but when Canute founded a Danish dynasty did not found a university or a polity, he he and his Danes were Christians. "This I can now truly say, that so long as I have lived I have striven to live worth ily, and after my death to leave my memory to my descendants in good works." If he restored and perpetuated the foundations of English institutions, and he left what is almost as valuable as any institution—a great and inspiring example of public duty. APOTHEOSIS. BY F. K. CROSBY. ILENT she lay. The night grew old, And moaned and wept in drip and fall of rain. The dead leaves whistled from the willow wold "Withered leaves and loves together Fall in windy, wintry weather, Dark and drear. And the pall of Death and Silence gloomed upon my atmosphere."" Prostrate I lay, and Grief's mad tide In flooding surges whelmed and drowned my soul. A line of light above the billows' roll? I sprang to hear. "Withered leaves and loves together, Bloom beside the Summer River Sweet and clear. And the light of Life's new Morn illumes my spirit's atmosphere." ST. JOHN, N.B. NOTES FROM OTTAWA. TH BY J. G. BOURINOT. HOUGH the House of Commons is thirty years is commencing to tell on one of composed of one hundred and ninety- the foremost men of the old Liberal party. one members, the reports of the debates His speech on the Reorganization of the Emshow how few, comparatively, take an active pire, and the one he delivered a few years ago part in the discussions. On the Government at Detroit, however, remain on record to side we have, of course, the able and astute speak of his rhetorical powers. Then there Premier, Sir John A. Macdonald, who, by are on the Government benches many gentlevirtue of his position, is constantly on his feet, men of undoubted ability as debaters. explaining or answering his opponents who Among these may be mentioned Hon. J. H. sit in front of him, to the left of the Speak- Gray, Mr. E. Macdonald, Mr. Colby, Mr. er's chair. Sir John Macdonald is an ad- Cumberland, Hon. Mr. Chauveau, Hon. mirable debater; his long experience of Mr. Abbott, Mr. Carter, Dr. Grant, Mr. Har public life, his knowledge of men, his won- rison, Mr. Masson, of Soulanges, and some derful tact, together with his large acquaint- others whose names will recur to the readance with political, legal, and constitutional ers of the Parliamentary debates. questions, enable him to lead the House Mr. Mackenzie is a ready debater, earnest most effectively. The other frequent speak-in expression, and logical in argument. He ers are Sir George Cartier, always full of fire, has a great command of language, and his and always good tempered, though his tone sentences are well put together and less and action would lead the stranger to believe tautological than those of the majority of the very reverse; Hon. Dr. Tupper, the Pre- public speakers. He still shows his Scotch sident of the Council, who has remarkable descent by a slight accent, but it is very far power as a debater, for he has great com- from unpleasant to the English ear. Mr. mand of language, a rapid delivery, and the Blake, who sits immediately behind the preability of presenting his facts and arguments sent leader of the Opposition in the Comin the most forcible way; Sir Francis mons, seldom shows as much fervour as Mr. Hincks, whose knowledge of financial Mackenzie, but he possesses rare argumenquestions has made him a very successful tative power, thoroughly cultured by long administrator of public affairs, and who al- forensic training, though his sentences are ways discusses questions in which he is in- apt to be long and perplexing to the reportterested with much emphasis and vigour. er. Mr. Huntingdon, the member for ShefMr. Langevin, Mr. Morris, Mr. Tilley and ford, is not very regular in his attendance in Mr. Pope speak less frequently, and chiefly the House, but few gentlemen in that body in connection with the Departments over have a more graceful delivery or a more elowhich they preside. We might expect much quent mode of expressing their opinions. from Mr. Howe, whose reputation as a pub- Mr. Holton, the leader of the Quebec Oplic speaker and writer is wide-spread in Can- position, never makes long speeches, but he ada, but Time is dealing with him as it must has large financial knowledge, is thoroughly with us all—he is now in his sixty-eighth year versed in rules of order and Parliamentary --and the stormy career he has led for over tactics, and sends across the floor ever and anon his little darts of sarcasm. Mr. Dorion, or out of the House as a fluent, argumentawho occupies the seat next him, immediate-tative speaker; and it is not difficult to see ly opposite Sir John Macdonald, speaks fluently in both French and English, and is always heard with interest, for his opponents recognise his keen logic and legal knowledge. The seat on his immediate right -the first on the row-was generally occupied by Mr. Sandfield Macdonald, but it was vacated by the inexorable mandate of Death, we all remember, only a few days previous to the prorogation, and now both friends and foes who had been long in the political arena with him bear willing testimony to his merits during a memorable public career, the record of which proves how any man, however humble his origin, can attain the highest position in the country by perse. verance, industry, and indomitable will. Sir Alexander Galt has occupied for two or three years a place analogous to that occupied by independent members in the British House of Commons. Possessing fluency of expression, a pleasing delivery, great knowledge of commercial and financial questions, he has necessarily obtained a large share of public attention in times gone by Latterly he has not taken the same inter. est in public matters-perhaps, he feels his position of antagonism to his old political allies, or is conscious that his enunciation of Independence views has for the present weakened him in the opinion of the people. And now it is said, apparently on good authority, that both he and Mr. Dorion intend retiring from the political arena. If this turn out to be the case, then Parliament will lose the services of two of its ablest men, whose opinions are valuable and deserving of consideration, even when opposed to the views of the majority. Mr. Macdougall, of North Lanark, also claims to be an independent member, but the debates of last session prove that there is no sympathy between him and the reformers led by Messrs. Mackenzie and Blake. Mr. Macdougall is not excelled by any of his political compeers in in his well-chosen expressions, and admirable arrangement of matter, the effects of long training on the press, which above all other professions is calculated to teach a man the value of terseness, and enable