SPEECH :
Mr. President and Honorable Members of the Legislative Council :
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly :
I congratulate you on the close of an arduous
Session, during which measures have been
passed which will, I confidently believe, materially promote the prosperity and advancement
of the Province.
The amendment of the law relating to Education will, I trust, impart increased efficiency
to the Common School system, and result in the more general diffusion of knowledge
among all classes of the people.
The measures providing for the extension of
Mining Leases will, I doubt not, attract, in an
increased degree, capital from abroad to still
further develope the remarkable mineral
wealth with which this country abounds.
The provision mode for the due representation of Nova Scotia at the Paris Exhibition
will diffuse more widely a knowledge of her
great industrial resources.
The enactments intended to place the treatment of Pauperism and Disease among the
destitute on a more enlightened and humane
footing, and to protect our shores from the
ravages of infectious diseases, cannot fail to
be productive of general good.
The gallant manner in which all sections of
the country responded to the call to arms, and
the increased provision made for the defence
of the Country, prove conclusively how highly
British institutions are valued, and the sacrifices you are prepared to make to sustain
your
connection with the Parent State.
The liberal provision made by you for the
protection of the Fisheries will be an additional incentive to the Imperial Government
to secure that valuable heritage from the encroachments of foreigners.
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly:
I thank you for the liberal appropriation
made for the Public Service.
Mr. President, and Honourable Members of the Legislative Council:
Mr. Speaker, and Gentlemen of the House of Assembly:
Permit me, in conclusion, to express the deep gratification your action upon the great
question of a Union of British North America has afforded me, not only as the Representative
of Her Gracious Majesty, but as one of yourselves. It will afford the greatest satisfaction
to the Imperial Government, as the means of imparting additional security to this
portion of the Empire; and I recognize in the patriotic course you have adopted, the
most efficient guarantee not only for the increased prosperity of this Province in
common with our sister Colonies, but also for the permanent connection of them all
with the British Crown.
