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on matters of mutual concern it would be a most potent influence in fostering friendly agreement. It would thus prove of fundamental importance in developing an intelligent public opinion leading eventually to the best inter-Imperial relations. To the Citizens of the Empire. Fifty years ago the Board of Trade of the City of Ottawa was constituted by an Act of Incorporation. For half a century the President and Council, in the name and on behalf of the Board, have faithfully endeavoured to carry out the duties intrusted to them. At a meeting of the Board held on the 14th November, when the attendance of members was perhaps larger than on any previous occasion, the following resolution was unanimously passed: — " That this Board heartily commends and approves the action taken by the Council in connection with the proposed chain of Empire cables, and expresses the wish that every effort be continued to advance the movement to cheapen telegraphy, by land and sea, throughout the Empire." For some time back the President and Council, under instructions from the Board, have in every way promoted the movement to establish a girdle of State-owned cables around the globe, so as to afford each of the self-governing British communities the freest, the speediest, and the cheapest means of mutually exchanging intelligence. The President and Council were recently granted an opportunity of formally addressing His Excellency the Governor-General of Canada on this important subject. His Excellency in reply heartily favoured the action taken and the views expressed by the Council on behalf of the Board, and, satisfied that the best results would follow-, urged that the work of forming public opinion in respect thereto be vigorously prosecuted throughout the Empire. Encouraged by so high authority, it is now resolved to issue and widely circulate the address of the Council to His Excellency, with His Excellency's reply thereto, together with such documents and explanations as may appear desirable in order to elucidate the subject. As the Board was organized and incorporated in the year 1857, the President and Council feel that they cannot better commemorate the semi-centennial of this association than by publishing in the Mother-country and in all the sister dominions the documents which follow on a subject of the highest.lmperial importance. The Council is indebted to Sir Sandford Fleming, a member of the Board, for the prefatory remarks which follow and other documents appended. On behalf of the Board of Trade of the City of Ottawa, James W. Woods, President. Ottawa, 15th November, 1907. Cecil Bethune, Secretary.

Introductory Remarks and Explanations by Sir Sandford Fleming. When the delegation of the Board of Trade waited on His Excellency recently, at Government House, the President in his address alluded to the far-reaching importance of the resolution adopted by the assembled Prime Ministers at the final meeting of the Imperial Conference, last summer, in London, and pointed out that there could be no more fitting corollary to the concluding act of the Conference than the establishment of a complete globe-girdling circle of telegraph-cables such as the Board advocates. His Excellency replied in a sympathetic and extremely encouraging manner. My own efforts as a member of the Board were alluded to by His Excellency most kindly, and if I may, with due respect, venture to say so, perhaps in too flattering terms. It is true that my life to a large extent has been spent in furthering the establishment of national works of intercommunication, and thus promoting by practical means the consolidation of the Empire; but I can lay no claim to be more than an admirer—in some respects, possibly, a very humble imitator —of such far-seeing men as Rowland Hill, who gave to the United Kingdom the inestimable boon of a cheap and efficient postal service, and of Henniker Heaton, who has laboured so long and so assiduously, and who, among other things, has been so largely instrumental in extending the benefits of penny postage to the whole Empire. Moreover, I cannot too strongly emphasize the fact that the credit of what has been accomplished through the instrumentality of Canada is very largely due to the warm co-operation and constant interest of the Board of Trade of the City of Ottawa, Since His Excellency received the delegation from the Board of Trade, Rudyard Kipling has been amongst us, and has got very near to the hearts of all true Canadians. He has inspired us with a broader sense of kinship to the thousands and millions of our fellow-citizens the world over, who like ourselves are consciously or unconsciously building up a great twentieth-century Empire. This seer, with vision sweeping the Empire's bounds, and with supreme faith in the future, told us that the young communities of British motherhood, the young nations separated only by the seas, and of which Canada is regarded as the foremost, must ever look forward, keeping always in sight the proper path to follow, and holding in memory the best traditions of their race. The Bishop of London has likewise visited us. He told us that he had charge of the heart of the Empire, and he brought us the message that those in the heart of the Empire are proud of the dominions overseas. He reminded us, however, that great things are expected of us, as members of the family of British nations developing into a new Empire of peace ; and that if we are true to our heritage this new and greater British Empire would prove a beneficent gift to the world. These two great men can see as it is given to few men to see. They look as it were from a neutral standpoint in history, the.past within their grasp and the future spread out before them. They urge us to rise to the level of our splendid opportunities, lest the moment pass beyond recall : and they warn us that we will be called to judgment for failure to work out our proper destiny, the destiny which centuries have been preparing for us, the destiny already looming in sight.