Phrenology And Physiognomy Combined, Would Have Hung
Him, On The Certain Verdict Of Any Intelligent Jury.
One day, as I was preparing to go West, a deputation from the
"Stadacona" Club of Quebec, of which
I was a member, asked me to take
the chair at a private dinner proposed to be given at the club to Mr.
Vallandigham, the democratic leader of Ohio, who had come across
country from Halifax, on his way homeward - through, free, Canada - after
his seizure in bed, in Ohio, and deportation across the Northern
frontier into the land of secession. It appeared that Mr. Vallandigham,
not being a secessionist, merely desiring an honourable peace between
North and South, which he had ably advocated, had gone on to Nassau,
thence to Halifax, thence to Quebec: where he was.
I at first declined the honour. But I was much pressed. I was told that
leading citizens of Quebec and members of the late Canadian Government
would attend. That the dinner was merely hospitality to a refugee
landed upon our shores in distress; and that my presidency would take
away any suspicion that there was the slightest arriere-pensee
in the matter. I concurred. The dinner took place. Not a word was said
of the great pending contest, unless some words of Mr. Vallandigham,
apologizing for the poverty of his dress, might be so construed. He
said: "Mr. Chairman, I must apologize for my costume. I can only
explain that I am standing in the clothes I was allowed to put on,
after being taken out of my own bed, in my own house, without warning
and without warrant, and I have not had the means to re-clothe myself."
The dinner was certainly about as non-political and as innocent as any
such assembly could be. Mr. Vallandigham left for Niagara the same
night. I saw him into the train. He declined a friendly loan; but he
accepted a free passage to Niagara, where, later on, I spent two or
three pleasant and interesting days in his society; our little party
being Governor Dallas, of the Hudson's Bay Company, D'Arcy McGee, Dr.
Mackay, who had acted as correspondent of the "Times," Professor Hind,
my son, Mr. Watkin, and myself. The "consul" had, no doubt,
misrepresented our proceedings.
Now this is the whole story. I never after this got any answers to
letters to Mr. Seward; and, as stated above, I never knew of the
grievance till spoken to by Mr. Bright, who had received a letter of
complaint of me from somebody at Washington.
CHAPTER XXI.
Letters from Sir George E. Cartier - Question of
Honors.
The "Act for the Union of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, and
the government thereof, and for purposes connected therewith," received
the Royal Assent on the 29th of March, 1867.
The following letters may be of some interest to the friends of the
late Sir George Etienne Cartier, and to mine:
"W. P. HOTEL, LONDON,
"30 April, 1867.
"My DEAR MR.
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