mercury commonly freezes.

Soil and Productions.—By far the greater part of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and the country lying between Lake Superior and the Pacific Ocean and Vancouver Island is admirably adapted for agricultural pursuits. The soil of Quebec is exceedingly fertile and capable of high cultivation; the cereals, hay, root crops and fruits grow in abundance and perfection. The great wealth of Ontario is the richness of its soil and the favorable nature of its climate for agricultural operations. The extreme southwest district of the Province is distinguished by its adaptability to the growth of many fruits, shrubs and flowers, which do not come to perfection in any other part of Canada. Here the peach ripens in the open air, the finer kinds of grapes grow well, the tulip tree blossoms, the catalpa is not cut down by frost, the chesnut tree bears, and the finest kinds of apples and pears are cultivated. The valley of the Thames together with the rich alluvial flats which extend from it northward to the north branch of Bear Creek, and southward nearly to the shore of Lake Erie, is remarkable for its great fertility, and luxuriant forest growth. The soil is generally clay, with a happing of rich vegetable mould, and is covered in the natural state with elm. oak. black walnut and whitewood trees of large size, together with fine groves of sugar maple. Towards the mouth of the Thames, and on the borders of Lake St. Clair, is an area of natural prairie of about 50,000 acres. It lies but little above the level of the lake, and is in large part overflowed in time of spring floods. The soil of this prairie is a deep unctuous mould, covered chiefly with grass, with here and there copses of maple, walnut and elm, and with willows dotting the surface of the plain. Along the shores of Lake Huron and Lake Superior oats and barley grow well, but northward, at the dividing ridge between the waters flowing into Hudson Bay and into the lakes, it is difficult to raise even potatoes.

The natural vegetation in the Red River and Saskatchewan valleys is luxuriant. The soil is an alluvial, black, argillaceous mould, rich in organic deposit, and resting at a depth of 2 to 4 feet on a tenacious clay soil. Some fields in the region of the Red River have been known to produce 20 successive crops of wheat without fallow or manure, the yield being frequently from 30 to 40 bushels to the acre. Barley yields enormous returns, with a weight of from 50 to 55 lbs. to the bushel. Oats thrive well. Potatoes are particularly successful, unsurpassed in quality and the yield remarkably prolific. Turnips, carrots, cabbages and other root crops do nearly as well as potatoes. Buffaloes winter on the prairie grasses up as high as Lake Athabasca, and the horses of the settlers run at large and grow fat on the grasses they pick up in the woods and bottoms.

As an agricultural country British Columbia has been much under-estimated. The tracts of arable land are of very great extent. A portion of these, however, require artificial irrigation. This is easy to be obtained and not expensive, and lands so irrigated are of very great fertility, yielding as much as 40 bushels of wheat to the acre. The tracts of land suitable to grazing purposes are of almost endless extent. On the Cariboo road there is a plain 150 miles long and 60 or 80 wide, and between the Thompson and Fraser Rivers there is an immense tract of arable and grazing land. The hills and plains are covered with bunch grass on which the cattle and horses live all winter, and its nutritive qualities are said to exceed the celebrated blue grass and clover of Virginia.

In Nova Scotia, apples, plums, pears, quinces, cherries, etc., are easily cultivated; grains and root crops do well and Indian corn will ripen. The climate of New Brunswick is exceedingly favorable for agricultural operations. The average yield per acre is greater than in the States of New York or Ohio. The Island of Prince Edward is eminently agricultural and pastoral. The far greater portion of the Dominion is still covered with forests, chiefly white and red pine, immense quantities of which are annually exported. The principal trees of British Columbia are the Douglas pine. Menzies fir, yellow fir, balsam, hemlock, white pine, cedar, yellow cypress, arbor vitae, yew, oak, white maple, arbutus, alder, dog wood, aspen, cherry, crab apple and cottonwood; of the Northwest Territories poplar and oak, spruce, scrub pines, balsam, aspen and birch; of Ontario and Quebec, pine, tamarac, balsam, cedar, maple, birch, poplar, ash, elm, cherry, alder, beech, willow, hemlock, etc.; and of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, oak, beech, birch-maple, ash, poplar, larch, spruce, pine, hemiock, etc.

