But the chief event of
the year in this respect was Canada's invitation to the King, and Queen
Alexandra, to pay the country and its people a visit. In the House of
Commons on April 18th, the Hon. N. A. Belcourt, seconded by Mr. W. B.
Northrup, moved a Resolution expressive of Canadian loyalty and devotion
to the King's person and of the hope that His Majesty and the Queen
would be pleased to visit Canada at such time as might be found possible
and convenient.

In his short speech the Prime Minister laid stress upon the King's
personal qualities and his work in the cause of peace. Sir Wilfrid
Laurier then made a reference which was probably of more consequence in
the final decision than was supposed at the time, "I believe it is the
opinion of all who sit in this House that if the King were to visit
Canada--and he could not visit Canada without visiting the United States
also--the effect would be to bring more closely together than they are
at the present time--and they are more so than ever before--the two
great branches of the Anglo-Saxon race on both sides of the Atlantic."
This additional suggestion involved tremendous considerations of travel,
functions, ceremonial, time, and responsibility. After being spoken to
by men of such opposite opinions as Colonel S. Hughes and Mr. H.
Bourassa, as well as warmly endorsed by the Opposition Leader, the
Resolution was passed unanimously, as it was later in the Senate. All
the Provincial Legislatures, then in session, joined in this invitation,
while centres such as Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Quebec, Three
Rivers, St. Hyacinthe, Valleyfield, Hamilton, London, Guelph, Woodstock,
Halifax, Sydney, St. John, Fredericton, Regina, Calgary, Vancouver,
Victoria and about forty others warmly endorsed the request; as did
every newspaper of standing in Canada. In reply Lord Elgin, Colonial
Secretary, under date of July 7th wrote a long despatch to the
Governor-General in which he expressed the King's appreciation of the
invitation, his pleasant memories of the Royal visit to Canada in 1860,
and his comprehension of the wonderful growth of the country since that
time, and continued:

"I need scarcely remind Your Lordship of two circumstances which
must not be overlooked in the consideration of these proposals. In
the first place the current business of the Empire, which is
continuous and incessant, imposes a heavy tax on the time and
strength of its So