In dealing with the question of confederation, my endeavour has been simply to tell the story of Brown's work and let it speak for itself, not to measure the exact proportion of credit due to Brown and to others. It is hard to believe, however, that the verdict of history will assign to him a place other than first among the public men of Canada who contributed to the work of confederation. Events, as D'Arcy McGee said, were probably more powerful than any of them.
If any apology is needed for the space devoted to the subject of slavery in the United States, it may be found not only in Brown's life-long opposition to slavery, but in the fact that the Civil War influenced the relations between the United States and Canada, and indirectly promoted the confederation of the Canadian provinces, and also in the fact, so frequently emphasized by Mr. Brown, that the growth of the institution of slavery on this continent was a danger to which Canada could not be indifferent.
Among the works that have been found useful for reference are John Charles Dent's Last Forty Years (Canada since the union of 1841); Gray on Confederation; Coté's Political Appointments and Elections in the Province of Canada; Dr. Hodgins' Legislation and History of Separate Schools in Upper Canada; the lives of Lord Elgin, Dr. Ryerson and Joseph Howe in "The Makers of Canada" series; the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie's Life and Speeches of the Hon. George Brown; the Hon. James Young's Public Men and Public Life in Canada. Mr. Mackenzie's book contains a valuable collection of letters, to which frequent reference is made in the chapters of this book dealing with confederation. The account of the relations of the Peel government with Governor Sir Charles Bagot is taken from the Life of Sir Robert Peel, from his correspondence, edited by C. S. Parker. The files of the Banner and the Globe have been read with some care; they were found to contain an embarrassing wealth of most interesting historical material.
To Dr. James Bain, Librarian of the Toronto Free Library, and to Mr. Avern Pardoe, of the Library of the Legislative Assembly, I am deeply indebted for courtesy and assistance.
JOHN LEWIS.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER I | |
| FROM SCOTLAND TO CANADA | [1] |
| CHAPTER II | |
| METCALFE AND HIS REFORMERS | [11] |
| CHAPTER III | |
| RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT | [31] |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| DISSENSION AMONG REFORMERS | [39] |
| CHAPTER V | |
| THE CLERGY RESERVES | [51] |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| BROWN'S FIRST PARLIAMENT | [61] |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| RISE OF BROWN'S INFLUENCE | [69] |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| RECONSTRUCTION OF PARTIES | [77] |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| SOME PERSONAL POLITICS | [87] |
| CHAPTER X | |
| THE "DOUBLE SHUFFLE" | [99] |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| AGAINST AMERICAN SLAVERY | [111] |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| BROWN AND THE ROMAN CATHOLICS | [121] |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| MOVING TOWARDS CONFEDERATION | [129] |
| CHAPTER XIV | |
| LAST YEARS OF THE UNION | [141] |
| CHAPTER XV | |
| CONFEDERATION | [147] |
| CHAPTER XVI | |
| THE QUEBEC CONFERENCE | [163] |
| CHAPTER XVII | |
| THE CONFEDERATION DEBATE | [169] |
| CHAPTER XVIII | |
| THE MISSION TO ENGLAND | [181] |
| CHAPTER XIX | |
| BROWN LEAVES THE COALITION | [189] |
| CHAPTER XX | |
| CONFEDERATION AND THE PARTIES | [199] |
| CHAPTER XXI | |
| CANADA AND THE GREAT WEST | [211] |
| CHAPTER XXII | |
| THE RECIPROCITY TREATY OF 1874 | [223] |
| CHAPTER XXIII | |
| CANADIAN NATIONALISM | [235] |
| CHAPTER XXIV | |
| LATER YEARS | [243] |
| CHAPTER XXV | |
| CONCLUSION | [255] |
| INDEX | [269] |