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"TRAE. MARINE REVIEW 17 and all countries, rivers, lakes and streams contiguous and adjacent thereunto, both those which have been discoy- ered and those which may be discovered afterwards, in all their length and breadth, bounded on the one side by the seas of the north and of the west, and on the other by the south sea; declaring to the nations thereof that from this time forth they are vassals of his majesty, bound to obey his laws and follow his customs; promising them on his part all succor and protection against the incur- sions and invasions of their enemies; declaring to all other potentates, princes, sovereigns, states and republics, to them and their subjects, that they can not and are not to seize or settle upon any part of the aforesaid countries, save only under the good pleasure of his most Christian majesty, and of him who will govern in his behalf; and this on pain of incurring his resentment and the efforts of his arms. Vive le Roy!' Nearly two centuries and a half have elapsed since the 'envoy of Talon took possession of Sault Ste. Marie, and nearly all the interior of this continent, in the name of Louis XIV. Although France has left her print deep in the sands of time and history, yet her dream of controll- ing the destinies of America did not realize. Her civiliza- tion, her literature, her language, her religion shall ever be known, and the presence of three million French Ca- nadians scattered from one end of the continent to the other, is the living demonstration that France is im- mortal. "Sir, in the struggle with nature, in the stress of com- mercial activity, the average man is too apt to live almost wholly in the present and to forget the' debt he owes to. the past. In the celebration of the event which has brought us together to-day, I thought that I should recall the proud deeds of the French pioneers. "In September, 17590, when Wolfe and Montcalm fell on the plains of Abraham, the whole North American continent became British. The thirteen colonies soon however revolted and proclaimed their independence, thus | giving birth to the American republic. "The Dominion of Canada, although enjoying as much constitutional freedom as the United States, still remains a British possession. Our allegiance to Great Britain and her beloved King Edward VII, is the more sincere because it is based on gratitude. The mother country has, long ago, given us a constitution under which civil and religious liberty have grown and developed. We are happy under British rule, we are perfectly free. We do not look for annexation, we do not wish it. We believe that the American continent is broad enough to contain two commonwealths, the American republic and the Do- minion of Canada. We wish to live in friendship and harmony side by side with our great, our colossal neigh- bor. Her enormous wealth has not excited our envy, but it has given in our country rise to a feeling of emula- tion. We wish to imitate your example and follow in your footsteps. ; "Canada is entering upon a new era. Our resources are vast, in fact, inexhaustible. We can support a population of 100,000,000 souls. We have room in our Canadian west for 50,000,000. Last year, Manitoba furnished 50,- 000,000 bushels of No. 1 hard wheat from 2,000,000 acres of land. There are 200,000,000 more, and just as good, that have not been ploughed. I need not speak of our minerals, iron, coal, petroleum, gold and silver. If there is an authority here to speak of otir Canadian resources, it is that young and energetic American born citizen, Mr. Clergue, who, on the other side of the river, is revolu- tionizing our industries. "Sir, I believe that this is an occasion when one can advocate better trade relations between the two countries, arrangements on a fairer and more equitable basis which would ultimately be advantageous. "A little after England had abrogated the corn laws, a reciprocity treaty known as the Elgin Treaty, was negotiated between the two countries. It went into effect in 1854, and remained in operation till 1866. Under that treaty, the trade between the two countries quadrupled in twelve years. That treaty was abrogated because it was said Canada had sympathized with the South during the Civil War, when as a matter of history 40,000 Ca- nadians had served in the Union army. Vain efforts have since been made to renew a treaty and our trade has found new channels. Notwithstanding your high tariff wall, Canada has attained quite a prominent position as regards trade, amongst the nations. Last year our aggregate trade amounted to: Exports, $213,521,000; im- ports, $259,211,800, total $472,732,800, and there are signs to show that we have not yet reached the high water mark. "But sir, without suggesting in the least any particular trade policy, one must not forget that you are our next neighbor, that we are one of your best customers and that the interchange of commerce between Canada and the United States should and must be put on such a basis as only befits two friendly nations. "Tn conclusion, let me say that if we have an unbounded faith in our dominion, we also look with pride to the mighty achievements of the land of Washington, Jeffer- son, Lincoln and Roosevelt. We can not ignore your extraordinary ascendency amongst the nations of the world and I am only echoing the sentiments of six mil- lion Canadians in repeating the words of Longfellow, when in his beautiful poem 'The Building of the Ship,' comparing his native land to a vessel tossed upon the waves, he concludes with this most pathetic invocation: "Tho, too; sail on,.O- Ship of State! Sail on, O Union, strong and great! Humanity with all its fears, With all the hopes of future years, Is hanging breathless on thy fate! We knew what Master laid thy keel, What workmen wrought 'thy ribs of steel, Who made each mast, and sail, and rope, What anvils rang, what hammers beat, In what a forge and what a heat Are shaped the anchors of thy hope! Fear not each sudden sound and shock, *Tis of the wave and not the rock; 'Tis but the flapping of the sail, And not a rent made by the gale! In spite of rock and tempest's roar, In spite of false lights on the shore; Sail on, nor fear to breast the sea! Our hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Our faith triumphant o'er our fears, Are all with thee, are all with thee! The steamer Centennial left San Francisco on June 12 with a cargo of salt for the Russian port Nicolaefski. She left Dutch Harbor July 26, but has not been heard of since. It is thought that the Japanese have captured her. She was built in 1859 for the Peninsular & Oriental Steamship Co., being a side-wheeler and named Delta. During the war with China the Japanese used her as a _ transport, under the name Takasago Maru. She is owned by the Charles Nelson -Co. of San Francisco, and is under charter to the Barneson- Hibberd Co. The United States government will soon have another ferryboat, similar to the General McDowell, in San Francisco bay. She will reach San Francisco from Seattle in a few weeks, her name being Lieutenant George M. Harris. Ap- lication has been made for a dock for the new boat.