OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

Otago Witness, Issue 2332, 10 November 1898, Page 63

OUR CANADIAN LETTER.

(From Oue Own Correspondent.)

OTTAWA, August 30.

On the 16th of Juno " Captain Reginald L. Middleton, R.N.," called at a passenger agent's in Hamilton, Ont., and engaged a cabin, on the steamer Miowera, sailing from Vancouver on September 22 for New Zealand. He said he had an appointment undor the British Government, and had to report at Wellington, Now Zealand, before Christmas. Captain Middleton will not go, although he paid £600 for a cabin ; he is now in gaol. Tho case has excited widespread interest, as Middleton turns out to be a swindler of almost worldwide reputation. When he was detectod he was building a railroad from Brantford to Woodstock. He had scores of surveyors taking the levels and men acquiring the right of way. Local merchants gave him unlimited credit, and, in fact, vied with each other to get his trade. Middleton, who is now known as Alex. Macdonald, was the lion of the hour. He was banqueted by civic corporations, and married to a society belle in Hamilton. Stock in the new scheme was eagerly sought for. In an hour the popular idol was dashed from his pedestal, arrested for fraud, and found to be the husband of four wives, though he is only 36 years old. The railway had nothing more substantial behind it than a daring schemer well known to the detectives of Scotland Yard. Middleton. had been chased out of England. He had attempted to swindle an American syndicate in Boston by selling mining property he did not possess. He had duped the Government here some months ago by pretending he was an agent of the American Government and obtaining information about the goldfields by fraud. He had, in fact, exploited every field, both financial and matrimonial, and was about to look for other worlds to conquer when the bubble burst. It is not likely that he will go to New Zeaand now, or anywhere else, until ho has cleared himself, or served a term of criminal confinement in Canada.

A fever of excitement prevails in the Canadian goldfields. The population of Dawson City, which is the central part of the Yukon, now stampedes in whatever direction word cornea that there has been a discovery. The latest find is at Piko Creek, which is a couplo of hundred miles nearer the Pacific Coast, near Tagiah Lake. It is easily reached by two days' journey from the Taku Inlet. Nearly the whole population of tho Yukon has rushed to Pike Creek, regarding which the most fabulous reports are being received. The place, which was a wilderness three or four months ago, has now from 15,000 to 20,000 prospectors. All the coast towns are deserted, and Pik© Creek is staked out for 40 miles. Other creeks in the vicinity are also being staked, the miners believing that the indications are much richer than Die Klondyke. The pay dirt 13 said to realiso six dollars to the pan, and to begin within 6ft of the surface. Pike Creek is in the province of British Columbia, and hence there is no royalty chargeable against tlie gold obtained. The miners in the Yukon are almost up in arms against the royalty of 10 per cent, which is demanded by the Federal Government. It is said it will not be possible to collect it on more than one-fourth of the output. Fresh activity is being displayed in the Rossland district of British Columbia, whero there was recently a boom in gold epiartz. mines. The latest development is tlie sal 3of the Centre Star mino to a Canadian syndicate for 2,000,000d0l (about £400,000). A great deal of attention is being directed to the International Conference now silling at Quebec, which is attempting to adjust various questions outstanding between Canada and the United States, and to place thG trade relations of tho two countries on a reciprocal basis. So far the American and tho

