referred to the regret felt in Prince Edward Island at the inability of the Duke and Duchess to visit their tight little Island, and spoke with loyal interest of the visit paid by Prince George to Charlottetown in 1884. The Rev. Dr. John Forrest, President of Dalhousie University, presented the Address of his institution which expressed the strong belief that the present tour of the Royal couple would greatly accentuate the recent tangible evidences of Imperial unity, which had been shown so strikingly to the world. The North British Society and the Government of Prince Edward Island, through their Lieut.-Governor and Prime Minister, also presented Addresses. The Duke, in replying, did so separately to the Prince Edward Island welcome and to that from Nova Scotia. To the former he expressed the "true regret" which they felt at not being able to visit their well-remembered Province, and to the latter he made a really eloquent response. "It is perhaps fitting that we should take leave of Canada in the Province that was the first over which the British flag waved, a Province so full of moving, checquered, historic memories, and that, embarking from your capital which stands unrivalled amongst the naval ports of the world, we should pass through waters that are celebrated in the annals of our glorious navy." He also spoke of the "affectionate sympathy" with which they had been received throughout the Dominion. Following this function, the Royal couple passed through the streets lined with troops and sailors and singing crowds, and at times presenting the appearance of a net-work of colour, a canopy of bunting. In the grounds of the Provincial Building, His Royal Highness laid the corner-stone of a monument to be erected by the Government and people of Nova Scotia in honour of the Provincial heroes who had fallen in South Africa. The procession then passed on to a handsome arch, guarded by a detachment of Royal Engineers, where the Duke inspected the members of the British Veteran Society who were drawn up on parade. Conspicuous amongst them was a negro holder of the V.C. Thence the parade continued to the dockyard where the Royal couple went on board the Ophir, which had come up from Quebec during the long inland tour. In the afternoon a review and massing of some 15,000 soldiers and sailors, infantry, cavalry and artillery, was held on the Halifax Common in the presence of an immense crowd of spectators-probably 25,000 in number. The troops were under the supreme command of Colonel Biscoe and the Royal Naval Brigade included 4,000 sailors from twelve of Britain's most modern cruisers. It was a sight such as had never been witnessed in Canada before, and the Review eclipsed in numbers the previous military spectacle in Toronto; while the environment of great fortifications and a harbour full of war-ships enhanced the character of the scene. Near the Royal pavilion was a stand containing 6,000 school children who sang patriotic songs, but were doomed to the severe disappointment of not seeing the Duke and Duchess at close quarters owing to some hurried change in plans. After the Review the Duke presented colours to the 66th Princess Louise Fusiliers and was informed by the Lieut.-Governor that H.R.H. the Duke of Kent had conferred a similar honour upon the Regiment in the early part of the preceding century. The colours were then consecrated with solemn ceremony by the Rev. W. J. Armitage, B.A., the Rev. Heber Bullock, D.C.L. and the Rev. W. H. H. Bullock. His Royal Highness then handed the war medals to the South African veterans and presented a sword of honour to Major H. B. Stairs. In the evening a state dinner was given by the Lieut.-Governor at Government House when occasion was taken by the Duke to present the Hon. Dr. Borden with the medal won by the gallant son who had lost his life in South Africa. A Reception was held afterwards in the Provincial Buildings amid scenes of striking beauty and brightness. The city and fleet were brilliantly illuminated and the spectacle one of the most beautiful of the whole Canadian tour. The next day was Sunday and was spent very quietly on board the Ophir. night the Duke dined with Vice-Admiral Bedford on board his flag ship. On the following morning the Royal visitors left the shores of Canada in their yacht, accompanied by a fleet of battleships, with the cheers of many thousands of people echoing over the waters of the harbour, and with the roar of great guns and the sound of bands playing on the sea and shore. On November 2nd they were welcomed at Portsmouth by the King and Royal family and six days later the familiar titles of the Empire tour were merged in the greater designations of Prince and Princess of Wales. The Royal At Before leaving Halifax, and under date of October 19th, the Duke of Cornwall and York sent a communication to His Excellency the Earl of Minto expressive of the regret felt by the Duchess and himself at bidding farewell to "a people who by their warm heartedness and cordiality have made us feel at home amongst them from the first moment of our arrival on their shores." He referred to the loyal demeanour of the crowds, the