IN soliciting authority to lay this Work before your Majesty, I was actuated not merely by the desire common to every faithful subject of testifying, however humbly, a sense of dutiful affection to my Sovereign, but yet more from a con- viction that a History of the Colonies, their Extent, Condition, and Resources, could with propriety be dedicated only to a Monarch most deeply interested in their welfare, and fully impressed with the value of these integral parts of the British Empire.

I have briefly traced the origin and progress of your Majestys Colonial Dominion, the foundations of which were laid by the provident policy of your regal ancestors, Queen Elizabeth and King James the First, aided by the sagacious counsels of the great Lord Bacon; the wondrous structure has been reared with persevering energy by the wisdom of such statesmen as Clarendon, Halifax, Chatham, Burke, Pitt, Peel, and Russell; it has been enlarged and adorned by the genius of such patriots as Raleigh, Baltimore, Penn, Cook, Clive, Hastings, Cornwallis, and Wellesley ; defended by the valour of such warriors as Wolfe, Elliott (Heathfield), Brock, Lake, Sale Wellington, Hardinge, Gough, and Napier; and by the naval skill of Drake, Hawkins, Frobisher, Blake, Anson, Rodney, Duncan, Howe, Jervis, Collingwood, and Nelson.

The acquisition and improvement of Colonies has indeed been deemed so essential an element of national power and prosperity, that the best blood, the wealth, the talent of England have been unsparingly devoted to this great end ; which, though at a costly sacrifice, has been attained ; and in every quarter of the globe the Transmarine Territories of the Crown exhibit monuments of British heroism, proofs of patriotic deeds, and permanent illustrations of administrative ability.

The rule of your Majesty now controls an Empire so vast in its extent, that the influence of England is exercised in the remotest parts of the globe ; the Sceptre of Your Power protects (beyond the limits of the United Kingdom) more than one hundred million FREEMEN civil and religious liberty being the birthright of every Citizen of a State, whose first principles of government will not allow her to tolerate slavery in any form, or persecution under any pre- tence whether affecting her own children, or the stranger who comes within her gates Blessings such as these render the sway of your Majesty a substantial benefit to every denizen of this mighty Empire ; all share in its glory and prosperity, and have a common interest in the progress and proceedings of their fellow-subjects The social and domestic habits, manners, and customs of the Parent State are preserved and adopted in the Colonies; the numerous temples of worship, schools, and hospitals, which distinguish England from every other nation on the face of the earth, and are the best evidence of her Christian character; the general principles of obedience to the laws, respect for autho- rity, and love of order are equally manifest in our most distant settlements as in any county of the United Kingdom.

To another striking point of resemblance I am enabled to bear my humble testimony; in the course of a personal examination of the greater part of your Majestys Transmarine Dominions, I have had many opportunities of witnessing the loyalty of the Colonists; they love " the island home," that is to them the nucleus of their national feelings cherish a strong attachment to their Sove- reign and to Her Illustrious Consort and earnestly desire to participate in the honours and distinctions which, emanating directly from the Throne, cause its dignity to be appreciated, even in the remotest portions of the Realm.