AT THE CAPITAL OF THE UNITED PROVINCES
At every village and town and tiny settlement on the way to Ottawa
crowds turned out to welcome and cheer the passing visitor; while flags
and arches and decorations indicated the pleasure of the people in more
practical shape. Near the capital of the United Provinces of Upper and
Lower Canada--seven years hence to be the capital of the new
Dominion--the Prince of Wales was received by a fleet of steamers and
1200 lumbermen and Indians in birch-bark canoes and was escorted into
the city in a most picturesque style. Mayor Workman presented an address
and a procession through the capital followed. On September 1st the
corner stone of the splendid Parliament Buildings, which afterwards
graced the hills of the Chaudiere, was laid by the Royal visitor amid
scenes of considerable dignity and much enthusiasm. Amongst those
present were H. E. Sir Edmund Head, Lord Mulgrave, General Sir Fenwick
Williams, Hon. John A. Macdonald and the other members of the Ministry.
In the afternoon a state luncheon was given by the Government at which
the Governor-General presided and the toasts proposed were presented
respectively by His Excellency, Sir N. F. Belleau, Sir Henry Smith and
the Prince himself. A visit to the Chaudiere Falls followed and the
usual illuminations were given in the evening. On Sunday Christ Church
Cathedral was attended and early in the succeeding day the journey was
resumed--Arnprior, Almonte and Brockville being visited and addresses
received.
At this point in the tour occurred an unfortunate misunderstanding with
the Orangemen of Kingston and Toronto. While in Montreal the Duke of
Newcastle--who was practically in charge of the Prince's movements so
far as they affected state and public interests--heard that the members
of the Loyal Orange Order proposed to erect arches along the route of
the Royal procession in Toronto and Kingston and to decorate them with
Orange colours and regalia. The Duke at once wrote to Sir Edmund Head
that this would not do. "It is obvious that a display of this nature on
such an occasion is likely to lead to religious feud and breach of the
peace; and it is my duty to prevent, so far as I am able, the exposure
of the Prince to supposed participation in a scene so much to be
deprecated, and so alien to the spirit in which he visits Canada." He
added that if the policy was persisted in he would advise the Prince not
to visit the places in question.
Sectarian feeling, it may be added, was very strong at this time in
Upper Canada and the Catholics and Orangemen were drawn up in two
distinctly hostile camps of religious and political thought. This was
especially the case in Toronto and Kingston. The Governor-General at
once wrote the Mayors of these two towns under date of August 31st and,
in the course of his letter said: "You will bear in mind, Sir, that His
Royal Highness visits this Colony on the special invitation of the whole
people, as conveyed by both branches of the Legislature, without
distinction of creed or party; and it would be inconsistent with the
spirit and object of such an invitation, and such a visit, to thrust on
him the exhibition of banners or other badges of distinction which are
known to be offensive to any of Her Majesty's subjects." Roman Catholics
called meetings to protest at the intended action of the Orangemen; the
latter met in public and private and convinced themselves that the
representatives of the former were being allowed to control the Prince's
movements. They pointed to their own well-known loyalty to the Crown and
British institutions and to the fact that Roman Catholics had been
permitted every privilege in welcoming the Prince in Lower Canada.
Eventually, although the Duke of Newcastle made every effort to smooth
matters over, the City Council of Kingston and the Orangemen of that
place refused to give way and the steamer _Kingston_, after sixteen
hours had been given for consideration, passed in her course to
Belleville without the Prince landing in the gaily decorated and
historic town.
Writing from the steamer on September 5th, before leaving for the next
destination in the Royal tour, the Duke wrote to the Mayor a long letter
in which the following sentence occurs: "What is the sacrifice I asked
the Orangemen to make? Merely to abstain from displaying in the presence
of a young Prince of 19 years of age--the heir to a sceptre which rules
over millions of every form of Christianity--symbols of religious and
political organization which are notoriously offensive to the members of
another creed!" He expressed regret that the City Council had not
accepted the suggestion to present their address on board the steamer as
had been done by the Church of Scotland Synod. The reply of the Mayor,
Mr. O. S. Strange, disclaimed sympathy with the Orangemen while
defending a refusal to approve the advice given to the Prince of Wales.
It also pointed out that the garbs and flags of the Orange Order were no
more compromising to the Royal visitor than were the robes and insignia
of the Catholic Hierarchy of Quebec during the reception in that
Province.
ROYAL RECEPTION AT TORONTO
Belleville was reached on September 5th, but no landing was effected on
account of Orange troubles of the same kind as at Kingston. The
disappointment of the people was extreme, as the preparations had been
elaborate and the decorations costly. Visits followed to Cobourg, where
a ball was given; to Rice Lake, where an address was received from the
Mississaga Indians; to Peterborough, Whitby and Port Hope, which were
most lavishly decorated. Toronto was reached on September 7th and the
greatest reception of the tour given to the Royal visitor. As the centre
of Orange sentiment in Upper Canada some difficulty was feared, and as a
matter of fact there was a misunderstanding between the Duke of
Newcastle and Mayor Wilson--afterwards Sir Adam Wilson, Chief Justice of
Ontario--regarding the Orange arch; but this was ultimately smoothed
over. The city was gay with flags and decorations; nine arches had been
erected in the principal streets; a large amphitheatre was built for the
purposes of the formal reception; and the city was crowded with people.