Live and Farm Stock Trade.—A gratifying increase is observable in the raising for farm and domestic purposes, as well as for export, of live stock in the Dominion, together with dead meats of all kinds, and the products of the dairy and farm raised or manufactured for foreign export. The statistics do not, as yet, come up to those of the United States or the Commonwealth of Australia, but there has, nevertheless, in the past decade or two, been a marvellous and pleasing development. The advance is specially shown in the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and in Manitoba and the Northwest Territories. The Census returns for 1901 indicate that the Dominion possessed in that year a total of 1,577,493 horses (including working and other horses and breeding mares); 2,408,677 milch cows and 3,167,734 other horned cattle; 2,511,239 sheep; 2,353,838 swine; 16,562,084 hens and chickens; 1,360,574 turkeys, geese, ducks, and other fowl; and 189,986 hives of bees. The wool crop of the year (1901), for the whole Dominion, was 7,071,981 lbs. of coarse, and 3,585,616 of fine wool. The exports of Canada of horses, cattle, and sheep annually varies considerably, as may be seen by the following figures for the years 1896 and 1902: in the former year, 21,852 horses (value $2,113,095), 104,451 cattle (value $7,082,542), and 391,490 sheep (value $2,151,283) were exported, while in the latter year (1902) 12,687 horses (value $1,457,173), 184,473 cattle (value $10,663,819), and 348,443 sheep (value $1,483,526) were exported. The total quantity, and value, of the meat exports, of all kinds, raised in Canada and exported to Great Britain, in 1903, was 1521/2 million pounds, of the value of $16,910,895.

The industry of factory-made cheese has of late years grown enormously, the product in pounds having doubled within a decade, as the following figures prove: product in 1891, for the whole Dominion, but chiefly in Ontario and Quebec, 108,714,311 lbs.: product in 1901, 220,833,269 lbs. The value of the cheese product, In 1903, was $24,712,943, the bulk of which was exported, while the value of the butter exports was $6,954,618.

Wild Animals.—These comprise the black bear, grizzly bear, wolf, deer, panther, moose, cariboo, wild cat, antelope, prairie dog (a burrowing animal), red fox, silver gray fox, black fox (rare), beaver, muskrat, marmot, squirrel, rabbit, weasel, skunk, raccoon, wolverine, marten, mink, seal, lynx, ermine, porcupine, Rocky Mountain sheep, otter, fisher, etc. Among birds, there are two species of the eagle, four species of the hawk and four species of the owl; also wild swans, wild turkeys, woodcocks, snipes, pigeons, pheasants, ducks of many varieties, grouse, ptarmigan, quail, and wild geese. Among the smaller feathered tribe are many beautiful birds: jays, woodpeckers, blackbirds of numerous and beautiful varieties, wrens, sparrows, thrushes, blue birds, larks, robins, whippoorwills, and two species of humming birds. Besides these there are kites, bitterns, herons, crows, kingfishers, partridges, cranes, swallows, ravens, etc. There are no less than 243 species of birds in New Brunswick, and a list of the birds of North America published in 1856 gives a number of no less than 716. Among the reptiles are rattle-snakes and various other kinds of snakes and lizards.

Among fish, codfish, salmon, salmon trout, whitefish, mackerel, shad, herring, halibut, bass, sturgeon, maskelonge, etc., and among shell fish, oysters, crabs, lobsters and turtles.

Manufactures.—The principal articles manufactured in Ontario and Quebec are cloth, linen, furniture, leather, sawn lumber, flax, hardware, paper, glass, chemicals, soap, boots and shoes, cotton and woollen goods, steam engines and locomotives, sewing machines, wooden ware of all descriptions, agricultural implements, etc.; in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, sawn lumber, ships, cotton and woollen goods, boots and shoes, furniture, leather, nails, machinery, gunpowder, paper, steam engines, locomotives, etc. The manufactures of Prince Edward Island are chiefly for domestic purposes. In British Columbia, the manufactures are very few in number, but the water-power is everywhere abundant. The latter remark applies generally to the whole Dominion. The number of industrial establishments throughout the Dominion employing five hands and over, in 1901, was 11,126, with a gross capital of $441,053,060. The number of employees in these establishments was in the same year 306,694, receiving a total sum in wages of $88,143,472. The gross value of the products was for the year $452,775,577.

