At this reception at Lord Salisbury's I was discussing the negotiations at Washington with Lord George Hamilton, then First Lord of the Admiralty, expressing my fears that they would come to nothing, and pointing out the dangers before us. He seemed somewhat impressed, and said, "I wish you would talk it over with Sir Philip Currie," then permanent Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and he took me across the room and introduced me to Sir Philip, to whom I expressed my opinion that the negotiations at Washington would fail and that the United States Government would not agree to anything. While I was talking to him I was watching him closely, and I came to the conclusion, from his expression, that he was positively certain that the matter was either settled or on the very point of being settled, and I stopped suddenly and said, "I believe, Sir Philip, you think this is settled. You know all about it, and I know nothing, but I tell you now, that although you may believe it is all agreed upon, I say that it is not, and that either the Senate or the House of Representatives, or the President, or all of them put together, will at the last moment upset everything." I do not think he liked my persistence, or felt that the conversation was becoming difficult, but he laughed good-naturedly and said, "Nobody will make me believe that the Americans are not the most friendly people possible, but I must just go and speak to Lord ----" whose name I did not catch, and he left me. The next week I had my interview with Lord Salisbury and put my arguments from an Imperial point of view as powerfully as I could, told him of the dangers of the Commercial Union movement, of the desperate struggle I could see coming in the general election that was approaching in Canada, told him of our dread of a free expenditure of United States money in our elections, and pointed out to him that the real way to prevent any difficulty was to have a preferential tariff or commercial union arrangement with Great Britain, which would satisfy our people, and entirely checkmate the movement in favour of reciprocity with the States. Lord Salisbury listened attentively and at last he said, "I am fast coming to the opinion that the real way to consolidate the empire would be by means of a Zollverein and a Kriegsverein." I was delighted, "That," I said, "gives me all my case," and I urged him to say something publicly in that direction that we could use in Canada to inspire our loyal people, and put that hope and confidence in them which would carry our elections. He did not say whether he would or not, but I knew then that at heart he was with us. As a matter of fact, he did speak in a friendly tone at the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall on the 9th November following, and afterwards followed it up with a much more direct speech at Hastings on the 18th May, 1892.