s Howe
delayed his departure. In England, Hincks and Chandler quarrelled with
Sir John Pakington, the Conservative mediocrity who had succeeded Grey,
and Hincks, brusquely turning his back upon plans of government
ownership and control, entered upon negotiations with a great private
company which ended in the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway. Of
the subsequent series of errors in the financing and building of that
line, which left Canadian credit water-logged for thirty years, it is
not necessary to speak.[8]

Of this fiasco Howe felt, spoke, and wrote very bitterly. He accused
Hincks of having 'ended by throwing our common policy overboard, and
rushing into the arms of the great contractors.' Now, it is true that
in Halifax {115} in February Hincks had favoured government
construction; but he had expressly warned his hearers that if the
present plan did not go through, Canada might be compelled to look
elsewhere. What Canada most of all desired was connection between
Montreal and Portland on the one side and between Quebec and Detroit on
the other. For the construction of a 'grand trunk line' running east
and west she had already voted several millions. Howe's absence and
the quarrel with Pakington had destroyed all hope of success for the
government line; instead of crying over spilt milk, Canada must seek a
new dairy. Into the question of Hincks's motives or of his financial
integrity there is no need to go. The real culprit was Howe, in
refusing to help in the final negotiation. He himself has given his
defence; it is weak and egoistical. He says that he was worn down by
the travel, excitement, and fatigue of the last fifteen months, and
that in the depth of winter his opponents forced him to fight a
contested election. This might indeed have delayed his departure,
while he took a fortnight's holiday; further than that the excuse has
no weight. 'Had he gone, he must either have differed from his
co-delegates, or have {116} been compromised by their acts. By not
going, he left himself free to strike out an independent policy for his
own province, when that which had been forced upon Nova Scotia should,
as he probably anticipated, have failed.' It is the apology of an
egoist. Once again, at Confederation, we shall see him 'striking out
an independent policy for his own province,' and with results equally
disastrous.

What of his conflict with Lord Grey? On the whole, his Lordship comes
out b