daylight must bring with it from Peacock's column, lying on its arms a few miles distant. A small boat carried the order from O'Neil to the officer commanding the reinforcements, to return to Buffalo, and to send the tug and canal-boats to take off his force from Fort Erie. This order reached the reinforcing party when about midway in the river, was obeyed, and shortly after one o'clock on the morning of Sunday the 3d, the bulk of the Fenian force, to the number of fully nine hundred, without even drawing in their pickets, stole on board the boats sent for them, and were speedily on their way to the American shore. Before they could land, however, they were intercepted by the United States' armed propeller Harrison, compelled to surrender, and were soon anchored under the guns of the war-steamer Michigan. The rest of the Fenians endeavoured to cross as best they could, some even, in their extremity, pulling the planks from the wharves, and pushing out into the current upon them. Many also escaped in small boats sent over by their friends, while the remainder, who were probably about two hundred in number, hid themselves in the vicinity, or skulked off into the bush. The prisoners they had captured were all abandoned at Fort Erie, as well as most of their dead and wounded; and when Colonel Peacock came up on Sunday morning, he found he had nothing to do beyond arresting the straggling Fenians still lingering in the neighbourhood, and who were sent to Toronto Jail. And thus ingloriously terminated the Fenian invasion of the Niagara frontier. Their New York leaders sought to conceal their chagrin at its ill success by describing it as a mere feint, designed to cover a more important attack to be made elsewhere.

During the earlier part of the ensuing week, the American railways leading to Ogdensburg, were freighted with large bodies of men for the attack on Prescott and subsequent advance to Ottawa. But the rapid massing of over two thousand volunteers and regulars at the point menaced, and the placing of a British gunboat in the river, completely frustrated their projects. The Fenians now moved downwards to Malone, as if an attack on Cornwall was contemplated; but a garrison there of three thousand troops and volunteers, led them to abandon their designs against this point also. On the 5th, fully five thousand Fenians had congregated on the borders of the eastern townships, a flourishing section of country, with nothing but a surveyed line between it and the United States. But their period of unrestricted action had now passed away. The President could no longer ignore the representations of the British minister at Washington, nor shut his eyes to the fact that war was

being made on a friendly country from the United States, and issued a proclamation calling on the Fenians to disperse, and commit no overt acts; while General Meade, an honest and capable officer, was ordered to arrest their leaders and seize their supplies. In pursuance of this order, he speedily captured a large amount of arms and ammunition, which arrived by railway at Ogdensburg, and prevented the passage north of further reinforcements. On the 8th, however, a body of Fenians, two thousand strong, under the command of General Spear, crossed the frontier near St Albans, and marched three miles into the interior. There they formed a sort of camp, and from whence they spread out over the country, plundering every description of property which could possibly be of any use to them. But the advance of troops against them caused them to retreat across the border, where Spear and other leaders were arrested by General Meade, and the masses of mischievous men rapidly dispersed, the American government granting them free conveyance home on the different railway lines. Thus terminated the Fenian invasion of the Canadian frontier. The actual injury to property it produced was not of much account, but the indirect loss sustained by this country-forty thousand volunteers being at one period under arms-was very considerable. No new Fenian attempts were made against Canada. During the summer, gunboats guarded the lake and river approaches; and troops and volunteers stationed at every assailable point, demonstrated the folly of further efforts at invasion. Canada bewailed the death of her college youths and young men of Toronto. But their blood was not shed in vain. It speedily bore fruit; and, in connexion with the gallant manner in which a great volunteer force had sprung to arms, raised this country in the opinion of the world, and greatly stimulated the project of confederation. Deeply were the Canadians incensed at the wanton invasion of their borders, and the expense and annoyance they had been put to; and the public voice now loudly demanded that the captured Fenians should receive the most extreme punishment the law could award them.

Meanwhile, on the 8th of June, the Legislature had assembled at Ottawa in the new parliament buildings. In his opening speech, the Governor-General set forth, that immediately after the termination of the last session he had, under instructions from the Home Government, convened a Council of Trade, which included representatives from the different provinces of British North America, and the proceedings of which would be laid before them. He urged that the termination of the Reciprocity Treaty with the United States

rendered it necessary to seek new avenues of trade; and stated that, with the consent of the imperial authorities, he had sent a deputation to the West Indies and Brazil, to ascertain the best mode of developing and extending commercial relations with those countries. The Fenian attack was also alluded to by his Excellency, and while he deplored the loss of life it caused, he paid a well-merited tribute to the prompt and gallant spirit evinced by the volunteers of the country. To repress further outrages, and to enable improper persons to be summarily dealt with, he asked that the writ of Habeas Corpus be temporarily suspended. And while he congratulated the Chambers on the prosperity of the country, he informed them that the revenue of the past year had been largely in excess of the estimates, and had enabled him, without inconvenience, to provide for the heavy and unlooked-for expenditure entailed by the Fenian outrages.

