with his native province. Only so much of his public life in
the House of Commons will be dealt with as seems necessary to complete
his personal history. Tilley continued to hold the position of minister
of customs during the whole of the term of the first parliament of
Canada. This parliament held five sessions and dissolved in the summer
of 1872, the general election being in the month of July, upon which
occasion he was reelected for the city of St. John without opposition.

{MINISTER OF FINANCE}

The second parliament met on March 5th, 1873. Eleven days before that
time Mr. Tilley had become minister of finance, succeeding Sir Francis
Hincks, who had resigned that office after holding it for more than
three years. The advancement of Mr. Tilley to this responsible and
influential position was very pleasing to his friends, and was received
with satisfaction by the country generally.

The first confederation ministry of Canada resigned office on November
5th, 1873, under circumstances which are a part of the political history
of the Dominion and need not be gone into in this volume, further than
to say that, whatever basis there may have been for charges of
corruption in connection with the Pacific Railway contract against other
persons in the government, none were ever preferred against Mr. Tilley;
nor did any one suspect or believe that he had anything whatever to do
with the transactions which led to the resignation of the government.
Prior to that event Mr. Tilley had been appointed lieutenant-governor of
the province of New Brunswick in succession to the Hon. Lemuel A.
Wilmot, whose term had expired. Every one felt that the honour thus
bestowed upon Tilley was a most fitting one, for he was New Brunswick's
foremost son in political life, and had reached his high position purely
through his own ability and his own good character. That position he
filled a greater number of years than any of his successors are likely
to do, and it is admitted on all sides that no man could have performed
the duties of the office more satisfactorily than he did.

CHAPTER XII

FINANCE MINISTER AND GOVERNOR

Mr. Tilley took up his residence in the old Government House,
Fredericton, and he must have been struck with the changed aspect
of affairs from that presented under the old regime, when
lieutenant-governors were appointed by the British government and sent
out from England to preside over the councils of a people of w