Internal Improvements.—The canals of Canada are among its most important public works. The most easterly is St. Peter's Canal leading into the Bras d'Or, Cape Breton; distance 2,300 feet. Next, the Shubenacadie Canal connecting Halifax with the Bay of Fundy. The St. Lawrence navigation is 2,385 miles long, and eight canals have been built to make it practicable for all its length. The Ottawa and Rideau Canals complete a second (interior) line of communication from Ottawa to Kingston; their united length is 1431/4 miles. The St. Ann's Lock, Carillon and Chute a Blondeau Canals connect the Ottawa River with the St. Lawrence. The St. Ours Lock and the Chambly Canal connect the St. Lawrence and the Hudson via the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain. Distance from Montreal to New York 456 miles.

The railway system of Canada is fast assuming extensive proportions. The first railway was begun in 1835. It was a line, 16 miles in length, from Laprairie on the St. Lawrence to St. Johns. The road was opened with horses in 1836. and first worked with locomotives in 1837. The first railway in Ontario, between Queenston and Chippewa, was opened with horses in 1839. Up to the close of 1905, there had been constructed in the Dominion 20,487 miles of railway, including 1,785 miles of Government railways embracing the I.C.R. system, the Drummond co., Que., and P. E. I. Roads, besides 785 miles of electric tramways. In 1904 the list of steam railways classified by provinces was as follows:

Miles of track laid.

Ontario: 7,142

Quebec: 3,492

New Brunswick: 1,445

Nova Scotia: 1,050

The chief items of exports for the year 1903, were:

Produce of the Mine: $31,062,106

Fisheries: 11,800,184

Forest (manufactured): 31,806,463

Forest (raw): 5,299,552

Animals and their products: 69,817,542

Agricultural products: 44,624,321

Manufactures: 51,714,185

The gross value of the entire exports of Canada for 1903 was $225,849,724.

The expenditure of the Department of Marine in Canada in 1903 was $1,631,940, the bulk of the outlay being for the construction and maintenance of lighthouses and the building of Government steamers.

Education.—Canada has no national system of education. Under the B. N. A. Act, the right to legislate on matters respecting education was placed in the hands of the provincial legislatures, the rights and privileges of denominational and separate schools, then existing, being protected. The census returns of 1901 gave a population in Canada of 4,728,631 versons of five years old and upwards. Of these 3,918,915 persons could read and write and 129,584 persons could only read. There were, therefore, 4043,499 persons in the total population of 5,371,315 who could read. That is 75.4 p.c. of the total population as recorded in 1901. and 85.6 p.c. of the population five years older and over. There were by the census of 1901, 16-universities and 58 colleges and classical colleges in Canada, besides 5 agricultural colleges. The number of public and other schools in the Dominion was 29,542. the total annual expenditure on which was in 1901, $11,240,711. In Ontario the school system is under the control of the Minister of Education, who is ex-officio a member of the Provincial Cabinet. In the other Provinces there are superintendents and Boards of Education, who report to the provincial secretaries. In Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.

British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, the schools are strictly undenominational. In British Columbia, no religious dogma may be taught, and, while in the remaining Provinces religious exercises are permitted, no children need be present against their parents' wish.

In 1871 the Legislature of Ontario made all common schools in that Province free, to be supported by Provincial grants and local taxes, and made the education of children compulsory on parents and guardians. The educational institutions of Ontario comprised in 1902, 6,062 schools with a registered attendance of 454,088 pupils, or an average attendance of 261,480; the number of teachers of both sexes was 9,367. The educational institutions of Quebec are divided into Superior, Secondary, Normal, Special and Primary schools. The first division comprises the universities and schools of theology, law and medicine; the second, classical colleges, industrial colleges and academies. Under the head Special come the deaf and dumb asylums, the agricultural colleges, and. boards of arts and manufactures; and under the head Primary all the elementary and model schools. The Protestant minority were in a very unfavorable position as far as their educational interests were concerned until 1868, when a very satisfactory act was passed granting them separate schools. In 1902 there were 6,261 schools of all kinds in the Province of Quebec. Education in Nova Scotia is not compulsory, but it is free to all classes. There is a Provincial Normal school for the training of teachers, and there are also academies, colleges and common schools. The academies and common schools are under the control of the Government; the colleges are sectarian. There are (1902) 2,395 public schools in the Province, having 98,768 pupils in daily attendance. In New Brunswick, a new School Act was passed in 1871. By it school trustees of each district are bound to provide school accommodation for all persons therein, between the ages of 5 and 20, free of charge. The number of public schools in New Brunswick in 1902 was 1,726, with 58,863 pupils, an average attendance of 37,552. The educational institutions supported by law are a Provincial University, a Training or Normal School for teachers, and a system of common schools ranging from the primary to the grammar or high school department. The common schools are non-sectarian and free to all. The schools in Prince Edward Island, of which there are 572, are free to all. Excellent school systems have been provided for Manitoba and British Columbia. Manitoba had in 1903, 1,584 schools, with a school population of 57,409 and 2,094 teachers. In the same year, British Columbia had 338 public and graded schools, with 23 643 pupils and 580 teachers. In 1903 the Northwest Territories had 743 schools in operation, with 33,191 pupils enrolled, and 1,152 teachers. Religious instruction forms part of the common school system of each section of the Dominion.

