an assistant who will be quite satisfied to take the $4,000 and wait for an increase, as Mr. Trudeau, like his political head at this moment, is not a young man, and we may both retire together.

Mr. MCMULLEN. I notice that in the year before last we only spent $44,000, and this year we are asked for $56,000. Now that we have completed a great many of our public works, we ought to be able to make a considerable reduction in the expenditure of the staff required in this Department. Certainly the same amount of work that was going on a few years ago is not now being discharged by the Department of Railways and Canals. A great many railways are now built which formerly necessitated the employment of a large staff, and, though there is some reduction, I think there should be a larger reduction in this expense.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. In regard to railways, there will be, and there ought to be, ere long a reduction in the engineering staff, because there is no new railway work going on except the Extension Railway and the railway running through Cape Breton. As to canals, however, there is an increased amount of work. The Williamsburg Canal and the Cornwall Canal are now worked up to high pressure in order to have our great waterway finished as soon as possible, and we are entering upon the construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, so that there will be no reduction for some years to come in that branch.

Sir RICHARD CARTWRIGHT. The hon. gentleman did not refer to any increased expenses on the Trent Valley Canal.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. That depends upon the support we get from both sides of the House, including my hon. friend.

Mr. BARRON. The First Minister telegraphed that a grant was to be made this year to complete the Trent Valley Canal.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. I think the hon. gentleman's memory is not quite correct.

Mr. BARRON. I have seen the telegram, and it says that the Trent Valley Commissioners have reported in favour of the completion of that canal, and that Parliament will be asked this session for a vote for that purpose. So I suppose there will be a considerable sum for that work in the Supplementary Estimates. I would call the attention of the Minister to the fact that the railway bridge at Fenelon Falls, to which reference has so often been made, is still there, preventing barges of any size from going down.

Mr. FOSTER. This does not come under this item, which refers only to the officers in the inside service.

Mr. BARRON. I only desire to call the attention of the First Minister to this matter now, so that he might see that it is attended to.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. They have been called upon for many years without effect, and I am afraid that, unless the Goverment takes decided action, matters will remain as they are.

Sir RICHARD CARTWRIGHT. Perhaps, under present circumstances, more decided action may be taken. I may point out that my hon. friend has not been altogether forgotten. The completion of the Trent Valley Canal is provided for by a vote of $76,000 in the current year, and according to the Estimates before us, we have spent no less than $2,000, and a re-vote of $74,000 will be asked, which I hope will satisfy my hon. friend.

When the House rose for recess at six o'clock, the item of salaries in the office of the High Commissioner in London was under discussion. On resuming in the evening it became evident that the Opposition planned a direct and vigorous attack upon the High Commissioner, Sir Charles Tupper. Dr. Landerkin, Mr. McMullen and others spoke, and Sir John listened but said nothing. He seemed as bright as ever and showed no signs of the calamity which was so soon to come upon him. At length Mr. Paterson of Brant spoke To no man on the Opposition side was Sir John wont to listen with greater attention than he usually did to Mr. Paterson. The member for South Brant read an extract from Sir Charles Tupper's Kingston speech stating that he was there at Sir John's request to convey a message to his friends in Kingston. Mr. Paterson asked if it was true that he had sent Sir Charles Tupper there, adding "If the First Minister will favour us with a reply then perhaps we might be able to follow it up with inquiries in other directions." According to Hansard the debate then proceeded.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. Well, Mr. Chairman, I cannot resist the seductive tones of my hon. friend and I may answer him: Sir Charles Tupper did go there at my request and he made the speech at my intance, and I fancy that his speech must have had a considerable influence, because in the previous election I was elected by a majority of seventeen, and after Sir Charles Tupper made this speech I was elected by a majority that only wanted seventeen of 500. You see I was pretty wise in my generation in asking Sir Charles to go there and make a speech for me. Mr. PATERSON (Brant). You would be wise if you stopped him at that point.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. I will go a little further, and I will say that Sir Charles Tupper came out from England to give us the advantage of his skill and influence and eloquence, at my special request.

Subsequently Mr. Paterson went on to speak of the meeting at Windsor addressed by Sir Charles, and continued:-" But the result was that the gentleman he supported, and who was, I think, the chairman of the Central Committee of the great Liberal-Conservative organization of the whole Province of Ontario, was defeated and my hon. friend from Essex (Mr. McGregor) was returned by 600 or 700 majority. Now the First Minister might tell us whether he lost his shrewdness in taking Sir Charles beyond Kingston, or whether Sir Charles lost his eloquence."

"I will tell you what he did," said Sir John, while his supporters laughed, "He lost his voice."

The attack was continued on an item covering the contingencies for the High Commissioner's office. The following is a part of that debate as shown by the official report:

Mr. PATERSON (Brant). With reference to these contingencies, I wish to ask for information to which I think we are entitled. When the High Commissioner was taking his tour through Canada, it was stated in the press that he travelled by special train. I would like to know whether that was the case, and if so, what was the cost of that train and out of what fund it was defrayed?

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. I am not aware that any of the High Commissioner's expenses were paid out of the public service, but I will inquire. Mr. PATERSON (Brant). I suppose his trips from England to this country and back again find a place in the expenses?

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. That may be, but I cannot say.

Mr. MCMULLEN. We have a right to know whether he came out on the special invitation of the First Minister and for what particular purpose. Did he come out for the purpose of attending to elections or other matters of an official character ?

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD. I have already stated what I asked him to come out for.

Sir RICHARD CARTWRIGHT. The right hon. gentleman stated candidly that he came out to attend the elections. The First Minister has been, however, altogether too modest. I, as a citizen of Kingston, beg to state that it was to the First Minister's own special and earnest care of his constituents, he was indebted for his increased majority. The First Minister had been a good nursing father or mother, whichever he prefers to be called, to the citizens of Kingston for the last three or four years. Such has been his care that a short time ago, when I had to go down to that

constituency on private business of my own, the first thing I heard was that the hon. gentleman, in his anxiety to prevent the people from suffering from distress and destitution, caused no less, I think, than one hundred and twenty cars to be built, about the 5th or 10th of February last, in certain car works in that city. About the same time likewise, the hon. gentleman, in his disinterested regard for the welfare of my fellow citizens, was solicitous in procuring some important railway subsidies for projected railways in the neighbourhood of that city. Well, they have as good a right to it—no more and no less-than a good many other roads the hon. gentleman has subsidized.

Sir JOHN A. MACDONALD.

You did not do much for them.

Those were the last words of the great Premier in the House of Commons. He remained for a short time, while other items were discussed, and left half an hour or so before the adjournment, bidding his colleagues a pleasant, and, as it proved, a last good night.