A part of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police rode immediately Of the lesser events associated with the Coronation must be To My People: Now that the Coronation and its attendant ceremonies are over, I desire to assure the people of the British Empire of my grateful sense that their hearts have been with me through it all. the beautiful and impressive service in the Abbey-the most solemn I felt this in experience of my life-and scarcely less in the stirring scenes of the succeeding days when my people have signified their recognition and their heartfelt welcome of me as their Sovereign, for this has been apparent not only in the loyal enthusiasm shown on our passage to and from Westminster and in the progress which we have made in the different districts of London, but also in the thousands of messages of good-will which have come to me across seas from every part of the Empire. Such affectionate demonstrations have profoundly touched me and have filled me afresh with faith and confidence. Believing that this generous, outspoken sympathy with the Queen and myself is, under God, our surest source of strength, I am encouraged to go forward with renewed hope that whatever perplexities or difficulties may be before me and my people, we shall all unite in facing them resolutely and calmly and with public spirit, confident that under Divine guidance the ultimate outcome will be to the common good.-(Sgd.) GEORGE, R. I. ப Meanwhile, the Coronation honours had been announced and included a number of Canadians. Senator L. Melvin Jones, Hon. A. B. Routhier, William Whyte, Vice-President of the C.P.R., were made Knights Bachelor; the Rt. Hon. Sir Charles Fitzpatrick was promoted to a G.C.M.G.; Dr. R. A. Falconer, Toronto University, Adam Shortt, Civil Service Commissioner at Ottawa, W. R. Baker of the C.P.R. Service and C. C. James, DeputyMinister of Agriculture, Toronto, were raised to the rank of C.M.G. Of honours not Canadian in a local sense were the appointment of A. Bonar Law, M.P., to the Privy Council, the C.M.G. given to A. F. Sladen, Governor-General's Secretary, the Knighthood conferred on W. Max Aitken, M.P., the Baronetcy given to Professor William Osler. The Hon. Sir F. W. Borden was also appointed Hon. Surgeon-General to the King. To the Delegates from the Overseas Parliaments who, with their wives and daughters, were the guests of the Houses of Lords and Commons at this time, a boundless volume of hospitality and courtesy was extended through a Committee of which Lord Rosebery was Chairman and Howard d'Egville Hon. Secretary. At a Luncheon on June 19th Lord Rosebery dealt with the traditions and liberties and responsibilities and future of the Empire. "We shall wake up some day and find ourselves, for Imperial purposes, a federated Empire." Sir Mackenzie Bowell spoke for Canada, Sir J. T. Molteno for South Africa, Sir W. J. Lyne for Australia, and Lord Curzon for India. Following the hospitalities of London came a Provincial tour (July 3-7) in which the visiting Parliamentarians were the guests of Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle, Scarborough, Manchester, Liverpool, Llandudno, Carnarvon, Stratford-on-Avon, Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge. Advantage was taken of this visit by representative Members of the Legislatures in all parts of the Empire to organize, on June 29, the Empire Parliamentary Association. The meeting was presided over by W. Hayes Fisher, M.P., and a Committee was appointed to make the final arrangements which divided the Association into Branches-Earl Loreburn and the Rt. Hon. J. W. Lowther being Presidents of the United Kingdom Branch with Earl Grey as Chairman of Executive and Mr. d'Egville as Hon. Secretary. An incident of this period was the purchase by the Society of Knights Bachelor of Clifford's Inn, as their future home and centre, at a cost of $175,000-largely through the munificence of Sir Henry Pellatt, of Canada, President of the Society. On June 20th the latter presided at the first annual Dinner and on the 28th Sir Henry and Lady Pellatt received a large proportion of the 425 members at their new headquarters. Meanwhile the Canadian and other Overseas ladies had been overwhelmed with functions and gaieties-a very few of those who gave the more important entertainments being Lady Northcliffe, Mrs. L. Har court, the Duchess of Northumberland, the Duchess of Sutherland, Mrs. Norton Griffiths, Lord and Lady Strathcona. In this connection the Daughters of the Empire had a large representation in London headed by Mrs. Nordheimer, Mrs. Albert Gooderham and Miss Weland Merritt, and they were widely entertained. At this time, also, a tour had been arranged by the Manitoba Department of Education for the school teachers of that Province and the party were given many of the courtesies of the great occasion. Following their London visit they were taken to Stratford-onAvon, Oxford, Windsor and Eton, Chester, Bangor, Carnarvon and other points in Wales, Dublin, Belfast, Ayr, Edinburgh, Loch Lomond and other points of historic interest. Meanwhile, what of Canada? Coronation Day was, of course, a holiday everywhere, decorations and flags were visible in every village, town, and city, special Church services were held, Royal salutes fired and various and varied programmes or celebrations were carried out-State Dinners in every Capital, reviews and parades of troops, sports, special addresses, school children's patriotic exercises. On June 22nd Lord Grey, officially, cabled the King that "the hearts and prayers of all Canada are with your Majesty to-day and always," and received a reply saying: "I heartily appreciate the good wishes of my people in Canada on my Coronation Day. George R.I." The press teemed with descriptions of the event and one quotation may be given from an eloquent picture by Dr. J. A. Macdonald in the Toronto Globe: "Is not the time coming when the Premiers of Greater Britain will have a place in the Coronation service and pledge allegiance for those Dominions overseas in whose keeping the future of the Imperial Crown will be. eign of this ancient realm but he is also a bond of union between The King is not only soverthe Motherland and the world-wide British Empire that has grown up under his beneficent shelter. Around him we, of the outer nations, gather. To his person and throne we pledge fealty as unselfish and unfaltering as that of those who in the Abbey swore to be his liegemen of life and limb." Addresses, or loyal messages, went from