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Date: 1865-02-11
By: R.B. Dickey
Citation: Despatch from R.B. Dickey to Sir Richard Graves Macdonnell (11 February 1865) in Journal and Proceedings of the House of Assembly of the Province of Nova Scotia, Appendix No. 3—Union of the Colonies (1865).
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Halifax, February 11th, 1865.

MAY IT PLEASE YOUR EXCELLENCY,—

The Honorable Provincial Secretary has submitted for my inspection a Report to your Excellency dated 5th December last, and signed by himself, the Honorable Attorney General, the Honorable J. McCully, and A. G. Archibald, Esq., of the result of a mission with which we were charged by your Excellency, to attend a Conference at Quebec upon the subject of Intercolonial Union.

In that Report I am happy to be able cordially to concur, except as to that portion of it which would seem to imply the unanimous action of Members of the Conference.

As I had the misfortune to differ from my colleagues in several important details of the scheme submitted to Your Excellency, I feel myself constrained to withhold my signature from the Report unaccompanied by this explanation.

My regret at this circumstance is greatly diminished by the reflection that the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in his Despatch of 3rd December last, sustains my view that the scheme is susceptible of modification and improvement.

A more pleasing task remains: to acknowledge the uniform good feeling which, during the whole of these important deliberations, subsisted between my colleagues and myself.

Being most unwilling to be regarded as an opponent of Federation “on principles just to the several Provinces,” I venture to ask that these reasons for the absence of my signature to the Report may receive equal publicity with the Report itself.

I have the honor to remain,

Your Excellency’s humble servant,

R.B. DICKEY.

To His Excellency

Sir RICHARD GRAVES MACDONNELL, C. B., &c., &c., &c.