At the amphitheatre an address was received from the city and replied to
by the Prince in a speech in which he referred to the generous loyalty
of his welcome as the Queen's representative--"a loyalty tempered and
yet strengthened by the intelligent independence of the Canadian
character." A welcome was sung by 5000 school children and a procession
through Toronto followed. Brilliant illuminations in the evening made
the town bright and in the ensuing morning the Prince held a Levee at
which one thousand gentlemen were presented.
Addresses were presented during this function from the Upper Canada
Bible Society, the Church of England Synod Trinity University, the
Presbyterian Synod, the St. George's Society, the Temperance
organizations, the County Council of York, and Knox College, and were
duly replied to. In the afternoon His Royal Highness attended a
reception given by the Law Society and in the evening a dance under the
same auspices at Osgoode Hall. On the next day, Sunday, the Prince
attended service at St. James Cathedral and listened to a sermon from
Bishop Strachan. On Monday, an excursion was made to Collingwood, on the
Georgian Bay, and the Prince was accompanied by the Governor-General,
Sir Fenwick Williams and the Hon. Messrs. A. T. Galt, P. M. Vankoughnet,
W. B. Robinson, J. Hillyard Cameron and others, as well as by his suite.
At Newmarket, Aurora, Bradford and Barrie addresses were received and at
every point along the Northern Railway there were decorations and crowds
of people.
At Collingwood there was luncheon and an enthusiastic reception and the
Prince then returned to Toronto, where he watched the games of the
Canadian Highland Society for a time. September 11th was a very wet day,
but the Royal visitor attended a Regatta held under the auspices of the
Royal Canadian Yacht Club, opened Queen's Park, and laid a pedestal for
a statue to the Queen. He also reviewed the Toronto Volunteer Corps, and
visited the University of Toronto where he received an address as well
as one from Upper Canada College. A visit to the Educational Department
of the Province and Knox College followed and a busy day was concluded
by a great ball in the evening, at which the Prince danced until four in
the morning.
THE PRINCE IN THE WEST
On September 12th His Royal Highness left Toronto for a trip through the
western portion of Upper Canada (Ontario) and was welcomed at every
station by decorations and cheering crowds. Arches were everywhere and
salutes were fired with frequency. A short stop was made at Guelph and
Stratford and an address was received at the German settlement of
Peterburg, to which the Prince replied in the same language. In the
afternoon London was reached and an enthusiastic reception given which
included a torchlight procession and evening illuminations. Sarnia was
visited on the following day and, besides the usual addresses, one was
presented from the Indians of Upper Canada. At London, in the evening, a
ball was given and the young Prince danced with the animation which he
had displayed at all the entertainments of this character given in his
honour. On September 14th he proceeded to visit Niagara Falls in a new
and beautiful car specially constructed by the Great Western Railway
Company.
Woodstock, Paris, Brantford, Dunnville and Port Colborne were visited
_en route_, and at the Falls in the evening most exquisite illuminations
were exhibited for the pleasure of the visitor--lines of fire running
along the cliffs while other kinds of light intensified the natural
splendour of the scene. During his several days at this point, the
Prince saw Blondin cross the chasm on a rope; attended service at the
little church in the Canadian village; paid a brief visit to the
American fort on the other side of Niagara River; saw the Welland Canal
and visited Queenston Heights and the tomb of Sir Isaac Brock. At the
latter place he received an address from one hundred and sixty survivors
of the War of 1812 at the hands of Chief Justice Sir J. Beverley
Robinson and, on September 18th, laid the corner-stone of an obelisk in
honour of the chief Canadian hero of that contest. A visit to Port
Dalhousie and Hamilton followed, and at the latter place the reception
was marked by splendid decorations and much enthusiasm.
In his reply to the address the Royal visitor was more than usually
impressive--no doubt realizing that the end of this visit to a great
country of the future was close at hand. "I can never forget," he said,
"the scenes I have witnessed during the short time in which I have
enjoyed the privilege of associating myself with the Canadian people,
which must ever be a bright epoch in my life. I shall bear away with me
a grateful remembrance of kindness and affection which, as yet, I have
been unable to do anything to merit; and it shall be the constant effort
of my future years to prove myself not unworthy of the love and
confidence of a generous people." Fire-works, a state concert, a visit
to the Central School, a luncheon at the Royal Hotel, a visit to the
waterworks and a grand ball in the evening were amongst the events of
the stay in Hamilton. On September 20th the last address received and
answered by His Royal Highness in Canada was presented by the
Agricultural Society of Upper Canada. To its loyal phrases the King and
Emperor of a distant future made this final response: "My duties as
representative of the Queen, deputed by her to visit British North