Religious Denominations—There is no State religion in the Dominion of Canada, all denominations being regarded equally by the Government. The clergy depend for subsistence upon the voluntary contributions of their congregations or upon funds appropriated for this purpose. The principal sects are the Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists and Congregationalists. There are 14 Church of England dioceses in Canada, viz.: the Metropolitical diocese of Montreal and the dioceses of Nova Scotia, Fredericton, Quebec, Ontario, Toronto, Niagara, Huron, Algoma, Rupert's Land, British Columbia, Moosonee, Saskatchewan and Athabaska. There are 19 Roman Catholic dioceses, viz.: the archidioceses of Halifax, Quebec, Toronto, and St. Boniface (Manitoba), and the dioceses of Montreal, Rimouski, Three Rivers, Sherbrooke, St. Hyacinthe, Chicoutimi, Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, London, Arichat, St. John (N.B.), Chatham (N.B.), Charlottetown (P.E.I.), Satala (Red River), and Anemour (Mackenzie River). The following table, taken from the census of 1901, shows the various religious denominations and the number of their communicants in all the Provinces of the Canadian Dominion:

Adventists: 8,058

Brethren: 12,316

Church of England: 680,620

Church of Rome: 2,229,600

Presbyterians: 842,442

Baptists: 316,477

Methodists: 916,886

Congregationalists: 28,293

Unitarians: 1,934

Disciples: 14,900

Jews: 16,401

Lutherans: 92,524

Protestants: 11,612

Salvation Army: 10,308

Quakers (Friends): 4,100

Tunkers: 1,528

Not Specified: 187,618

Total: 5,371,315

The Roman Catholic church has 1 Cardinal 7 Archbishops, 23 Bishops, and about 1,500 clergy. The Church of England has 2 Metropolitans, 17 Bishops, and 1,000 clergy.

Public Works.—The public works of the Dominion consist of a canal and railway system, together with timber booms and slides, piers and certain public buildings. The chief canal system was devised to overcome the impediments to navigation found in the St. Lawrence, and connect with the Great Lakes and Great West. It connects with Lake Champlain, and there is also the Rideau system.

Lake Michigan is wholly within the United States and is connected with Lake Huron by the Strait of Mackinaw.

Canals, Canadian.—To overcome the navigation obstructions in the river systems of the St. Lawrence and the Ottawa and Rideau, the Dominion Government has expended, chiefly since Confederation, over 104 million dollars on canal construction and maintenance. The St. Lawrence canals, which include those on the river proper—the Lachine, Soulanges, Beauharnois, Cornwall, Galops, Rapide Plat those on the Welland River and its feeders, and the Sault Ste. Marie branch, have a total length of 74 miles, with 49 locks. Those on the Ottawa and Rideau rivers, including the Rideau, Grenville, Perth, and Carillon system, are 29 miles in length, with 59 locks. Besides these, there are the canals on the Trent and the Tay Rivers, on Lake St. Louis, Lake St. Francis, Lake St. Peters, on Murray Bay and the Chambly. The traffic in 1902 on Canadian Canals was as follows: Canadian vessels (steam and sail) 22,198 vessels of a total tonnage of 4,485,695, and of American vessels (6,433 in number), 4,086,439 tonnage.

The Dominion Government operates 1,511 miles of railway in the Provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The public buildings maintained by the Dominion are the Houses of Parliament and Governor's residence at Ottawa, and all custom houses, Inland Revenue offices, post offices, drill sheds, barracks, etc., also a geological museum, observatories and all lighthouses in the Dominion. It also maintains harbors of refuge, public roads, and slides and booms.

Divisions.—The Dominion of Canada is composed of 9 Provinces, together with an organized Northwest Territory and an unorganized Territory.

Cities.—The following are the cities and towns in the Dominion of Canada, with population in 1901 of 5,000 and over as follows:.