The abrogation of the Reciprocity Treaty rendered a new tariff a necessity, and Mr Galt now introduced a bill into the Assembly embodying the desired alterations. It reduced the duty on the great bulk of imported goods five per cent., leaving the maximum rate fifteen per cent., admitted articles which entered largely into the manufactures of the country free, and provided for the deficiency thus produced by increasing the impost on whisky thirty cents a gallon. While this tariff was a sensible relief to importers of foreign goods, it largely stimulated the manufactures of the country; and, with a few isolated interests excepted, gave very general satisfaction. Several other important measures became law during this session. The writ of Habeas Corpus was suspended for one year, the assessment law of Upper Canada amended, and its municipal law subjected to very important modifications, which raised the franchise in towns, and effected other improvements well received by all classes. On the 3d of July, ministers introduced resolutions into the Legislature defining the Constitutions of Upper and Lower Canada, respectively, under the proposed measure of confederation, and which were all subsequently embodied in the imperial bill. These proceedings were uneasily regarded by some of the leading politicians of the United States, who strongly deprecated the creation of a united power on their northern frontier, and an attempt was now made to sow the seeds of discord by the introduction of a bill into Congress, which provided for the admission of British North America into the American Union as four separate states, and the assumption of their public debt by the general Government. This bill was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. It totally failed,

however, of its object. The day for annexation had for ever departed, and Mr Banks' congressional bill, already described, was regarded by the Canadian people with the most supreme indifference and contempt, and as an insolent interference with the affairs of an independent country. Early in August Mr Galt resigned, owing to complications which arose in connexion with a school bill, giving larger privileges to the Protestant minority of Lower Canada. failed to pass, and Mr Galt, as representing that minority, deeming it treated with injustice, unexpectedly resigned, although avowing himself still prepared to support the general policy of the Government. On the 15th of August, the Cabinet having carried all its measures with large majorities, and the public business having been fully completed, Parliament was prorogued.

Towards the close of summer a most disastrous fire occurred at Quebec, by which all of the St Roch suburb and also much of the St Saveur were burned down. Only a few buildings were left standing in a district a mile long by about half a mile wide, two thousand one hundred and nineteen houses, mostly belonging to the poorer classes, were destroyed, and over twenty thousand people left homeless. Great exertions were made for the relief of the sufferers in Canada, and large contributions were also made for the same object by the benevolent in the mother-country. But Quebec is not at all likely to recover from this disaster. Its commerce had already largely declined, and the scattering of its population, which now ensued, accelerated the decay which had so surely seized upon this ancient city. The Fenian trials took place at the October term at Toronto, when many of the prisoners were discharged, the grand jury ignoring the bills against them. True bills, however, were found against a large number, several of whom were convicted and sentenced to death, but had their sentences afterwards commuted by the Queen to a period of imprisonment in the provincial penitentiary. The calm and firm attitude of our courts of justice during these trials, and the punctilious observance of every form of civil law, constituted the best rebuke to the American politicians, from Seward downwards, who, by an indecent sympathy or interference on behalf of the criminals, pandered to their partizans with the view of securing their electoral support.

Meanwhile, the great project of confederation continued to progress towards final consummation. The Legislatures of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia had already passed resolutions adopting the scheme, as did also the Legislature of Newfoundland. But, as regarded the latter, no steps were taken subsequently to carry

them into practical effect; while the little Island of Prince Edward repudiated the action of its delegates at Quebec, and wholly declined to become a part of the proposed confederacy. All the necessary preliminaries having been disposed of, delegates from the provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick assembled at London, on the 4th of December, to arrange the final terms of the Act of Union to be submitted to the Imperial Parliament. Every question at issue having been satisfactorily adjusted, the Colonial Secretary, 1867. the Earl of Caernarvon, introduced, on the 7th of February, the Confederation Bill into the House of Lords. On the 19th, it had its second reading; on the 22d, it passed through committee; and on the 26th, was read a third time, and sent down to the Commons. It was read a second time there on the 28th of February, and after a brief yet interesting debate, the measure was agreed to without a division. It passed through committee of the whole on the 4th of March, the proposed guarantee for an intercolonial railway loan being alone objected to, but not pressed to a vote. On the 8th, it was read a third time, and finally passed without debate. the 12th, a few judicious amendments, made by the Commons, were agreed to by the Lords; and on the 28th, it received the royal assent, and became the law of the empire. On the following day, Mr Adderley introduced a bill into the Commons, to guarantee a loan of £3,000,000 sterling for the intercolonial railway, which was accepted by an overwhelming majority, and also duly passed in the House of Lords. On the 22d of May, the work of legislation having been fully completed, and all the other arrangements made, her Majesty was pleased to issue her royal proclamation, appointing the 1st of July as the day on which the Dominion of Canada should commence its existence, and nominating its seventy-two senators. The great project of confederation was at length finally and happily completed, and the morning voice of a new people was heard among the nations of the earth.

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