Whereas it has been brought to the attention of this Society that Mr. Goldwin Smith, one of its life members, has openly proclaimed himself in favour of severing Canada from the rest of the British Empire, and has also accepted the office of honorary president of an association having for its object the active promotion of an agitation for the union of Canada with the United States, therefore this Society desires emphatically to place on record its strong disapprobation of any such movement, and hereby expresses its extreme regret that the Society should contain in its ranks a member who is striving for an object which would cause an irreparable injury to the Dominion, would entail a loss to the motherland of a most important part of her Empire, and would deprive Canadians of their birthright as British subjects. This was soon followed by Mr. Smith's resignation from the Society. In spite of Mr. Goldwin Smith's farewells he had an article in the _Contemporary Review_ for January, 1895, on the Ottawa Conference of 1894. After reflecting on the manner in which the "delegates" were appointed, he went on to say the conference confined itself to discussing trade relations and communications, and that defence "was excluded by omission." He sneered at the French Militia who served in the North-West Rebellion, and attacked the Canadian-Pacific Railway, insinuating that it would be blocked in case of war, because part of it went through the State of Maine. He made a great deal of snow blocks also, and even said that the prediction made when the Canadian-Pacific Railway "was built, that the road would never pay for the grease on its axle wheels, though then derided as false, has, in fact, proved too true," and he absolutely stated that "as a wheat-growing speculation, the region has failed." The whole article was as inimical to Canada and the aspirations of the people as he with his literary ability and indifference as to facts could make it. This article aroused a good deal of criticism and hostility all over Canada. I received many letters from various parts of Canada, some from friends, some from strangers, asking me to reply to it. Sir Oliver Mowat urged me very strongly to answer it. I therefore prepared an article and sent it to the editor of the _Contemporary_ with a request that he should publish it. I wanted no remuneration, but claimed the right to answer many inaccuracies. I received from the editor the following letter: 11, OLD SQUARE, LINCOLN'S INN, W.C., _8th March, 1895_. DEAR SIR, I am afraid I cannot find a place for your article on Canada. But I do not think that you need fear misconstruction. We know Mr. Goldwin Smith as a man of great ability and cultivation, but he is not taken as a representative of the bulk of Canadian opinion.