illustrations, and his points are like all in Manitoba it was intended to reduce his points. the force to 50 mån. The item was passed. Item 73, providing for the expenditure of $10,000 for ordnance and equipment of field batteries of artillery, being taken up, Mr. MASSON enquired whether arms would be given to a battery formed in Gaspé, which had been lacking in this respect for a couple of years. The artillery force of this country should be properly and generously supplied in this and all relations. Hon. Mr. VAIL admitted that this was an important branch of the service, but it was impossible to spend any money in this regard, outside of the two central points of Quebec and Kingston. Mr. MASSON Will the battery at Gaspé then be disbanded ? Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE—Attention will be given to the matter another Hon. Mr. VAIL replied that when this was brought under his notice, he action had immediately taken remedy the state of affairs that existed, would at least give him this much and he thought the hon. gentleman credit. Mr. SCHULTZ could not but feel that this reduction of the force under the circumstances, was ill advised. Hon. Mr. VAIL said the principle object in giving these men a grant of land was with a view to induce them to settle in the country. If persons who in enlisted the second time were permitted a second grant the object of the Government would be frustrated entirely. The Government had only fol lowed the policy of their predecessors in this matter in refusing the second grant to parties who had enlisted before. The parties by remaining in the country were able to secure this land without performing any service whatever, and it was not very likely that such an offer could be made an inducement for service. He was not aware of any precedent, such as mentioned, having been established; the system in vogue was improper in the public interest, and was not calculated to aid in the settlement of the country. Hon. Mr. CARTWRIGHT denied that any men had enlisted under false pretences. Hon. Mr. TUPPER said this was the` usual answer of the Government when they had no excuse for their conduct -they gave a bold and unqualified denial, or else they turned to their predecessors for a precedent. Hon. Mr. CARTWRIGHT—It is not true as to the men who were re-enlisted. Hon. Mr. TUPPER-No! The hon. gentleman knows that unless it was stated in the advertisement asking for these men, and stipulated that only those who had no qualifications, and only those who had everything to learn. Hon. Mr. VAIL-I would ask the hon. gentlemen when these men reenlisted-what Government was in power? Hon. Mr. TUPPER-I care not what Government was in power. I am now speaking of the terms under which they were enlisted and of the decision taken by the Administration which denied them. Hon. Mr. VAIL-That was only a decision on the claims made after their time was up. Hon. Mr. TUPPER-I care not what Government made the pledge; if these men were enlisted on the stipulation that those who served two years should receive 160 acres of land and no distinction was drawn between those who had previously served and those asked, but who had never so served, I say that the faith of the Government was pledged to treat all alike. Hon. Mr. VAIL said these men who claimed an additional grant were men who enlisted under the old Government. He was not in a position to state that this Government re-enlisted any men; but if they did, and these men served out their two years, they would be entitled to the grant of 160 acres of land. The hon. gentleman could not còndemn the Government for acting on an Order in Council passed by the late Government, in refusing to make a second grant to those men who had re-enlisted. Mr. HIGINBOTHAM said he had applied to both Governments to obtain grants for persons who had enlisted the second time, and had been refused. Mr. BOWELL said if a man enlisted for a specified time for certain pay and a certain grant of land when that time expired, he should receive that grant without the Government stopping to enquire whether he had enlisted before, served his time and received a previous grant. Hon. Mr. VAIL said the expectation in sending men up to Manitoba from the different Provinces was that they should remain there and settle on their land and not reinlist, and in this way send up men from the different Provinces. Mr. BOWELL said that was not the object of the late Government in specifying that a quota should be enlisted force was established there was great from each Province. At the time the excitement, and if a call for volunteers was made there would have been ten times the number required volunteered from Ontario. Sir George Cartier, in order to give each Province a chance, decided that the force should be made up by a quota from the different Provinces. Hon. Mr. TUPPER said the object of the late Government was to send in men to defend the country, and when they were in there and trained in the service, that they should be kept there; but the policy of the present Government was not to re-inlist them when their term expired and have trained soldiers, but to send up unexperienced men from the Provinces. Hon. Mr. POPE asked if it was correct that a number of men were sent there last year and whether they were entitled to 160 acres ? Hon. Mr. VAIL thought the matter had been discussed enough and that every member understood it. Hon. Mr. POPE said it appeared that the men who re-inlisted there were punished. It would be better to pay their expenses back again and not to pay the bounty. He could not understand why the men were to be reduced this year. A considerable force was required in that country. The Hon. Minister of the Interior might have to go there to make treaties with the Indians, and what would Prince Edward Island do if that hon. gentleman