CANADIAN NOTES.

Evening Star, Issue 7859, 16 March 1889, Page 4

CANADIAN NOTES.

Ottawa, January 25, 1889. Canadians are beginning to take greater interest in the affairs of New Zealand and Australia than ever before, chiefly owing to the desire for closer commercial relations amongst the British colonies. Our Dominion Government have decided to formally request the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to send delegates to Ottawa duly authorised to enter into negotiations for the establishment of closer trade relations between those colonies and the Dominion, as well as to consider the practicability of a joint effort to lay a telegraph cable between Vancouver and Australia. The Government organs (Conservative) here speak highly of the idea, but the Opposition (Liberal), although in favor of the cable scheme, doubt whether trade between Canada and the above countries can be developed owing to the similarity of products of Canada with Australia and New Zealand.

We have at present a Commission composed of British and Canadian officers sitting in Ottawa consulting as to the best means of fortifying our coast defences, especially in British Columbia. I notice by your files that some of your people are strongly in favor of the San Francisco mail route. The Canadian-Pacific Railway Company have a line of steamers running between Vancouver, China, and Japan, leaving each port once a week, and are using their influence with the Home Government for a subsidy, now paid to the

San Francisco line for carrying the British mails.

Colonel MacGregor, ex M.P., is here obtaining information for the Fairfield Shipping Company, of Glasgow, In reference to the Atlantic mail contract. The Fairfield Company built the Umbria and the Etruria, and they nave turned out a vessel which did the journey from Foochow (China) to London in 27d lOh, which is ten days ahead of any other vessel, and has never been equalled before or since. This vessel was purchased by the Italian Government. Colonel MacGregor says he can build a vessel to do the journey to Halifax in five days. The shipbuilding interest, he says, is now much more prosperous than it has been for some time, in consequence of the advance of freights all over the world. Colonel MacGregorisalsocounected with Sir William Pearce’s shipping firm, which, it is said, is interested with the Canadian-Pacific Railway Company in the Pacific mail contract, and will supply the vessels to perform the service.

Principal Grant, of Queen’s University, Kingston, has returned from a tour of the world for the benefit of his health. In his travels, after he left England, he touched at Cape Town, where he visited the Kimberley diamond mine, whoso estimated annual output is of the value of 10,000,000d01. More could be taken out, but a glut of the market is feared. Regarding schools, neither those in Africa, Australia, nor New Zealand can compare with those of Canada. The doctor visited Tasmania and then went on to New Zealand, which he says is a beautiful country, about 900 miles long, but which is heavily in debt to London firms. In New South Wales there are 1,000,000 souls, and 47,000,000 sheep are owned in the country. During a good season a flock of sheep will double. He says it is a splendid country to emigrate to ; but if he were advising a poor relative, he would say come to Canada, as it is a more healthy climate. If a man merely wished to make money, and cared not for morality, he would say go to New Zealand ; but if he wished to make money and raise a family in a Christian manner, he would say come to Manitoba. What do your readers think of that?

In the province of Manitoba our farmers had a splendid crop of wheat last harvest, but lost considerably by early frost. During ISS7 they had a surplus of 12,000,000 bushels, which they sold for 50 to 60 cents ; but they made more money in 1888 with one-third of the crop frosted, as they got about 90 cents a bushel. The Federal Government during the last few years have been troubled with a balance on the wrong side ; and the public accounts, just closed, show that our debt increased nearly 11,500,000d01. The receipts from Customs and excise declined about 510,000d01. The receipts from other sources show an increase of nearly 700,000d01, so that the total revenue for 1888 is 153,470d0l in excess of that of the preceding year. The total receipts from Dominion lands in 1888 amounted to 217,083d01, and the expenditure for surveys, management, etc., reached 319,595d01, leaving a deficit of 102,513d0l on lands account. The expenditure for civil government shows an increase of 47,000d01. The Civil Government contingencies amounted to 237,124d0l during last year. The annual charge on account of the public debt for interest, sinking fund, etc., amount to 12,105,981d0l in 1888. The deficit for the year is 810,031d01, which is less than last year. Our municipal elections are now taking place in Ontario, and a great deal of excitement is being caused by a clbss of the community, chiefly Protestants, demanding that taxes bo levied on churches, schools, convents, and, in fact, everything that is now exempt. It rests with the local Legislature, to grunt the power to each municipal council to tax or exempt, as they may desire. In the Roman Catholic Church the priests are preaching against candidates who go in for taxing their property, and, as the Roman Catholics form almost one-half of the population of this city, the fight is exceedingly warm. There is about 11,000,000d0l worth of property exempt from taxation in the capital, including the Parliament Buildings, and were they assessed they would produce a revenue of 40,000d01, which is considered quite an item to a population of about 37,000 souls.

A great deal is being said and written at the present time about annexation to the United States, but any casual observer must see that we are drifting more in the direction of independence. Probably the most potent cause of this change is the urgency with which the Imperial Federationists are pressing their views on public attention. During the past week we have had the declaration of both Sir John Macdonald (Premier of the Dominion) and of Oliver Mowat (Premier of the Province of Ontario), who both declared against holding annexation sentiment. Sir John, who has seen seventy-five summers, has been during the past fifteen years leader of the Conservative party throughout the Dominion; while Mr Mowat, in a certain sense, represents the feelings of the Liberal party. So that we are not likely to become Yankees for some time to come.

The movement comes, as Mr Mowat pointed out, from the enemies of Canada. It is reciprocity in trade between Canada and the United States that is most required, and upon which our next federal elections will most likely be fought out. Our foreign trade increased from 131,000,000d0l in 1868 to 201,000,000d0l in 1888. Imperial federation, although kept alive by isolated associations, is making little or no progress, having received the cold shoulder from both political parties.

Our Dominion Parliament meets here soon, when I may send you some further news regarding our Canadian “ Cannucks.” A. Beaver.

Dr Decaisne is reporting i» the New York ‘ Medical Record ’ as having recently investigated a number of cases of vertigo in smokers. Out of sixty-three patients fortynine were between fifty and sixty-six years of age. More than half of them suffered, in addition, from digestive troubles, with constipation, alternating with diarrhoea, insomnia, palpitations, dyspnoea and diuresis. In the third of the number there was marked intermittence of the pulse and granular pharyngitis, while others suffered from aphthte, amblyopia, etc. Thirty-seven were persons who smoked habitually on an empty stomach, and these suffered from vertigo, principally in the morning. The vertigo generally coincided with suppression of perspiration and diminished excretion of urine. The treatment consisted mainly in rrgulating or suppressing the cause, but thirty-three out of thirty-seven patients ceased to suffer on merely refraining from smoking on an empty stomach.