daughter a week ago. They are both doing well, and we regard it as a vast addition to our happiness. Faithfully yours, GEORGE BROWN. HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. LETTER TO MR. HOLTON. TORONTO, January 29, 1864. MY DEAR HOLTON,-Here's a pretty mess. Perhaps Sandfield will now have his eyes opened to the fact that it is only on the liberal constituencies the government can rely when the pinch comes, and that, convenient to him as it may be, and his friends in the ministry, it wants something more than his choice to get them there. I was astonished to hear that Sandfield had said I had consented to Richards' appointment. The very opposite is the fact. But both Gordon and I saw, as plainly as possible, that Sandfield was bent on making the appointment, and while I urged my views of the matter on him, I refrained from speaking against Richards. It was not for me to say that Richards' appointment would be a gross injustice and breach of faith, with the understanding at the forma tion of the government, while Sandfield was protesting all the time that he had no thought of appointing him and would do nothing without letting me know-a promise I had no wish for, and which was never thought of after it was uttered. What is to be done now? Can any single man in our party now fail to see that the policy you and I chalked out at the end of the session was the only safe one, and the only right one? If you come down with a weak speech, get defeated, and an election should follow, where would we be? And how about your tax scheme? Will you venture to go on with it in a House in which you are so weak as the present one? Don't you regret you had not made a stand before now? Sandfield will, I have no doubt, have shown you my answer to his letter about the reciprocity matter. You are the only man to go there. You can go with authority. I have no idea of going to Washington as a lobby agent, to be snubbed by Lord Lyons for meddling in a matter he was sufficiently able to settle. Faithfully yours, HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. GEORGE BROWN. LETTER TO MR. HOLTON. TORONTO, February 6, 1864. MY DEAR HOLTON,-Your note of the 3rd has this moment reached me. I do not quite understand what you are driving at. Did my urging you to go into the government last May make me responsible, or impose on me the obligation of approving all that the government has done since? Did not you and I both see clearly at the end of last session that another such was not to be contemplated, but that a crisis during the recess was the wise and prudent mode of avoiding a great break-down in the coming session? Must I, whether I can honestly do so or not, approve of the course of the government on the bank matter, the seat of government matter, reciprocity, South Leeds, and the North-West business, on all of which I was consulted after the thing was done, or when it was too late to do anything; and because I do not and cannot approve of the course of the government on these points, does it follow that I will not stick to my party, and will not aid to pull it through in spite of the course taken? Have I ever shrank from my share when the pinch came? You speak of the men with whom I cordially act as the main core of the party; but what one step has been taken by the government to strengthen us, or even to please us? No, not one step, except the first move about the York roads, and there it hangs to let a new government undo it. I think Mowat and you should not have allowed matters to get into the shape they have. I have done my duty in urging you both and warning you of coming troubles from my point of view. You have not seen proper to go upon it. But I did not take the pet on that account. The question is not what I thought ought to have been and might have been, but what is. However, we up here will exert ourselves to get through the coming session. I see you do not think a breakup imminent. Well, I sincerely hope you will prove right, for a break-up now is not only to lose the reins, but to ruin the party west. I don't want that; and little respect as I have for a portion of the government, I cannot separate them from the great reform party. You ask why I did not write to you, and you complain about Richards appointment. I answer because Sandfield left me declaring it would not be made, and I heard not a word more about it till I heard the deed was done. I complained to Mowat; but, in truth, what is the use of complaining? HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. Faithfully yours, GEORGE BROWN. LETTER TO MR. HOLTON. TORONTO, January 17, 1867. MY DEAR HOLTON,-I agree with you in your suggestion that it might not be a bad dodge for John A.'s purpose to shove off the confederation settlement, and that it would be characteristic; but he cannot do it. Nearly all the others consider it either now or never. It is immediate or political death certain. Cartier perfectly understands his position, and the sooner confederation comes the better. I never was so confident as at this moment that the movement was a right one, and will prove a great boon to the province; and how any liberal politician could doubt that any settlement of the constitutional question must place his party in the ascendant