y could secure the grant of a harbour on Vancouver Island
and the privilege of 'working the coal mines there'; also, 'a grant of
land along the proposed line of railway.' A subsidy should be obtained
from the Imperial Government for 'a line of steamers from Vancouver
Island to China, India, and Australia.' If the Canadian people would
take up the matter with spirit and buy largely of the stock, and if the
subject were laid before the merchants of London, 'there would be no
difficulty in raising the required capital, say L15,000,000.' There
can be no doubt that the line would pay. Any one looking at a map of
the world can see that it would afford the shortest route between
Europe and the East. The writer thinks that it would be well to start
the nucleus of a company immediately so as to apply for a charter at
the next session of the Canadian parliament. 'Of course,' he adds, 'in
my humble circumstances it would be the height of folly to think of
attempting {52} to organize or connect myself with such a vast
undertaking unless I could get the countenance and support of some one
in high standing.' Macdonald, however, deemed the proposal premature
until the claims of the Hudson's Bay Company were disposed of. He was
destined to carry it out many years later.

The question as to the seat of government proved in those days
extremely troublesome, promising to vie with the now happily removed
Clergy Reserves question, in frequently recurring to cause difficulty.
The inconvenience of the ambulatory system under which the legislature
sat alternately four years at Quebec and four years at Toronto was
acknowledged by everybody, but it seemed impossible to agree upon any
one place for the capital. Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, and Kingston all
aspired to the honour, and the sectional jealousies among the
supporters of the Ministry afforded periodical opportunities to the
Opposition, of which they did not fail to take advantage. One
ministerial crisis arising out of this dispute acquired exceptional
prominence by reason of the fact that it led to what is known in
Canadian history as the 'Double Shuffle.'

{53}

In the session of 1857 the Ministry proposed to submit the question to
the personal decision of the queen, and introduced resolutions in the
Assembly praying that Her Majesty would be graciously pleased to
exercise the royal prerogative by the selection of some one place as
the permanent capital of Canada. This refe