CANADIAN LOYALTY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5439, 2 September 1878, Page 3

CANADIAN LOYALTY.

(From the Australasian.) A number of The Times received by the mail reports an admirable speech by Jjord Dnfferin on the occasion of reviewing 3000 Canadian troops on her Majesty’s birthday at Montreal. The subject of his Excellency’s address was the loyalty of the people of the Dominion to the empire to which they are proud to belong. This was the quality which most impressed him in the military display he had witnessed. Ho said, “ There is one characteristic of to-day’s performances, at ail events, which must have attracted every oao's attention—that is, the magnificent appearance, the patriotic enthuiasism, the spirited alacrity, the loyal sentiments which have been exhibited by each and all of the regiments that have paraded before us.” He went on to say, “ Almost every mail has brought, either to me or to the Prime Minister, or to the Minister of Militia, the most enthusiastic offers to serve in' the Queen’s armies abroad in the event of foreign ’ war. These offers have represented not merely the enthusiasm of individuals, but of whole regiments and brigades of men. It has been my duty to transmit them to the Home Government and to the foot of the Throne; and I should he failing in my duty if I neglected to tell you that they have been duly appreciated not only by the Queen’s Ministers, butby the Queen herself.” The whole of the demonstration was marked by a spirit of enthusiastic loyalty and devoted patriotism, and not the least pleasing feature in it was the presence of a company from a battalion of United States militia, who asked permission to form into line with the British troops for the purpose of joining in the feu dc joie fired in honor of her Majesty, and in the other manoeuvres of the day. We have no reason to believe that this loyal good feeling to the Sovereign and the empire is a local speciality of Canada or the United States, and believe that it is the feeling which animates tha i;rcat bulk of citizens of the wide-spread British empire, wherever they may dwell. But it is absolutely humiliating to turn aside from the contemplation of this elevating feeling of a common patriotism, ' into which all mere geographical and party and social differences merge, to the view of a colony which is being educated by its political leaders tosedition -mtl possible rebellion, which has entrusted its destinies to a set of men notoriously hostile to the Imperial rule, which hears its Premier bragging that he has threatened, in a possible event, a' course of conduct which would bring the forces of the colony into direct hostility with an English ship of war, which listens to its Hibernian Attorney-General’s fervent but suggestive prayer that they may not he compelled to rebel against the Saxon rule, and to the cold-blooded sneering sedition of a college pedant, all without shame and without rebuke.