and give a new face to the whole politics of the country, I never could understand, and don't now. Of course, you in Lower Canada have a difficult card to play; but those who settle this question, it appears to me, are playing your game for you. Don't fancy there is any great change in public opinion here. There is a lull, a doubt, an uncertainty, but the moment the right chord is struck, the response will be as of yore, only more so, or I am no judge. In great haste, Faithfully yours, HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. LETTER TO MR. HOLTON. GEORGE BROWN. TORONTO, May 13, 1867. MY DEAR HOLTON, -Yours of the 25th came duly to hand, but being busy since, I could not reply sooner. I think the ground you take quite consistent, truly patriotic, and one on which we can all meet. I hope you will have entire success in your effort to carry the Rouge party with you. I quite understood what you said about control. I had no objections to it from your point of view, but my fixed determination is to see the liberal party reunited and in the ascendant, and then make my bow as a politician, As a journalist and a citizen, I hope always to be found on the right side and heartily supporting my old friends. But I want to be free to write of men and things without control, beyond that which my conscientious convictions and the interests of the country demand. To be debarred by fear of injuring the party from saying that is unfit to sit in parliament, and that is very stupid, makes journalism a very small business. Party leadership and the conducting of a great journal do not harmonize. + I had an hour's talk with Mr. Howland. He tells me Lord Monck told him John A. Macdonald would form the new government, and urged him to take a seat in it, but that he absolutely refused to come to any decision until he got out to Canada. Mat. Cameron writes me that McDougall is quite undecided how to act; that he was intensely disgusted at the reception given to John A. on their joint arrival. The list of senators was to be settled on Saturday and telegraphed to London; the proclamation is to be issued as soon as it reaches England, or rather as soon as the Queen returns from Balmoral. The union is to come into operation on the 1st July, and the elections are to follow as soon as possible thereafter. I have given you all the news I heard. Write me what you have. Good-by. HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. Faithfully yours, GEORGE BROWN. LETTER TO MR. HOLTON. TORONTO, July 5, 1867. MY DEAR HOLTON,-Yours of yesterday reached me this afternoon. I was much amused at the life-like picture it presented of Sandfield's position. I have no doubt your surmises as to his expectations from the enemy are well grounded. I am not quite so sure that he will refuse their overtures. The question now is what to do about the eastern counties. Shall I take their case in hand myself, and make a raid through them, or leave them to the chance of Sandfield's moving? I have several very strong letters from M., urging action and promising cordial cooperation, but he failed to come to the convention. I am offered addresses and invitations from several counties of central Canada to visit them and speak on public affairs, and if I thought Macdonald would not move soon, and move vigorously, I would accept some of them, and stir up the dead bones. The Tories are in alarm about the movement. If Currie accepts the nomination from Peel, the Grand Master will certainly be beaten. We have had no communication whatever with the Roman Catholic clergy, but they, of course, know all about the position, and have probably determined not to interfere. The fact is, that there has not a word been passed, or a demand been made, or inducement sought or offered, that might not be cried from every housetop in the country; and the most interesting part of the business is that the most pronounced of them heretofore show a modera tion, common sense, and confidence in our good faith exceedingly satisfactory. I observe a Mr. Roden by name is likely to oppose you in Chateauguay, but hope it will amount to nothing. Stories of all kinds are circulated here by ministerialists as to the utter overthrow of the liberal party in Lower Canada. Tilley told myself that fifteen was the outside number of liberals that could get in. He had better look to his own following. I have a letter from one of his strong men, speaking for himself and others, entirely approving of our course up here, and declaring that the reform party of New Brunswick will never ally themselves with the Tory party. If you do anything respectable in Lower Canada, out they must go, and if you don't, I go for sticking to you until you can do better. But of all this when we meet. As you have given me all the news that I could hope to obtain from Sandfield, I shall not go down to Montreal for some days-perhaps not for a fortnight, as there is much to do here. Do not believe one word about my being deceived by some of our candidates. I know more about that than anybody else, and think I know all the shaky fellows pretty well, though I don't tell everybody of it. Good-by. Ever yours, HON. L. H. HOLTON, Montreal. GEORGE BROWN, EXTRACTS FROM MR. BROWN'S PRIVATE LETTERS TO A RELATIVE, ON