Montreal, Que: 267,730

Toronto, Ont: 208,040

Quebec, Que: 68,840

Ottawa, Ont: 59,928

Hamilton, Ont: 52,634

Winnipeg, Man: 42,340

Halifax, N.S.: 40,832

St. John, N.B: 40,711

London, Ont: 37,981

Vancouver, B.C: 26,133

St. Henri, Que.: 21,192

Victoria, B.C: 20,816

Kingston, Ont: 17,961

Brantford, Ont: 16,619

Hull, Que: 13,993

Windsor, Ont: 12,153

Charlottetown, P.E.I: 12,080

Sherbrooke, Que: 11,765

Guelph, Ont: 11,496

St. Thomas, Ont: 11,485

Peterborough, Ont: 11,239

Valleyfield, Que: 11,055

St. Louis du Mile End, Que: 10,933

Ste. Cunegonde, Que: 10,912

Trois-Rivieres, Que: 9,981

Stratford, Ont: 9,959

St. Catharines, Ont: 9,946

Sydney, N.S: 9,909

Berlin, Ont: 9,747

St. Hyacinthe, Que: 9,210

Dawson, Yukon: 9,142

Belleville, Ont: 9,117

Chatham, Ont: 9,068

Moncton, N.B: 9,026

Brockville, Ont: 8,940

Westmount, Que: 8,856

Woodstock, Ont: 8,833

Owen Sound, Ont: 8,776

Sarnia. Ont: 8,176

Galt, Ont: 7,866

Levis, Que.: 7,783

Sault Ste. Marie, Ont: 7,169

Fredericton, N.B: 7,117

Sorel, Que: 7,057

Lindsay, Ont: 7,003

Glace Bay, N.S: 6,945

Cornwall, Ont: 6,704

New Westminster, B.C.: 6,499

Yarmouth, N.S: 6,430

Rossland, B.C: 6,159

Nanaimo, B.C: 6,130

Toronto Junction, Ont: 6,091

Truro, N.S: 5,993

Barrie, Ont: 5,949

Collingwood, Ont: 5,755

Lachine, Que: 5,561

Brandon, Man: 5,380

Nelson, B.C: 5,273

Rat Portage. Ont: 5,202

Springhill, N.S: 5,178

Pembroke, Ont: 5,156

Smith's Falls: 5,155

Immigration.—The number of immigrants who have arrived and settled in Canada is much less than the number who have hitherto gone to the United States: but the probability is that within the next 50 years the balance will be redressed, from the fact that the United States have already disposed of their large tracts of fertile lands, while Canada is opening up immense and fertile territories for the settler. The really cultivable area of the United States is confined within much smaller limits than is generally supposed, from the fact that immense and wide deserts are found in place of cultivable territory, with comparatively very little exception, over all the region west of the 100th degree of west longitude, to the base of the Rocky Mountains. Canada, on the other hand, had yet an immense extent of fertile territory unsettled, which can absorb many millions of settlers.

As regards the land system of Canada, Dominion lands, which are situtated in Manitoba. the Territories and the Railway belt of British Columbia, are disposed of to homesteaders, to the extent of one-quarter section (160 acres) to the head of a family or a youth over 18 years of age, on application and payment of $10,00, title being perfect after 3 years, 6 months residence in each year being required. The adjacent quarter section in the same section can be purchased for $3 per acre. Grazing lands can be leased up to 100,000 acres, 1 head of cattle for each 20 acres being required within 3 years. Provincial lands are granted as follows:—In Ontario, to any head of a family 200 acres, at least 2 acres to be cleared and under crop each year, and 15 acres in 5 years, a house at least 16 x 20 feet to be built and the land to be lived on at least 6 months in each year. An extra 100 acres adjoining can be bought for 50 cents per acre. Youths of 18 years and married men without children under 48 years can secure a grant of 100 acres on the above terms. In the Rainy River district the grant in 160 acres to heads of families, 120 to youths of 18 and married men with no children under 18, and the right to purchase 80 additional acres at $1 per acre. In Quebec, the Crown lands are sold at from 20 to 60 cents per acre, 1-5 cash and 1-5 every year thereafter until paid, 10 p.c. of the land to be cleared and cultivated every 4 years and a house to be built. About 7,200,000 acres have been surveyed for sale.

