For the week of August 26, 2019.
On September 1, 1864, delegates from the Province of Canada arrived in Prince Edward Island for the Charlottetown Conference. They sailed aboard SS Queen Victoria, where the Canadian delegates hosted a luncheon, two days later, that culminated with toasts to the prospect of uniting the British North American colonies.
The original purpose of the Charlottetown Conference was to negotiate the union of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Talks moved quickly away from “Maritime Union,” after eight prominent politicians from Canada West (Ontario) and Canada East (Quebec) arrived to discuss a broader federation of British North America.
The Canadians sailed to Charlottetown aboard SS Queen Victoria, a steamship built in 1856 by the Scottish company Robert Napier and Sons. It was first owned by businessman François Baby and was later acquired by the Province of Canada in 1860. Limited hotel space in Charlottetown meant that the ship, which was equipped with a small library and an experienced cook, became a place for the delegates to entertain their peers and—in some cases—to sleep.
The arrival of SS Queen Victoria made a strong impression on the Maritime delegates. There was a sense of intrigue about the Canadians, who arrived ashore in their best dress. They were invited to speak on September 2 and, after more discussions the next day, the Canadians hosted what proved to be a pivotal luncheon for Maritime delegates aboard SS Queen Victoria.
Champagne and food flowed as delegates talked with increasing excitement about the prospect of union. One of the most significant accomplishments of the Charlottetown Conference was the conversion of many Maritime politicians to the idea of forming a political union of British North American colonies, which came to be known as Confederation. George Brown, a politician from Canada West, wrote: “the ice became completely broken, the tongues of the delegates wagged merrily…no man appeared to forbid the banns [of matrimony]…” The Saint John Morning Telegraph similarly reported: “two of the [Maritime] provinces, at least, are about entering into bonds, whilst the third is on the eve of lowering her flag.”
After the Charlottetown Conference ended on September 9, delegates sailed aboard SS Queen Victoria to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where discussions resulted in an agreement to meet again in Québec City in October 1864. Many delegates made their way to the Québec Conference aboard SS Queen Victoria. It was later leased out and, while sailing from Cuba, SS Queen Victoria was caught in a hurricane and sank off Cape Hatteras on October 4, 1866. The shipwreck has not been found.
The Charlottetown and Québec Conferences of 1864, which laid the foundations for Confederation in 1867, are designated as a national historic event.