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Mr. H. A. Powell of Westmorland is making a considerable reputation as a public speaker throughout Ontario. He is in great demand at political meetings, and has frequently ad¬dressed audiences on non-political subjects. A recent lecture or address of his at Peterboro [Peterborough] on the Acadians seems to be greatly appreciated, and was reported extensively in the press of that growing city. Mr. Powell gave an account of the wars between the French and English for the posession of Acadia, told the story of the ex¬pulsion, and gave an interesting account of the present condition of the Acadian population. He testifies that the French speaking people in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are among the most moral and industrious in the country, and that though formerly they were less advanced in education and behind the English in their general circumstances there has been in the present generation a great intellectual and industrial revival among them. He attributes this remarkable advance largely to the colleges that have been established and to the self-sacrificing labors of a few leading men and particularly of the clergy and of the teachers. Mr. Powell reports that the Acadians of his county are an ambitious and progressive people, who have shown a worthy determination in overcoming the dis-advantages under which their fathers labored. He made particular reference to St. Joseph’s college as one of the potent influences for the advancement of the Acadian people.
S. D. S.