Nova Scotia has 1,500,000 acres unsold, poor lands. The price is about $4 per acre. New Brunswick has about 7,000,000 acres of Crown lands, to be had (1) by auction to the extent of 200 acres, upset price $1 per acre, cash. (2) by settlers over 13 years of age, 100 acres free, conditional upon $20 worth of improvements within 3 months, and a 16 x 20 house and 2 acres under cultivation within 1 year and 10 acres, with continuous residence, for 30 years:

(_____ by settlers over 18 years of age, 100 acres for $20 cash or $10 work on public roads annually for 2 years, a house 16 x 20 and 2 acres cultivable within 2 years, and 10 acres and continuous residence in 3 years from date of entry. In British Columbia the grant is 160 acres west or 320 east of the Cascades, for $1 per acre, 2 months' absence annually, or 6 for cause being permitted, and $2.50 of improvements per acre required before the deed is issued. In Prince Edward Island, $1 per acre payable 10 p.c. per annum. There are also lands which have been granted to Railways, and which sell upon advantageous terms to bona fide settlers.

Government.—The system of government of the Dominion of Canada is monarchical in its most popular form. The Executive consists of a Governor-General (who represents the King), a Privy Council composed of 17 members, a Senate of 74 members, appointed for life, and a House of Commons of 207 representatives, elected at least every five years. No bill can become law unless sanctioned by the three branches. The Governor-General is Commander-in-Chief of the army and militia, and of the navy in British North American waters; and has the sole pardoning power. The Dominion is divided into 11 military districts.

The law requires that every able-bodied man be enrolled for its defence. An enrolment takes place each year in February.

Judiciary.—The laws and forms of judicial procedure are not alike throughout the Dominion. The law of Quebec is derived in great part from French sources. At the time of the Conquest it consisted, for the most part, of the Coutume de Paris and the Edicts and Ordinances of the French kings. Where these were silent, the Civil (Roman) Law was appealed to, as furnishing rules of written reason. In certain matters the Canon Law was also in force. Upon the acquisition of the country by Great Britain, the English Constitutional and Criminal Laws were introduced, the English form of wills allowed, and English rules respecting evidence in commercial cases established. All these laws have from time to time been modified by the Imperial and Canadian Parlaments. The Code Civil de Quebec now supersedes all but the English and Statutory Criminal Law. In 1791, the French Canadian Law was repealed in Ontario (then Upper Canada), and in its place were substituted the laws of England. The Governor-General appoints the judges of the Superior, district and county courts (except those of the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia probate). Judges in Quebec are selected from the bar of the Province, as at present also are those of Ontario, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, as provincial laws vary. The highest Court of Canada, the Supreme Court, comprises a Chief Justice and 5 Puisne Judges, and sits at Ottawa. The Exchequer Court sits also at Ottawa, and has authority over Admiralty as well as ordinary exchequer questions. The Superior Courts of the Provinces are constituted as follows:—Ontario. The Supreme Court of Judicature consisting of two permanent divisions called respectively the High Court of Justice for Ontario and the Court of Appeal for Ontario. The first division is again divided into 3 parts, having concurrent Jurisdictions, Queen's Bench, Common Pleas, and Chancery. The first two have a Chief Justice and 2 Judges each, and the third has a Chancellor and 3 Judges. Quebec.—The Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench and 5 Puisne Judges and the Chief Justice of the Superior Court and 29 Puisne Judges. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.—The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and 5 Puisne Judges, the Judge in Equity and 4 Judges. Manitoba.—The Chief Justice and 3 Puisne Judges. British Columbia.—The Chief Justice and 4 Puisne Judges. Prince Edward Island.—The Chief Justice and 3 assistant Judges. Northwest Territories—Five Supreme Court Judges. An Appeal in all but criminal cases lies from the Supreme Court to the British Privy Council.

Salaries.—The Governor-General of the Dominion of Canada receives $50,000 per annum, and is provided with a residence at the capital, also with secretaries, aides-de-camp, clerks, and messengers. The Lieutenant-Governors of Ontario and Quebec receive $10,000 per annum; those of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. $9,000: those of Prince Edward Island. $7,000; and those of British Columbia, $9,000, per annum. The chief justice of the Supreme Court. $8,000, and the judges, $7,000: Senators and Commoners, $8 a day, or $1,000 each session: the Premier, $8,000, and sessional allowance of $1,000; members of the Privy Council, $7,000 per annum.