Canadian commissioners have confined their efforts to ascertaining the subjects on which they are agreed. There ia no doubt that the conference will be able to remove all causes of friction between the two countries, but the prospect of a trade arrangement is not so hopeful. The situation is complicated a little by the fact that Canada now gives a preference to Great Britain. It is further embarrassed by the circumstance that any concessions accorded to the Republic must be given to a score of nations with which the mother country has treaties, including the colonies. Another phase which adds to the difficulty arises from the attitude at least one province has assumed to ihe exportation of logs. Tho U.S. lumbermen in Michigan want to get logs from Canada, but the Ontario Government has practically prohibited the exportation of logs from that province, by making it a condition of the timber licenses that logs must be sawn into lumber in Canada. No trade arrangement will be possible unless Ontario recedes from its position, and it is doubtful if any Government which permits the exportation of logs could survive in that province. While the two peoples are conferring to promoto their good relations an accident has happened which shows how easy it would be to cause friction. The western boundary of Ontario is the St. Clair River, on the opposite of which is the State of Michigan. A few days ago an Ontario farmer, • who had been fishing, was hailed from the U.S. shoro by an American customs official. A demand that he would go ashore, the Canadian, whose name is Thomas Meagher, ignored. He was pursued, captured, ifc is alleged, in Canadian territory, and taken, to Port Hurai, an American city, where ho was detained in custody for three or four days as a smuggler, and then discharged. Tho abduction has caused much local iiritation, and the Canadian Government is being urged to demand the surrender of the United States official who was guilty of it. It is probable that this course will bo pursued, and that an indemnity will be asked if tho facts are as stated. This bids fair to become another of the international questions that are constantly cropping up between the two countries, and which constant diplomacy is required lo adjust satisfactorily. An unusual event has taken place In the dismissal of the Government of British Columbia by the Lieutenant- Governor of that province. At the last provincial election the Government and the Opposition each secured an equal number of members in the Legislature. Under these circumstances Mr M'lnnes (tha Lieutenant-Governor) determined that the Administration had not been sustained at tho polls. He requested his Advisers for Ihe lime" being to confine their action to merely formal and necessary acts of government. This, it appears, they were unwilling to do, claiming that they w.ere entitled to tho confidence of the Crown. In reply, the Lieu-tenanl-Governor dismissed tli9 Cabinet, and called upon Mr Beaver., who led the Opposition in the late Legislature, to form another Government. Mr Beaven, who had himself been defeated at the polls, failed to form a Government. Thereupon the LioutenanLGovernor called upon Mr Semlin, a more popular member of the Opposition, to supply him with Advisers. This time he got a Cabinet which, although it represents not more than half the Legislature is receiving the confidence of the Crown. Meanwhile tho Lieutenaut- Govern or is being denounced by the partisans of the dismissed Government as a " Czar," and his conduct is declared to be wholly unconstitutional. It is said that Mr M'lnnes is following the new precedent established by Lord Aberdeen, who two years ago turned out the defeated Tupper Ministry. But there is this important distinction between the two cases : In the one there was no doubt that Sir Chales Tupper had been overwhelmingly defeated. In the other it is impossible to tell which party in British Columbia is in tho ascendency. The details of Canada's trade during the fiscal year ended June 30 last, which have recently been, published, show that it was a boom year in every respect. Both the imports and exports exceeded those of any previous year by many millions. The aroods we imported during the year reached 140,822,868d01, and the goods we exported represented 159,485,770d01. There- was an increase over 1897 in the imports of 19,384,000d01, and in the exports of 25,482,000d01. Altogether, therefore, the foreign trado of the country expanded by 45.000,000d0l or £9,000,000. The unusually good crops, accompanied by enhanced prices, and the preferential policy have all contributed to enhance the sales and purchases of the Dominion abroad.

The Canadian Government, I learn on stood authority, will at the next session of Parliament make a proposal regarding the Pacific cable. The offer which has come from Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria has not yet been considered. Those colonies propose to contribute one-ninth each of the cost of the cable to Australia, and to ask New Zealand to contribute also one-ninth. The contribution of the Antipodes will, therefore, constitute four-ninths. England and Canada will be asked to make up the ether five-ninths. Sir Sandford Fleming, the father of the Pacific cable, who lives in Ottawa, tells me that ho is more than ever confident that the enter prise will pay a dividend from the inception. Tho contributions, therefore, need take the form only of a guarantee, to facilitate the raising of money for the undertaking. The Government of Canada has shown so ready a disposition to assist any imperial schemes that there need be little doubt that if England leads tho way it will follow. Canada, which has gone in for preferential trade and imperial penny* postage, will not hesitate to support an all-British cable to the extremities of Iho Empire. lam told that if England will guarantee three-ninths Canada will become responsible for two-ninths of the cost, nnd that which seemed visionary until lately will become quite practicable.