general manifestations of rejoicing and the trouble and ingenuity displayed in the illuminations and street decorations. They were specially touched by the great efforts made in small and remote places to manifest feelings of kindness toward them. "I recognize all this as a proof of the strong personal loyalty to the Throne as well as the deep-seated devotion of the people of Canada to that unity of the Empire of which the Crown is the symbol." Thanks were tendered to the Dominion Government, the Provincial authorities and to Municipal bodies for the care and trouble bestowed upon the various arrangements. The Commissioner of the Dominion Police and his officials were warmly thanked; as were the Canadian Pacific Railway officials for the Royal train which had proved such "a marvel of convenience and comfort"; and the authorities of the Grand Trunk Railway and Intercolonial Railway for the consideration they had shown. Hope was expressed that the public had not suffered by the special arrangements made for the tour across the continent and back again. The North-West Police came in for special compliments and in this connection an important utterance was made :: Short as unfortunately our stay in Western Canada had to be, it was sufficient for us to understand something of its boundless possibilities and the scope which it affords to those who, with a spirit of enterprise, determination and willingness to work, desire to seek a wider, less crowded and richer field than is offered by the congested industries and professions of the Mother Country. I trust that these possibilities may be taken advantage of in the future and that suitable emigrants from the Mother Country may come in larger numbers. Of the Militia His Royal Highness spoke in high terms. The Reviews at Quebec, Toronto and Halifax had enabled him to judge of the military capacity of the Dominion and of "the splendid material" at its disposal. Many of the corps showed smartness and soldierlike bearing." He was glad to see the new Field Hospital organization and the Company of Engineers which had been also organized. In the Royal Military College at Kingston the Dominion Government had made" excellent provision" for the preliminary education of its Militia officers. Every country now recognizes the necessity of securing the greatest possible military efficiency in return for its outlay for defence and that the material at hand should not be sacrificed for the lack of adequate training and leading which can best be assured by a fully qualified staff." He had been delighted to present the South African medals and to note the enthusiasm with which officers and men had been received by their fellow citizens. He thanked, personally, Sir Wilfrid Laurier for his "valuable help and companionship"; Lord and Lady Minto for their "unfailing kindness and generous hospitality "; Major F. S. Maude, C.M.G., for the efficient manner in which he and the staff had dealt with the exceptionally heavy and anxious work of such a tour; and Mr. Joseph Pope,C.M.G., Under-Secretary of State at Ottawa, by whom much of the detail had been arranged. Their hearts were full at leaving Canada and their regret extreme at having to decline so many kind invitations from different centres. But we have seen enough to carry away imperishable memories of affectionate and loyal hearts, frank and independent natures, prosperous and progressive communities, boundless productive territories, glorious scenery, stupenduous works of nature, a people and a country proud of its membership in the Empire and in which the Empire finds one of its brightest offspring." The Royal When the announcement was made that the Duke of Cornwall and York was to visit Canada it became a matter of general supposition that the occasion would be marked by a considerable distribution of titles and that the Mayors of large cities would certainly be knighted, as is frequently the case in Great Britain during a Royal state visit to an important place. It was supposed that Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Quebec would be honoured in this way, and that perhaps some lesser compliment would go to the Mayors of the smaller cities. The Hon. N. S. Parent, of Quebec; Mr. R. Prefontaine, K.C., M.P., of Montreal, and Mr. O. A. Howland, K.C., of Toronto, were singled out in this way. Other names were suggested, including those of Mr. T. G. Shaughnessy, of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Mr. J. R. Booth, of Ottawa, Mr William Wainwright, of the Grand Trunk Railway, the Hon. William Mulock, Postmaster-General, and the Hon. David Mills, Minister of Justice. Then came the news that only the Mayors of Melbourne and Sydney in Australia had been knighted, and that no one in that position had received the honour in South Africa. Finally an intimation, more or less official, came from Ottawa on September 8th that the honours would not be numerous, and on September 18th the following were officially announced :— K.C.M.G.....Sir John Alexander Boyd, Chancellor of Ontario. Hon. Louis Amable Jetté, Lieut.-Governor of Quebec. 