THE CORRESPONDENCE OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD. SIR JOSEPH POPE has
edited a volume of selections from The Correspondence of Sir John Macdonald (H. Milford, 21s. net), which will be of great interest to students of the history of Canada and of the constitutional practice throughout the British Dominions. Sir John Macdonald, who died in 1891 at the age of seventy-six, was the first Prime Minister of the Dominion which he had done much to found, and in his long terms of office he saw the union firmly established. The correspond- ence extends over half a century, from 1840, when the young barrister was appointed to inquire into claims arising out of the rebellion of 1837-8, down to 1891. The letters of special interest are those which passed between Macdonald and the successive Governors-General under whom he served, for they throw a flood of light on the relations obtaining between the Prime Minister and the representative of the Crown. Macdonald took infinite pains to acquaint the Governor-General with the progress of events and the changes in the political situation, and to advise him on any formal decision that had to be taken either at Ottawa or in Whitehall. Lord Dufferin's letter of October 19th, 1873, pointing out that the scandal occasioned by the corrupt dealings of agents of the Ministry required Sir John Macdonald to resign office, is a model of courtesy and tact displayed in most difficult circumstances. So long as Governors-General and Prime Min- isters can co-operate in that spirit of friendly candour, the unwritten constitution which astonishes foreign observers will work perfectly. Macdonald's correspondence is interesting also in regard to the establishment and completion of the Dominion. Prince Edward Island did not come in till 1873. Nova Scotia, which came in at once, returned at the elections of 1867 eighteen opponents of union out of the nineteen members, but gradually became reconciled. Newfoundland stood out, though Macdonald tried hard to overcome her reluctance and repeated his efforts in later years. He was content to rely on persuasion, unlike some unprincipled politicians nearer home. Newfoundland, we may add, has a population of a quarter of a million—one-fifth of that of North-East Ulster—but she is not supposed to be unable to bear the responsibilities of Dominion status.
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