This series of papers has been prepared in accordance with a plan marked out by the writer, some years ago of taking up, from time to time, certain features of the social, political and industrial progress of the Dominion. Essays on the Maritime Industry and the National Development of Canada have been read before the Royal Colonial Institute in England, and have been so favourably received by the Press of both countries, that the writer has felt encouraged to continue in the same course of stud

Introductory Remarks—Conditions of Settlement in Canada—Her History divided into three Periods—First Period, under the French Regime; Second, from the Conquest to the Union of 1840; Third, from 1840 to 1867—New Period since Confederation—Intellectual Lethargy in New France—Influence of U. K. Loyalists on Political and Social Life of the Canadian Provinces—Formation of two Governments in the East and West—Effect of Parliamentary Institutions on the Public Intelligence —Remarkable impulse given to

State of Education under the French Regime—Its slow progress after the Conquest—Schools in Upper Canada—Dr. Strachan's famous Academy —Stimulus given to Public Schools by the Union of 1840—Schools in the Maritime Provinces—Higher Education in Canada—The Quebec Seminary—King's College—Roman Catholic, Methodist and Presbyterian Institutions—First Colleges in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick—Laval University—Kingston Military College and other Educational Experiments—Female Colleges—Statistics of Educ

Influence of the Newspaper Press on the Intellect of the Country—First Newspapers in Canada—Review of Political Journalism up to 1840—Quebec Gazette , Montreal Gazette , Quebec Mercury , Le Canadien , etc.—Journalists of mark in old times—Gary, Bedard, Neilson, Mackenzie, Horne, Fothergill, Gurnett, Dalton, Parent—Mrs. Jameson on the Upper Canada Press—Advent of Joseph Howe—Journalism since 1840—Sir Francis Hincks—The Globe and Hon. George Brown— Le Journal de Quebec and Hon. Joseph Cauchon—The

Society in New France—Intellectual lethargy—First Books published after the Conquest—Bouchette's Works—New Era in French Canadian Letters—Periodicals, Histories, Poems—Garneau, Ferland, Cremazie, Frechette—Antiquarian Research—Canadian Ballads—Literary Progress of English-speaking People—Society previous to the Union of 1840—Early Libraries and Magazines—Authors of Repute—'Sam Slick'—Professor Dawson—Charles Heavysege—Poetry—Romance—History—Miscellaneous Works of Merit—Mr. Alpheus Todd's Constit

Should the title of this review come by any chance under the notice of some of those learned gentlemen who are delving among Greek roots or working out abstruse mathematical problems in the great academic seats on the banks of the Cam or Isis, they would probably wonder what can be said on the subject of the intellectual development of a people engaged in the absorbing practical work of a Colonial dependency. To such eminent scholars Canada is probably only remarkable as a country where even yet

The great educational advantages that the people of Canada now enjoy, and more especially in the premier Province of Ontario—as the splendid exhibit recently made at Paris and Philadelphia has proved to the world—are the results of the legislation of a very few years. A review of the first two periods of our political history affords abundant evidence that there existed in Canada as in Europe much indifference in all matters affecting the general education of the country. Whatever was accomplish

In the development of Canadian intellect the newspaper press has had a very large influence during the past half-century and more. What the pulpit has done for the moral education of the people, the press has accomplished for their general culture when schools were few and very inferior, and books were rarely seen throughout the country. When the political rights of the people were the subject of earnest controversy in the Legislatures of the Provinces the press enabled all classes to discuss pu

Lord Durham wrote, over fifty [Errata: (from final page) for fifty read forty .] years ago, of the French Canadians: 'They are a people without a history and a literature.' He was very ignorant, assuredly, of the deep interest that attaches to the historic past of the first pioneers in Canada, and had he lived to the present day, he would have blotted out the first part of the statement. But he was right enough when he added that the French Canadians had, at that time, no literature of their own