him to grasp in a moment the most salient points of a question. Besides these gentlemen, there are others to whom we cannot give more than a passing mention. Mr. Mills always has facts and arguments to present, and promises to be an influential man in the House of Commons; but at times he is too didactic, and his speeches-as Sir John Macdonald told him on one occasion during the session-are more suited to the pages of a periodical than to the floor of the House of Commons. Mr. James Young speaks clearly and pointedly. Mr. Cartwright, who has sat alongside of Sir Alexander Galt for some time, and occupies a somewhat similar position so far as the Government and the Opposition are concerned, is a good debater and is well versed in economical subjects. There was much doubt and anxiety throughout the Dominion, especially in Ontario, as to the actual operation and value of the Treaty of Washington, and the explanations of Sir John Macdonald before Parliament were eagerly awaited by the people of every province. When the afternoon arrived for these explanations, every seat was full, and the galleries were thronged to a very late hour at night with a deeply interested assemblage of spectators. These explanations are now a part of the history of Canada, and no one, whether political supporter or political opponent, will deny that they were given in a manner worthy of a Canadian statesman. Some may differ as to his premises and his conclusions, and doubt the wisdom of the reasons that influenced him to ask the House to support the measure; but none can hesitate to confess that his address is a master-piece of argument and com prehensiveness. It was delivered calmly and deliberately, though at times he burst from the trammels of explanation and argument and assailed his opponents for their prejudgment of his action in this great question. He carried the House with him most enthusiastically; if there were waverers in the ranks of his supporters they appeared then to have rallied around him. The great speech on the Opposition side of the House was confessedly that delivered by the Premier of Ontario. It occupied over four hours in the delivery, and was distinguished for its calm, deliberate expression of opinion. Mr. Blake seldom infuses into his speeches that fervour which is a characteristic of the addresses of Sir John Macdonald when he wishes to create an impression on the House; indeed, both socially and politically, he is said to want the warmth and cordiality of manner which make the Conservative leader so popular. In replying to the Premier, Mr. Blake no doubt felt the magnitude of the task imposed upon him by his political supporters, as a master of reasoning and argument, and made it his object to discuss the question with as much freedom from a partisan spirit as a man of strong political predilections could do. The reply, like the speech which drew it forth, was fully worthy of a man of so high a reputation as the member for West Durham possesses, and deserves a foremost place among the political records of this "new nationality." Mr. Blake, however, somewhat marred the effect of the delivery of his speech, by the lengthy quotations from the minutes of council and despatches of the Government, which were necessary to the elucidation of his argument. He laboured also under the disadvantage of feeling all the while that he was speaking to an audience which, so far as the great majority was concerned, did not sympathize with the opinions he was expressing. A public man may know that he is reflecting the sentiment of the country to a large extent; but the true orator likes to produce an immediate effect on those around him, and when he feels he is not in sympathy with them, he may fail to show that fire which otherwise would light up his speech from time to time as he saw that he was touching the hearts and convincing the minds of his hearers. The speech of Mr. John Hillyard Cameron was also one of the most characteristic delivered in the course of the most elabo rate discussion that ever came off in the First Parliament. We should naturally expect an address of more than ordinary ability from so consummate a lawyer as the member for Peel; and it is admitted that never before did he display more forcibly the perfection of his legal and constitutional erudition-that his speech is one of the most valuable contributions to the technical and legal, as well as historical, views of the question, that the discussion in and out of Parliament has produced. We have no space to go into a review of the able speeches of the President of the Council, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Macdougall, Mr. Mackenzie, Mr. Anglin, Mr. Dorion, Sir George Cartier, Mr. E. Macdonald, and others, which the readers of the debates will recall to mind. It was well known, from the moment the Minister of Justice had concluded his elaborate speech, that the vote in favour of the ratification of the Treaty would be very large, and the dif ferent speakers from every section soon proved, as they had an opportunity of expressing their opinions, the feelings of the majority on the question. The maritime representatives, with remarkable unanimity, argued in favour of a Treaty which gave the people of their provinces a free market for one of their staple products, and held out the prospect of a still more liberal measure of reciprocity in the future. Representatives from Ontario were unwilling to oppose a measure so clearly in the interests of the provinces engaged in the fisheries, and considered the concession of the free navigation E have before us the first volume of good parliamentary style, clear, compact WE Col. Gray's work on Confederation. of which the second title is "The Political and Parliamentary History of Canada, from the Conference at Quebec, in 1864, to the admission of British Columbia.” Consisting in a large measure of documents, speeches and extracts, the book is universally greeted as "rather materials for history than history"—a description which is not likely to attract readers. It is, however, a useful work, and one which Col. Gray was in some respects well fitted to undertake. His style as a writer, like his style as a speaker, is a and business-like. His opportunities of information have been first-rate. Indeed his position has in one sense been too high, and his acquaintance with the events and actors too intimate; for he is precluded by an honourable delicacy from ever taking us behind the scenes, and he is equally precluded from dealing with those less dignified features of the situation, which are not the least interesting or the least instructive to the political student. The questions raised by Col. Gray's work have an interest for all Canadians, even be |