the City Council of Montreal, the Presbyterian General Assembly, the Anglican Synods of Nova Scotia and Toronto, the National Council of Women, the Association of Canadian Clubs, the Loyal Orange Association, a mass-meeting at Victoria, B.C., the Legislature of New Brunswick, the City of Regina-these are a few selected at random from the multitude of greetings which went from Canada. The Coronation gift of the Georges of the Empire to the King and of the Marys to the Queen was not shared in by Canadians as might have been expected. There was a tendency in certain quarters-notably the Toronto Telegram and the Regina Standardto sneer at the project. On June 8th, however, Queen Mary was presented with a cheque for $61,500 which was subscribed in small sums by her namesakes of the Empire as a Coronation gift. She wished to devote the amount to charities but the Committee urged that the gift was a personal one and the Queen, therefore, consented that a part of it should be devoted to the purchase of a diamond Insignia of the Garter. In her letter of acceptance the Queen said: "I look forward with special satisfaction to devoting the remainder of the noble gift to a charitable object in which I am greatly interested." Canada's total contribution was $3,500. A local incident of the Coronation was a presentation of 55,000 medals to the school children of Toronto, in recognition of the Coronation, by Sir Henry Pellatt. Earl Grey's Lord Grey continued his round of functions and public duties to the last day of his Administration. At Quebec on Jan. 18th he opened the Canadian Forestry Convention and on Jan. 26th received a vigorous attack from Henri Bourassa in Le Devoir for an alleged promotion of the Naval policy of the Government. In the Ontario Legislature, on Mch. 20th, a long Resolution was unanimously passed eulogizing His Excellency's work in Canada. "We recognize with cordial appreciation the zealous and unwearied efforts of Your Excellency to promote the great interests that concern us all; to stimulate the confidence and hope of the people in their own country; to lend cheerful aid in behalf of every useful undertaking and to encourage the advancement of the community in education, in science, and in art." 66 In February a Vice-regal visit was paid to Montreal and in March Mr. J. S. Ewart, K.C., published one of his periodical attacks upon Lord Grey's Imperialism which he described as a part of himself" and as also dangerous to Canadian autonomy. "His dearest wish is to bind Canada politically, and above all, for war purposes, to the United Kingdom." In May His Excellency wrote the Lieut.-Governor of Manitoba suggesting that a Memorial should be erected to the late Dr. James Robertson and enclosing a cheque for $100. Honouring men of this kind might help Winnipeg to "save her soul from being swamped in the dead sea of dollars." On Apl. 10 Lord Grey laid the corner-stone in Toronto of the new General Hospital and at Ottawa on the 19th wrote to the Mayor urging an immediate and systematic warfare upon house-flies. The Earl Grey Musical and Dramatic Trophy was contended for at Winnipeg on Apl. 24th with Their Excellencies present-Winnipeg winning the Musical trophy and Edmonton the Dramatic one. On May 19th Lord Grey visited the Agricultural College and Farm at Guelph and on Empire Day was in Toronto, visiting the Earl Grey School there on the 26th. At Berlin on the 29th he unveiled a Monument of Queen Victoria and on the 30th motored through the oil country of Petrolea and visited Sarnia; in Montreal on June 5th he opened the new Medi cal Building of McGill University and on the 6th laid the cornerstone of an extension to the Montreal General Hospital. Late in August Lord and Lady Grey spent some days in Toronto. His Excellency opened the Canadian National Exhibition on the 28th, and delivered a farewell address and in the evening was given a Dinner at the National Club; on the 30th Their Excellencies were entertained at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and on the 31st a Garden Party was given them at the York Club. The Boy Scouts (4,200 of them) were reviewed on the 29th. On Sept. 23rd the Races at Ottawa were attended, on the 25th a farewell Dinner was given His Excellency at the Rideau Club. The Ottawa Canadian Club, on the 27th, tendered Lord Grey a most successful banquet, and in return heard a very analysis of Canada's position in the Empire. "It is true that frank Canada is at present a dependent independency. That is a result not of your desire, but of present conditions. You are dependent for your security on the supremacy of the British Navy. It may be said that you are dependent on the Monroe Doctrine. Well, if you examine into the matter I think you will find that the Monroe Doctrine, like the independence of self-governing Dominions, also floats on the British Navy. I do not know at what price you could value it if the British Navy were stripped from the seas." On Oct. 3rd the Mount Royal Club at Montreal gave a farewell Reception while His Excellency unveiled a statue of the late Hon. John Young. On the 4th an imposing banquet was tendered Lord Grey at the Windsor and a high tribute paid by him to the courtesy, chivalry and charm of the French-Canadian people. The Empire, he declared, stood for security, self-government, unity and duty; in it Canada must some day be the controlling factor. On Oct. 6 Lord Grey received the resignation of the Laurier Government and sent for Mr. Borden. To the Countess Grey at Ottawa a presentation of jewels was made on the 9th from Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa ladies. A number of addresses were also presented to His Excellency. At Quebec on the 11th cheering crowds said farewell. A loyal Address was tendered from the City and as the new Royal Governor-General steamed up the River Lord Grey and his family sailed down it and away from a country in which the years had been marked by so much of high endeavour. In London a great banquet was given Lord Grey by the Royal Colonial Institute on Oct. 24th with the Rt. Hon. Lewis Harcourt presiding and many leaders in British and Overseas life present. The retiring Governor-General spoke strongly as to Canadian loyalty and deprecated any idea of Annexation sentiment. "In justice to Sir Wilfrid Laurier, my affection and admiration for that distinguished statesman requires me to say that he and his Government were actuated by no annexationist sentiment in the Reciprocity policy they adopted at the polls. Sir Wilfrid Laurier |