Lord Dufferin's speech to the British Columbiana on their great
railway grievance has been at last published in extenso in this country, and is a very able and skilful one. Lord Dufferin repudiated anyidea of having come on a diplomatic mission from OttawatoVan- couver, and still more any intention to coax the British Columbiana into new concessions. Lord Dufferin admitted that the contract between British Columbia and Canada, on the faith of which the former entered the Dominion, had been distinctly broken, but he denied any bad-faith in the matter. When the bargain was made, Canada was in every way prosperous, but she did not continue so, and indeed, the bargain as it stood could not have been per- formed,—and even the British Columbian authorities themselves generously intimated that they did not wish to press it in any hard spirit. Lord Dufferin vindicated Mr. Mackenzie (the present Premier of the Dominion) from any sort of indifference to the great railway, and also from any dis- position to connive at the throwing-out by the Senate of the Bill to carry out the Camarvon compromise, or from any disloyalty to British Columbia for not resigning because the Bill was thrown out. Every item of the Carnarvon compromise was now in the course of fulfilment, and for the wish to fulfil it fully Lord Duf- ferin heartily answered. The speech was very well received, and proved, we think, that a British governor can often inspire belief which a local politician, however high his standing, would fail to inspire.
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