And I Throw Together These Pages With No Idea Of
Gaining Credit For Services, Gratuitously Rendered, Over A Period Of
Years and under many difficulties, to a cause which I have always had
at heart; but with the desire to
Record some facts of interest which,
hereafter, may, probably, be held worthy of being interleaved in some
future history of the union of the great American provinces of the
British Empire. I have another motive also: I should wish to contribute
some information bearing upon any future account of the life of the
late Duke of Newcastle. He is dead: and, so far, no one has attempted
to write his biography. That may be reserved for another generation. He
was the Colonial Minister under whose rule and guidance the foundations
of the great measure of Confederation were, undoubtedly, laid; and to
him, more than to any minister since Lord Durham, the credit of
preserving, as I hope for ever, the rule of her Majesty, and her
successors, over the Western Continent ought to attach. For, while the
idea of an union, of more or less extent, was suggested in Lord
Durham's time - probably by Charles Buller, - and was now and then
fondled by other Governors-General, in Canada, and by Colonial
Ministers at home - the real, practical measures which led to the
creation of one country extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific were
due to the far-sighted policy and persuasive influence of the Duke. The
Duke was a statesman singularly averse to claiming credit for his own
special public services, while ever ready to attribute credit and
bestow praise on those around him.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 12 of 492
Words from 2906 to 3180
of 136421
