dren who desert her, than to those who remain
faithful. For I care not whether you be a Protectionist or a
Free-trader, it is the inconsistency of Imperial legislation, and not
the adoption of one policy rather than another, which is the bane of
the colonies. I believe that the conviction that they would be better
off if they were 'annexed' is almost universal among the commercial
classes at present, and the peaceful condition of the province under
all the circumstances of the time is, I must confess, often a matter
of great astonishment to myself.

[Sidenote: How to be remedied.]

His sympathy, however, with the sufferings caused by the introduction of
Free-trade was not accompanied by any wish to return to a Protective
policy. On the contrary, he felt that the remedy was to be sought in a
further development of the Free-trade principle, in the repeal of the
Navigation Laws, which cramped the commerce Canada by restricting it to
British vessels, and in a reciprocal reduction of the duties which
hampered her trade with the United States. In this sense he writes to Lord
Grey:--

I am glad to see your bold measure on the Navigation Laws. You have no
other course now open to you if you intend to keep your colonies. You
cannot halt between two opinions: Free-trade in all things, or general
Protection. There was something captivating in the project of forming
all the parts of this vast British empire into one huge
_Zollverein_ with free interchange of commodities, and uniform
duties against the world without; though perhaps, without some
federal legislation, it might have been impossible to carry it out.
Undoubtedly, under such a system, the component parts of the empire
would have been united by bonds which cannot be supplied under that on
which we are now entering; though it may be fairly urged on the other
side, that the variety of conflicting interests which would, under
this arrangement, have been brought into presence would have led to
collisions which we may now hope to escape. But, as it is, the die is
cast. As regards these colonies you must allow them to turn to the
best possible account their contiguity to the States, that they may
not have cause for dissatisfaction when they contrast their own
condition with that of their neighbours.

Another subject on which I am very solicitous, is the free admission