by Alexander Mackenzie

“ It is quite true that I am a native of Perthshire, and pretty far north, and it is equally true that I shall always feel a sincere affection for Scotland, and Perthshire in particular; but I am quite sure of this, that in our great colonies, and I trust also in England, there is every opportunity for those who desire to rise in political and social life, and who trust to their own unaided exertions. ”

“ We have amongst us, no doubt, as you have amongst you, people who have the idea that the true trade principle is to build up a high stone and lime wall to prevent people coming in or going out; who say; "Let us keep the trade to ourselves, and keep the money in our own country." But we cannot do that -- we can only make money by trading with other nations and individuals, and I quite appreciate your suggestion, my Lord Provost, that the people of Dundee and Canada should endeavour to trade a little more in the future then they have done in the past. ”

“ There is no royal road in Canada or in any other colony to any position of eminence, either in University, political, or commercial success. Everything must be got by hard labour, and I would be sorry to make an impression upon any one here or elsewhere that we have not as many difficulties to contend with there as you have to contend with here; but it is satisfactory to know that in the colonies, And I hope in England as well, there is a fair field and no favour, and every manly and independent mind will rejoice that there is, that fair field and will ask nothing more. ”

“ We have a will to occupy it in all its parts; and although it is somewhat difficult for a handful of people such as we are compared to you -- for we are not quite one-eighth part of your population -- to occupy a territory so vast as ours, still we feel that by the natural increase of the population, and by the efforts of our emigration agents in Europe, we will be able in the course of a few years to throw a vast population into the country so sparsely inhabited at present. ”

“ We believe in that country we have the means of building up a great and powerful nationality; and although all new countries are perhaps a little inclined to boast and somewhat inclined to feel a little too proud of their position, we believe we have a territory to occupy which will justify some brilliant hopes. ”

“ He said, "The country is going to ruin; the balance of trade is against us. How can we continue to go on in this way many more years? Our exports last year were so many millions, and our imports so many millions more, and we are poorer by the difference between the imports and exports." ”

“ We say the more trade there is, and the more the balance of trade seems against us, the more likely are we to obtain large profits, and the profits again are invested in loans to other countries, and in forwarding enterprises for the general benefit of the country. ”

“ Everybody now admires the genius of Richard Cobden -- and his associates; everyone -- Conservative or Liberal -- understands that it would never do to go back to the old days of trading, when vessels were charged with tonnage dues, and when it was necessary to construct them in a most unshapely fashion for exemption purposes, so that one of these old­time protectionist ships could only be moved in a harbour by having a tug on both sides to keep her upright. ”

“ Now every one builds after his own fashion, and the rapidity in ocean transport which now prevails would never have taken place had this restriction remained. I am sure that in Canada the people appreciate this principle, and the general intelligence which prevails over that country is such that I am sure there is no danger of a reactionary policy ever finding a response in the hearts of any considerable number of our people. ”

“ If there is one thing I would desire to press more than another upon a British audience, it is that we are extremely anxious upon this point, and that we are extremely willing to do our full share in everything that may be necessary to maintain the status quo. ”

“ We believe these resources to be great and that if we are favoured at all by fortune, we will have a most flourishing and industrious population in these new territories, occupying them to the common advantage of Canada and of Great Britain. ”

“ I may mention, as an example of the difficulties which we have to encounter in maintaining law and order in so vast a territory, that we have between the Rocky Mountains and Lake of the Woods 1,000 miles of territory from east to west, by 500 miles from south to north, fit for settlement, almost wholly unoccupied, excepting some; 20,000 or 30,000 people in the Province of Manitoba. There are some 50,000 Indians. ”

“ I said, "We cannot be poorer, because the difference between the exports and imports represents the profits we have made. You send a cargo of ten thousand barrels of flour to Spain, which would cost fifty thousand dollars, and you sell it for ninety thousand; with this ninety thousand you buy other products and bring them back to Canada. The balance of trade would be against you in this case to the extent of forty thousand dollars, which would also be the exact amount of profit on the transaction. ”

“ We hope that the efforts made by the Canadian Government will result in obtaining for the country such a population as may be amply sufficient in the course of a short time to develop some of its principal resources. ”

“ We have a force of about 45,000 men -- a force which could be turned out in a short time -- and I shall only mention one fact -- in connection with the second Fenian raid in 1870, when the Commander ­in ­Chief of our Militia, Colonel Ross ­Robertson, was able to turn out nearly 20,000 men in 24 hours upon the frontier, and not merely 20,000 men, but 20,000 fairly drilled, equipped and clothed, of all arms of the service -- cavalry, infantry, artillery and rifles. ”

“ We believe we shall be able, by way of the Pacific Ocean, to carry your tea across our railway, and to transport your goods to China by a much shorter route than at present. If we do that, you will obtain some advantages in return for wherever a large amount of business is transacted there must be a large amount of profit to somebody. ”