Revenue and Expenditure.—The revenue of the Dominion is derived from imports on foreign merchandise, excise, public works (including railways), post offices and bill stamps. The revenue 1902-03 was:-Customs, $37,001,727; Excise, $12,013,779; Interest on Investment, $2,020 953; Lands, $1,695,592; Public Works, $7,088,502; Post Office, $4,397,833; other sources, $1,818,683; total $66,037,069. The expenditures are in connection with the Public Debt, Subsidies to Provinces, Legislation, Civil Government, Public Works, Railways and Canals, etc. The total expenditure in 1902--03 was $51,691,903. The gross debt of the Dominion in 1903 was $361,344,098, or, less $99,737,109 of assets, the net debt was $261,606,989 Since Confederation (1867). the Canadian Government has spent the following gross sums on railways, canals, and public works: on railways, $150,125,461; on canals, $68,300,892; and on Government buildings, and public works, including lighthouses and the improvement of navigation, $56,670,260.

Indians.—The Indians in the Dominion of Canada are under the superintendence of the Minister of the Interior, who is the Superintendent-General of Indian Affairs, and as such has the control and management of the lands and property of Indians. The persons deemed Indians are: 1. All persons of Indian blood, reputed to belong to the particular tribe, band or body of Indians interested in such lands or immovable property, and their descendants. 2. All persons residing among such Indians, whose parents were, or are, or either of them was or is, descended on either side from Indians, or an Indian reputed to belong to the particular tribe interested in such lands, and the descendants of all such persons. 3. All women lawfully married to any of the persons included in the above classes, the children, issue of such marriages, and their descendants. None but persons deemed Indians are permitted to settle on Indian lands. From the statement of population contained in the last official report (1893) it appears that the Indian tribes of Ontario number 21,093; of Quebec, 11,066; of Nova Scotia, 1,930; of New Brunswick, 1,699; of Prince Edward Island, 301; of British Columbia, 25,582; of Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, 24,478; other districts, 22,084: total,108,233. Of these Indians, 6,021 attend school. The aboriginal inhabitants of the country lying between Red River and the Rocky Mountains are divided into two great classes, the Prairie Indians and Thickwood Indians—the first comprising the Blackfeet with their kindred tribes of Bloods, Lurcees and Peagins; as also the Crees of the Saskatchewan and the Assiniboines of the Qu'Appelle; and the last composed of the Rocky Mountain Stonies, the Swampy Crees, and the Saulteaux of the country lying between Manitoba and Fort Ellice. The Prairie Indians live on buffalo, and in large camps, and are warlike; the Thickwood Indians live on deer, etc., in small parties and are peaceable. The Blackfeet occupy the immense tract of country between the Saskatchewan and the frontier, a large portion of which is arid and sandy, being a true extension of the great American desert, which extends from the fertile belt of the Saskatchewan to the borders of Texas. It thus happens that the most active trading relations of the Blackfeet are more easily carried on with the Americans on the Upper Missouri, and the product of the chase, etc., generally finds its way down the waters of the Missouri. In British Columbia. Indians are found over the whole Province. They are generally quiet, peaceable, and intelligent, with great natural power of observation. A large number of them are instructed by Anglican and Roman Catholic missionaries.

History.—Canada is thought to derive its name from the Iroquois word Kanata, signifying a collection of huts, and which the early European discoverers mistook for the name of the country. It was first discovered, in 1497, by Sebastian Cabot, and partly explored by Jacques Cartier between 1535 and 1543; but the first settlement made by Europeans was in 1605. at Port Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis, Nova Scotia), by De Monts, a Frenchman. In 1608, a permanent settlement was made by Champlain upon the present site of Quebec, Canada being then called New France. The mode of colonisation was semi-religious. Bands of Jesuit and Recollet missionaries penetrated the country in all directions, endeavoring to convert the Indians to the Christian faith.

