Document Information

Date: 1864-10-21
By: Edward Whelan, The Examiner (Charlottetown), Quebec Conference
Citation: Edward Whelan, “Inter-Colonial Convention at Quebec,”The Examiner (31 October 1864).
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Note: Any endnotes come from our recent publication, Charles Dumais, The Quebec Resolutions: Including Several Never-Published Preliminary Drafts by George Brown and John A. Macdonald, and a Collection of all Previously-Published Primary Documents Relating to the Conference (CCF, 2021).

INTER-COLONIAL CONVENTION AT QUEBEC.

(No. 5)

QUEBEC, FRIDAY, Oct. 21.

It would seem to be the settled conviction of the good people of this gay, ancient. and fascinating City, that the chief end of existence is Pleasure. I am informed, however, that the season for paying particular devotion to this most exacting deity has not yet arrived—that winter, when the mighty river which pours its countless treasures into Lower Canada, is locked in the embrace of the Frost King—witnesses scenes of gaiety and festivity here to which those in which I have been a participator bear no comparison [1]—at least for frequency of occurrence. [2]

I shall not say anything more about the Ball. It was a brilliant affair throughout—eminently successful—(I believe that is the phrase used to describe a stunning jollification)—and Everybody and his Wife were hugely delighted with it. One word more: the Cabinet Ministers—the leading ones especially—are the most inveterate dancers I have ever seen; they do not seem to miss a dance during the live-long night. They are cunning fellows; and there’s no doubt it is all done for a political purpose; they know that if they can dance themselves into the affections of the wives and daughters of the country, the men will certainly become an easy conquest.

[1] This newspaper is now cut-off at and this part of the record is no longer available. I have referred to Waite “Edward Whelan Report From the Quebec Conference”, in The Canadian Historical Review, (University of Toronto Press, 1961) publication for the missing part.

[2] Part of the record is omitted since it offers no substance on the topic of confederation.