66 66 66 66 66 Mr. O. A. Howland, K.C., Mayor of Toronto. Mr. Joseph Pope, Under-Secretary of State. Major F. S. Maude, A.D.C., Governor-General's Secretary. A ceremony of Royal investiture was held at Ottawa on September 21st amid much state, and the gentlemen honoured by the Crown had their insignia conferred upon them in person by the Heir to the Throne-Mr. Jetté and Mr. Shaughnessy being knighted by His Royal Highness. It was subsequently stated in the Halifax papers that Lieut.-Governor the Hon. A. G. Jones, had twice declined knighthood—once from the formal offer through the GovernorGeneral and again from a personal request or suggestion by the Duke himself. The facts were not definitely known. The comments upon these distinctions were many and varied in nature. Omissions from the list were the subject of considerable discussion and speculation and some angry criticism. The Montreal Gazette declared, however, that "there will be general agreement that the honours have fallen where they will be worthily worn." The Charlottetown Examiner congratulated Mr. Pope, and expressed the belief that he deserved the C.M.G. for his "excellent literary efforts" and assiduous care over public business. The Montreal True Witness praised Sir T. G. Shaughnessy very highly, and declared that his knighthood was "a lesson of encouragement for all his fellow-countrymen." The telegram of the recipient to his father in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in which he told the news and added the words "one owes a great deal to a good father and mother" became public and was appreciatively commented upon. The Toronto Mail and Empire strongly congratulated Sir Thomas and stated that the honour of C.M.G. in Mayor Howland's case was especially appropriate. "It fits His Worship well, and Toronto will welcome it as a recognition of the city as well as of the worthy Chief Magistrate." Of Mayor Howland's honour, which was somewhat discussed as being the only one conferred upon a Canadian Mayor by the Duke, the Toronto Star expressed the opinion that it was due in some measure to his book on The New Empire. The St. John Telegraph thought "that the list of honours already made public has been, we think, generally acceptable." The controversy over the omission of the Mayors of Quebec and Montreal from recognition developed at once, and became in time a question as to the proper functions of the Governor-General. The personal element was the first consideration, however. The Quebec Telegraph, of September 19th, said that in consideration of the prominent and successful part taken in the reception by the gentleman who combined the position of Mayor with that of Premier of the Province, surprise would be felt at his name not appearing in the list. "But we have been given to understand on the highest authority that the omission is not due to any want of desire on the part of Royalty to mark its high approval of our distinguished Chief Magistrate and to honour the city which he so worthily represents, but simply to the fact that Hon. Mr. Parent preferred under the circumstances to gracefully yield the pas, and to respectfully decline any personal mark of Imperial favour at present." Mayor Prefontaine did not take matters quite as coolly as his colleague, and expressed considerable indignation that Montreal should have been slighted by its omission from the list. The general belief was then, and has since been, that a C.M.G. was offered to each of these gentlemen, but was refused because they believed their position to be worthy of something better. Later on, the Quebec Chronicle declared that, so far as Mr. Parent was concerned, the refusal was simply due to "a conscientious adherence to the democratic principles he professed." A strong tribute to Mayor Prefontaine, in this connection, was paid by the statement in the Montreal Gazette of September 20th, that His Worship had certainly deserved some honour: "Whether he has been presiding in the Council, speaking for the city at the sending away of the country's troops to South Africa, or acting for the city in the reception of noted visitors, he has been all that the situation called for, a good man in a good place." Of his services in connection with the reception, the St. John's News correspondent in Montreal declared him to have worked like a Trojan. "He inspired others. He left no stone unturned. He was ubiquitous and it is due to him that the welcome was so unique." All kinds of rumours and contradictory statements about this matter were made, and it was said to be part of a quarrel between the Mayor and the Hon. Mr. Tarte which had prevented any recommendation being made; and also as the result of a recommendation from the Premier being ignored by Lord Minto, and a C.M.G. offered instead of the expected knighthood. Whatever was the cause of the difficulty the discussion unquestionably threw a shadow over the Royal distribution of titles upon this occasion. It was generally supposed to be a list made up by the Governor-General. The Manitoba Free Press stated this belief, and, in view of Canadian loyalty, thought there was no disposition amongst the people to regard these honours "in any spirit of dissatisfaction." |