Lord Randolph Churchill objected, and on account of which he resigned his office of Chancellor of the Exchequer early in 1887. The arrangement made at the time was that the Dominion Government should construct the batteries and the Home Government provide the barracks and armament, while the expense of maintaining the garrison was to be shared equally by the two Governments.

In 1902 the Dominion Government offered, through Canada's representatives at the Colonial Conference, which was held that year in London, to provide the garrisons of Halifax and Esquimault as a Canadian contribution to the defence of the Empire. While accepting the offer in principle, the Home Government at first proposed that the garrisons should temporarily remain composed of Imperial troops, Canada agreeing to pay a lump sum of £200,000 a year for their maintenance; but Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Government objected on constitutional grounds to incurring expenditure over which they had no control, and the original proposal was eventually approved and carried into effect during the course of this year. With the exception of a few officers, who have been lent for duty to the Canadian Government for a period of two years, the whole of the Imperial troops have been withdrawn, and the local military authorities have now assumed full responsibility for the defence of the two fortified naval bases.

Some difficulty is being found in replacing the men of the Imperial garrisons. The original

permanent military force of the Dominion was under 2,000, and the numbers have to be doubled

to provide the required garrisons. The Army

Council in London offered the Canadian Government as many volunteers as could be obtained from the Imperial troops stationed in Canada before their withdrawal; but few men would consent to be transferred, nearly all preferring to go home with their corps. Permanent military service is unpopular among Canadians, who can do better in civil life on account of the demand for labour, and recruiting is proceeding slowly. The recruiting difficulty appears to have been incompletely under

stood when the Dominion authorities cut themselves off from Imperial aid. If the present policy of keeping up a standing army is adhered to, it will probably be necessary to send recruiters to England to raise men in the old country for service in the local Canadian army.

The original raison d'être of the fortifications of Esquimault was the naval pretensions of Russia in the Pacific. With the destruction of the Russian fleet the primary purpose of the fortifications disappears. The Admiralty have already abandoned Esquimault as a naval base, and have sold or removed all the dockyard plant and stores. Owing to this action of the Admiralty, suggestions have been made to dismantle the fortifications, sufficient armament only being retained for retained for purposes of instruction of the Canadian Artillery and Engineers. The majority of Canadians, however, looking ahead,

and taking note of the alarming growth of the navy of the United States, disagree with the Admiralty policy, which is criticised as being based on opportunist rather than Imperial considerations. There is peace between Canada and America, but no love between Canadians and Americans. Their interests are antagonistic, not co-operative. In the impending struggle for commercial supremacy in the Pacific circumstances may arise which can only be controlled by a preponderance of naval strength on the side of Great Britain. Canadians are working with all their might in the interests of British trade to improve communications with the East; but commerce cannot flourish except under the ægis of naval protection. It is true that the harbours of Japan are now open to British ships of war; but this is only because the sea power of Great Britain is believed to be invincible. The first indication of weakness will sound the death-knell of the alliance, the aims of which are utilitarian, not sentimental. Whatever may be the arguments for abandoning Halifax, the existence of a naval point d'appui, an offensive and defensive base, on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean cannot fail to strengthen the diplomacy of the Empire, and add another link to the chain of posts which connect the scattered possessions of King Edward's dominions. It will be for the Canadian Government, in consultation with the Committee of Imperial Defence, to consider this question, not from the limited point of view of Russia's downfall, but having regard to the