THE RECIPROCITY TREATY NEGOTIATIONS CONDUCTED BY HIM IN 1874. WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 1874. It is really very hard work to see the leading spirits among 300 representatives, and carry on discussion with them. So far everything looks well, but one's heart sinks before the labour necessary to insure success. And after all the labour has been gone through, by some accident or whim the castle may be toppled over at the last moment. The government seems to be with us, and many of the most important men in congress. We know as yet of but few men who are bitterly against us. I saw General Butler, at his own request, on the subject, and I understand he will support us. Charles Sumner is heart and hand with us, and is most kind to me personally. I shall try to get to the bottom of the general feeling as early as possible next week, and then return. WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 1874. Everything has gone on as well as we could have hoped for. It is always difficult to say beforehand what any legislative body will do, and this legislature is one of the most uncertain on commercial questions; but without overestimating the favourable symptoms, I feel confident that were a bill for the renewal of the reciprocity treaty (with some amendments) submitted to both Houses next week, it would be carried. Whether such a bill will get before congress, or what new influences may arise to affect its chances when it does, is a different thing. On Monday I shall be able to get through all I can do at present, until the United States government take the initiative formally; they have already agreed unofficially. Consent from England has also to be obtained before further advance is made. I therefore propose to leave on Monday night and go by New York direct to Ottawa. WASHINGTON, May 10, 1874. We have made a good deal of progress since I got back here. I had a long talk with Bancroft Davis, and he assures me they mean business, but do not feel they can deal with it without advice. I am informed they have called in Dr. Young. He went over the list with me, and showed me what we would probably get and what we would not get. We will probably accept such a compromise. I have visited several prominent men whose views were doubtful, among others Senator Conkling, who goes heartily for a treaty, and will urge Mr. Fish to go ahead; I also saw General Garfield and Secretary Schurz, both of whom are favourable. I shall go to New York for a day to obtain, if possible, the Herald, the Times, and the Sun. We have already had articles in the World and Evening Post. I have sent off our first despatch to the London Times. WASHINGTON, May 15, 1874. I was able to do good work in New York, having secured the support of the Herald and the Times. The enclosed article was published by the Tribune, with some trifling changes. The Chicago Tribune had a grand article, and so had many other papers that I heard of but have not seen. What a provoking thing it was that my manifesto, prepared at the request of the Associated Press people, was not sent, as promised, to all the papers. They only sent a small part to the press generally, and the whole to the New York press only. I could have done better without their aid. Don't, I pray you, come to the conclusion that all is safe for the treaty. We know of not one thing more against us than we did when you were here, and we know of much that is favourable which has turned up since. But political matters are in such a mess here that it seems hopeless to get anything satisfactory done this session, unless Mr. Fish signs a treaty, and to do that he seems more and more unwilling. He is frightened at his shadow, and seems to have neither knowledge enough of the subject, nor breadth of grasp sufficient to cast his fears aside. If he had, the treaty would be carried without much trouble. On Monday we are to see him, when we hope to bring him to the point. WASHINGTON, May 22, 1874. I had a most pleasant interview with Mr. Fish on Monday. He promised to see us again in three or four days. We are making strength every day in the senate. I have issued a fly-sheet which, I think, will give us a hoist. Mr. Fish's four days are up, but we have not heard from him. I have just written him a note which, I hope, will bring him to the point. I hope now to know distinctly what he means to-morrow. Everything goes well meanwhile. The papers are coming out famously; the Chicago Board of Trade have passed excellent resolutions; the New York Board pass theirs to-morrow; the Boston Board of Trade on Tuesday; and the Detroit Board at the same time. We had a cablegram to-day from Lord Derby, thanking us for our paper given to Mr. Fish, and declaring it an able document. WASHINGTON, May 27, 1874. We had a satisfactory meeting with Mr. Fish, who seems now to be thoroughly in earnest. I think we will get him to send the treaty to the senate for advice, as was done with the Washington treaty, and we think the senate will assent to it, but that is not certain. The bargain is not all we would like, but it will be a creditable treaty for us. It looks very like winning. I had a long interview with Mr. Fish by myself at the state department, and settled everything as far as he is |