Chapter 1

The Struggle for Political Freedom

[Frontispiece: THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA--AFTER A SPEECH IN MASON HALL. From a colour drawing by C. W. Jefferys]

THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA

A Chronicle of Joseph Howe

by

WILLIAM LAWSON GRANT

Toronto Glasgow, Brook & Company 1915

Copyright in all Countries subscribing to the Berne Convention

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PREFACE

In May-August 1875 my father, the Rev. G. M. Grant, published in the _Canadian Monthly_ four articles on Joseph Howe, which give, in my opinion, the best account ever likely to be written of Howe's character, motives, and influence. Twenty-five years later he had begun to write for the 'Makers of Canada' a life of Howe, but his death left this task to Mr Justice Longley. In this he had thought to incorporate much of his earlier articles, and his copies of them remain in my hands, with excisions and emendations in his own handwriting. In the present little book I have not scrupled to embody these portions of my father's work.

Howe's speeches and public letters are the basis for any story of his career. They were originally published in two volumes in Boston in 1858, nominally edited by William Annand, {viii} really by Howe himself. In 1909 a revised edition, with chapters covering the last fourteen years of his life, was published at Halifax, excellently edited by Mr J. A. Chisholm, K.C. The Journals of the Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia contain the dispatches from the Colonial Office quoted in the text. Incidents and anecdotes have been taken from the biographies by Mr Joseph Fenety and Mr Justice Longley. I have also consulted the collection of his father's papers presented to the Canadian Archives by Mr Sydenham Howe, and a manuscript life of Howe by his old friend the late George Johnson. Lord Grey, with his invariable interest in things Canadian, has had the private correspondence of his uncle searched for anything that might throw light on the railway imbroglio of 1851, but without result.

W. L. GRANT.

QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY, KINGSTON, 1914.

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CONTENTS

Page

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii I. NOVA SCOTIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. BIRTH AND TRAINING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 III. THE OLD COLONIAL SYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 IV. THE FIGHT FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT . . . . . . . . 47 V. RAILWAYS AND IMPERIAL CONSOLIDATION . . . . . . . . 91 VI. BAFFLED HOPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159

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ILLUSTRATIONS

THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA--AFTER A SPEECH IN MASON HALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ From a colour drawing by C. W. Jefferys.

THOMAS CHANDLER HALIBURTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . Facing page 42 From an engraving in the Dominion Archives.

SIR JOHN HARVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 86 From a portrait in the John Ross Robertson Collection, Toronto Public Library.

JOSEPH HOWE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 124 From a painting by T. Debaussy, London, 1857. Reproduced in Chisholm's 'Speeches and Public Letters of Joseph Howe.'

JOSEPH HOWE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . " 144 From a photograph by Notman, taken about 1871.

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