It was possible to put down disorder, it was possible to punish
crime; but it is not possible by legislation to restore satisfaction
and contentment. The invitation which Mr. Gladstone addressed
to the Irish members was taken up rather more seriously by the
Canadian Parliament. As probably you may remember, there was
an address passed by the Parliament of Canada to the Queen, praying
that she would give her assent to a measure for the self-government
of Ireland. Now I may be permitted to digress for a very few
moments to say something in regard to that. The reasons for it
are not perhaps unworthy of your attention. In Canada we have
nearly a million of Irishmen or their descendants. They have felt
perhaps as great an interest in the fate of their countrymen at
home as if they were resident there; but, beyond all that, there are
six or seven millions of the same race in the United States, and
the Irish in Canada are necessarily affected by the opinions which
are expressed by their countrymen across the frontier. Their
publications reach them, and it is a source of great anxiety to us
in Canada whenever anything causes excitement in Ireland,
because it spreads inevitably to the United States. Let me
instance the case of the Fenians, who at one time invaded Canada.
They cost us a million and a half sterling to repulse them ; they
cost us the lives of some of our very best young men. Now it is
not by any means from a mere desire to give unsought-for advice
that the people of Canada may express opinions upon that
subject; it is because we have perhaps next to yourselves,
and perhaps even more than yourselves, a direct interest
in the thorough pacification of Ireland and the settlement
of all its difficulties. And besides that, singularly enough,
we have had in our Confederation in Canada an almost parallel
case, which you will pardon me for mentioning, in the case of
the province of Quebec, in Lower Canada. It was a con-
quered country, inhabited by a foreign race, speaking a foreign
language, having foreign laws. They were kept under by a small
English minority. They were given.a constitution about 90 years
ago. Under that constitution they endeavoured to obtain the
control of their own affairs, but they found themselves constantly