was massacred there because there was not a sufficient force to protect him. It was injudicious and unwise at this time to take away from that section of the country what was really required not only for the safety of the people, but also of the Minister of the Interior. Mr. WRIGHT (Pontiac) said the reasons of the Minister of Militia give on this question were a little incongruous-that the best men were not selected to discharge the important duties, but that selections were made from the Provinces. The lines drawn between the Provinces were a mistake; if we intended to become a homogenous people these differences should disappear. Hon. Mr. TUPPER said the statement of the Hon. Minister of Militia now was that if a person who had served his time was willing to re-enlist on the spot, they would accept him, but give him nothing but his monthly pay. But if that same individual came down to Halifax, and the Minister of Militia was ready to take him, he would be returned at the public cost and receive another grant of 160 acres of land Mr. BUNSTER said he viewed with suspicion all the items connected with the expenditure of this Government, and asked for an explanation of the bonds which the Hon. Finance Minister recently created. He proceeded at some length to criticise the various items in the estimates. The item was then passed. At 2:45, Hon. Mr. TUPPER moved that the Committee rise and report progress, and ask leave to sit again. This was negatived.-Yeas, 19; nays, 27. The item passed. On item $293,657 for Mounted Police, Manitoba, Hon. Mr. TUPPER objected to the Committee continuing to pass items at such at early hour in the morning. He therefore moved that the Committee rise and report progress, and ask leave to sit again. This was negatived. Yeas, 21; nays, 34. A debate arose on this item. Mr. BOWELL asked what was the cause of the increase of $107,651.50 in this vote? Hon. Mr. BLAKE submitted a detailed statement which showed that in consequence of establishing so many posts, additional officers had to be appointed. The cost of transporting forage for the horses was enormous, oats costing 123 cents delivered at some of the posts. Mr. SCHULTZ asked why the item should be charged to Manitoba ? Hon. Mr. BLAKE said it was a clerical error, that it should have been "North-West Territories." Committee rise and report progress, Hon. Mr. TUPPER moved that the and ask leave to sit again, as this was a very important item that should be thoroughly debated. After a long debate the item passed. The Committee rose, and the House adjourned at Twenty-five minutes past Three o'clock. HOUSE OF COMMONS. MONDAY, March 20, 1876. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Three o'clock. BILLS INTRODUCED. Mr. BOWELL (For Mr. Kirkpatrick)-To incorporate the British Canadian Loan and Investment Co. Hon. Mr. CAMERON (Cardwell)To amend the Act to incorporate the London and Canada Bank, and the Acts amending the same. Mr. BROOKS-Respecting loans by the British American Land Company. THE LIBRARY. He as the moved the adoption of the report Hon. Mr CAMERON (Cardwell) of the Library Committee. said the Library was intended a Library of reference, and works that were in it it should be found there at all times. It was entirely open to the public, and instead of the officials in charge being the persons through whom books were given, visitors who had cards of admission, went to the shelves themselves and took away books without stating what they were, keeping them as long as they wished. The number taken out in one day was 800 volumes, and many of them were brought back in a mutilated, damaged and wretched condition. Some of them were scribbled over and pencil-marked; others had the indication that they belonged to the library cut out of them; illustrated books had their illustrations absolutely removed, and some had disappeared altogether. A more active and efficient supervision was required in the new hall. Instead of the public having access to the books as before, they should be under the control of regular officials. There were other alterations necessary. The library should be divided into three departments, each being under the superintendence of a competent person. Greater care should also be exercised in selecting books, and a Sub-Committee had been appointed, consisting of three members of each House, to assist the Librarian in making selections from time to time. He moved the adoption of the report. Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE replied that the points at present submitted seemed to be these:-It was recommended that a larger sum should be voted than was placed in the regular estimates, in order to fill certain blanks in the particular branches of History and French literature, as well as to purchase some further legal books, which he presumed were really provided for in the estimates already. Hon. Mr. CAMERON-I suppose they are. We were not quite clear on that point. Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE had understood that this was case. He had observed an item of $1,000 inserted for the purpose of procuring a particular class of text books, to be kept in a place separate altogether from the library, for the exclusive use of the Judges of the Supreme Court. Hon. Mr. CAMERON-That is to be called the Library of the Judges. Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE-There were three other points-one related to the letting out of books, and to this, he thought, the Library Committee would attend. Then there was the kind of books books to be purchased in the future; he had had some thing to do with the organization | of the legislative library at Toronto, and they had decided to exclude all classes of books not directly or indirectly necessary for the purposes of legislation. Works on history were of course necessary in this relation, as well as every sort of book bearing on constitutional law. They included, however, many which did not directly, perhaps, deal with this department of law; but still they were selected in that way, and the rules adopted excluded all light literature. Hon. members during previous years had advocated making the Parliamentary Library similar to the Library of the British Museum, but he thought that this idea might fairly be set aside, as in the first place inadvisable, and secondly, almost impracticable. The number of volumes was at present something like 73,000 or 74,000. Hon. Mr. CAMERON-Eighty thousand or rather more. Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE was not quite sure of the capacity of the new Library, but he presumed that the shelving would not accommodate more than three times that number, so that if a general collection were persisted in, a period to it would arrive before many years. The works obtained must consequently be select, and they should be as complete as possible. The report would not, as he read it, force any particular arrangement on the Government, but was intended to simply indicate the views of the House. Hon. Mr. CAMERON-That is all. Hon. Mr. MACKENZIE had discussed the matter to some extent with the Librarian a few months ago, when the latter brought to his attention the existing necessity for having some Of this* special assistants to aid him. he was aware, but he had deemed it until they began to make arrangeinexpedient to propose any change ments for the removal of the books, which would be done probably in July next at the latest. At no distant day he hoped that they would secure assistance of a very high character, as the Librarian and his assistants should be men of great literary attainments. They all knew how very efficient the present Librarian was, and this stand-| panies, and these would be varied as ard they should in future maintain. the Government might require, from The Government was desirous of time to time, on the authority of the learning in connection with these mat- Minister of Finance; this clause being ters the views of the House, as by exactly identical to a similar clause these their action must necessarily be with reference to fire insurance comgoverned. panies. The expenses would be paid in much the same manner by a proportionate levy on the companies. He would not weary the House at present with any considerable number of details having regard to the possible contingency of the insolvency of compa Mr. MCDOUGALL (Renfrew) thought that at very slight cost great assistance in this respect might be got from persons engaged in special departments of work throughout the Dominion. No doubt the present Librarian gave a great deal of atten-nies, and mode in which the assets tion to the selection of books, but he could not possibly know of all the new works which come out from time to time. It was perfectly manifest that aid of the kind he had mentioned would be of very great advantage. The report was adopted. LIFE INSURANCE. Hon. Mr. CARTWRIGHT moved for leave to introduce a Bill to amend and consolidate certain Acts respecting Life Insurance. He explained that this was based on the Act passed last Session, concerning fire and marine insurance companies, when provision was made for their inspection by an officer lately appointed for the purpose, and for a certain deposit being made, which in the case of some of them amounted to $50,000. The main objects which the Government desired to obtain were of course to provide for the safety of policy holders, as far as was possible, making the companies subject to the inspection of their present official and requiring a certain deposit to be lodged with the Administration. The Act was in the main designed to extend to life insurance companies the provisions on the Statute Book with regard to fire insurance companies. The matters to which most attention would probably be directed were:-the rate of interest on which the valuation of the liabilities should be based-this was proposed to be 4 per cent. which was the maximum laid down in the majority of American cities, being moreover considerable in excess of English policies. Schedules would be adopted in the same way as in the case of the fire insurance should be distributed; these being chiefly of a legal nature, which would be better discussed in Committee of the Whole, or in the Committee on Banking and Commerce. Their policy was intended to protect policy-holders, and consideration was given as far as possible to existing interests. The Bill he hoped would be distributed in the course of a day or two, and he would not move the second reading. until hon. gentlemen had had a full opportunity of examining it minutely. Mr. YOUNG (Waterloo) considered the Bill a move in the right direction on the part of the Government. In letters which he had received from companies affected by the Bill, especially Canadian companies, the prin ciple was very favourably spoken of. He was glad to find that the Government would be ready to receive suggestions in regard to the measure. The clause which made the rate at which the assets of the companies should be counted as against their future liabilities, 4 per cent., was a very important one, and he was pleased. to see the Government take this position. He did not think it safe to the persons insuring in the different companies to place the rate higher than 4 per cent. It was true the rate of interest was pretty high in the country at the present time; but undoubtedly the accumulation of capital which would take place in the future would considerably reduce the rate of interest. He trusted, with regard to this point, the Government would maintain the position they had taken. Hon. Mr. CAMERON (Cardwell), said he did not agree with the hon. com-gentleman on that point, believing that |