Garrisoned forts were erected at all the prominent points, and the ensuing century was checkered by contests with the Indians, especially the Iroquois, a fierce tribe which continually harassed the French, the latter being aided by the less powerful Hurons. Between 1614 and 1713, Acadia was several times taken by the British and restored to France, but in the last named year it finally became a British possession, together with Newfoundland. The French then erected strong fortifications at Louisburg, Cape Breton, but these were also taken by the British. The first Legislature of Nova Scotia met in 1758. In the following year the illustrious Wolfe captured Quebec, and three years later French power in this quarter of the globe ceased. After the taking of Quebec the country was placed under military rule. The French Canadians were guaranteed the free use of their religion, and their clergy remained in the enjoyment of their former rights. The ancient criminal law was, however, superseded by the criminal law of England. In 1771, a Legislative Council, composed of 23 members, was appointed to assist the governor. The American revolution soon after convulsed the continent, and Canada was again the theatre of contending hosts. The American army of invasion advanced without much difficulty over large tracts of the country, but received a check at Quebec, where Montgomery fell in 1775. In 1784, the present limits of New Brunswick were divided from those of Nova Scotia, and erected into a separate Province by a special constitutional charter, the administration of which was confided to Colonel Carleton. The first Legislature of New Brunswick met in 1785. In 1791, Quebec was divided into two Provinces, and representative government introduced, an event which, though far from satisfying the French Canadian party, was, nevertheless, a step in that direction. The first Legislature of Lower Canada met in 1791, that of Upper Canada in 1792. In 1312, Canada was again disturbed by the war between Great Britain and the United States, but at its close the colony still remained in close connection with the mother country. In 1822, a project for re-uniting Upper and Lower Canada was started. Attempts were made to render the advisers of the governors responsible to the popular branch of the Legislature. For some time these efforts were unsuccessful, and the fierceness of the struggle greatly excited the colony. In 1837, the agitation was fanned into open violence, and several engagements ensued between the insurgents and royalists. But the years 1840 and 1841 restored tranquility, the two Canadas being re-united in 1840, by an Imperial Act, under one administration, responsible government being definitely established in 1841. The executive consisted of a Legislative Council, to which the elective principle was applied, a Legislative Assembly composed of 130 members, 65 from each section of the Province, a Cabinet responsible to the Legislature, and a Governor-General appointed by the Queen. The first united parliament met at Kingston in June, 1841. In 1844, the Government removed to Montreal. In 1849, the Parliament buildings there were destroyed by a mob. The seat of Government was at once removed to Toronto, and it was arranged to hold the sessions of the legislature for four years alternately in Toronto and Quebec. This system being attended with much inconvenience, Parliament resolved on a permanent site, but, being unable to agree on one, left the selection in the hands of the Queen, who, in 1858, fixed on Ottawa. Party Government about this time became well nigh impossible. In the successive elections which had been held during the preceding years, it was found that the hostile majority from either Province in the Legislature had increased rather than diminished. In 1864, the feeling of antagonism came to a crisis, but, as the sequel will show, it was only the thick darkness which preceded the dawning of a brighter day, for out of this crisis grew the Dominion of Canada. As a remedy for the existing difficulties the Reform leaders made overtures to Sir John A. Macdonald, suggesting the adoption of a federative system. These overtures were cordially received and a Coalition Government was formed pledged to the introduction of such a scheme. By a fortunate coincidence, within a month after the formation of the ministry, a conference was being arranged at Charlottetown for the purpose of discussing the expediency of a union of the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, under one Government and one Legislature. The Canadian Government asked permission to send delegates; their request was granted, and on the 18th of September, 1864. they met the Maritime delegates. The conference had met to discuss a Legislative Union—a question with which the Canadian delegates had no authority to deal. The proposal to unite the Maritime Provinces was looked upon as impracticable; but the delegates were unanimously of opinion that a union on a larger basis might be effected. The Canadian delegates proposed a further Conference to consider the possibility of a Federal Union, which was agreed to, and the Conference adjourned to meet again at Quebec on the 10th of October. On the day appointed it met, and after a session of 18 days, the scheme of Confederation was placed before the public. This scheme was, after a time, accepted by the Legislatures of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Canada, but not by Newfoundland or then by Prince Edward Island. Delegates were then sent to England, the Union Act was submitted to the Imperial Parliament, passed that body on the 28th of March, 1867, and on the 22nd day of May, Her Majesty's proclamation was issued declaring that the Dominion of Canada should come into existence on the 1st of July, 1867. By this Act “old” Canada was divided into the two Provinces of Ontario and Quebec. In 1870, the Government, of the Dominion was extended over the Northwest Territories (out of which the Provinces of Manitoba and Keewatin were erected), in 1871 over British Columbia, and in 1873 over Prince Edward Island. In 1906, the Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created out of the Northwest Territories, with local Governments for each. The Island of Newfoundland is still a separate colony of the Crown but only, we would fain hope, for a short time.

Its destiny is, we believe, inevitable; it must form part of the Dominion of Canada “the brightest jewel in the British crown.”