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6645

Entered, according to the Act of the Provincial Parliament, in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, by JOHN GOOCH, in the Office of the Registrar of Canada.

FEB 1 1917

ΤΟ

THE HONORABLE SIR JOHN ALEXANDER MACDONALD, K. C. B.,

PREMIER OF THE FIRST ADMINISTRATION OF THE DOMINION OF CANADA,

LATE CHAIRMAN OF THE DELEGATES FOR THE UNION OF THE PROVINCES IN LONDON,

AND AS BEING

THE FIRST AMONG THE ABLE AND DEVOTED PUBLIC MEN TO WHOM CANADA OWES

66 THE BRITISH NORTH AMERICA ACT, 1867,”

THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY HIS VERY OBEDIENT SERVANT,

JOHN GOOCH.

PREFACE.

The purpose of this book is to exhaust and make obvious the sense of every section and item of the Act of the Constitution of Canada. It is hoped care enough has been taken to leave out, if anything, no particular of any importance.

In the composition of the Act itself it was most highly important to provide for whatever was exigent or eligible to be done, to give in the best way :-effect to the Union, and to insure a proper order of change from the foregoing to the incoming ways and constitutions of Government. Composed, as it was, with exact carenot to fail in this critical undertaking-it may seem near, at least, to repeat itself: say it but seems.

The Synthetical Explanatory Treatise, founded on it, will alike seem to be self-repeating, and perhaps is. The writer, who did not choose this, would rather it so happened, though, than that it should be found omissive.

The Analytical Index given, inevitably repeats much of the contents of the Synthetical; but it is produced, not so much for further information in the meaning of the Act, as to offer an alternative opportunity to the enquirer. This index may be more easily consulted on a particular exigency. The Synthetical Development, for acquaintance with the Act in its whole design or that of its principal members; withal inadvertancies there will be; -may the reader be courteous

The change in the Constitution of the Government now made in these British Colonies-adapted to them as an United Dominion, although they retain still for their separate uses subsidiary governments-gives an occasion for the present work.

For one and all of these Provinces the information to be given

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