Earl Russell made a most creditable speech on Thursday night.
The old man has twice the pluck of some of our more modern- politicians, and he told the Lords he did not believe Canada was indefensible. It would be hard of defence, but not harder than the defence of Portugal half a century ago, when we had to fight for a country further off than Canada is now, against France and Spain, in oommand of 400,000 splendid troops, under the greatest General in the world :—" But we, too, had a great General, but, above all, we had spirit and determination to defend Portugal, because she was our friend and ally, and that defence succeeded. There still remains the Treaty, their still remains Portugal, and I defy you to say that the defence of Canada is a bit more difficult than the defence of Portugal at that time." Englishmen begin to believe that 30,000,000 Englishmen scattered over a continent like the United States can do anything, and 30,000,000 English- men concentrated in two little islands can do nothing.
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