The Express.
London, England, 1849-05-17 00:00:00

THE RIOTS IN MONTREAL.

LORD ELGIN'S DESPATCH. •
The papers relating to the recent disturbances in
Nada were yesterday laid before parliament. From
them we extract the following despatch from the Ott-
vinam-Oeusial to Earl Grey
Goveramest Reese, Keened, April 30,1849.
(Resorieed Kay 16, 1849.)
lay Lorl.—l regret to state that riotisg, atteeded with
Nos mommorpences Rea le be rims lied, ghee& happily
with go Wiery to life, or, amyl in ems inatiame M pima.
aes taloa place M the city of Ilsetveal dewlap the hit iser '
loye. I lust's to faraieh yaw lordship with ea eesoeef
what has actually emerred bet yee should be leaded hy
agaggerand reports coaveyk thew It the Tatted Stew.
Is ermermiesee of the um:posted arrival of vessels with
member din at the met of Closebee, it be nne seamen fee
me to praised, se a ebert maim, to parliammt. en WiWn.
day last, le elder to glai the ew meat to a meow bill
which bad that day pawl dm Welative email sad I
standees I that, ea s amok bad Mom it maid not to
expeiket to keep there
robin mid onspemes by emitting to
&pm, at the tarot the other am fa ~ the two
limbo er the lead miasma had at im earlier pedal,
el do esene• easseors& sad which awaked way eked-
dos. Amon these was the met to provide for the isdemall-1
ado of patios in Lower Camila, obese property wee Is.
awned during the rebellion ia ISM aaellloB, with tempest
*which, so your lordship is aware, muck excitement bee
mthappily been stirred.
I herewith inclose, for your lordship's perusal, •
cop of the act in question, and I shall not fail by =
mail to tarnish you with fell informed°. respolden its
&meter and objeets, :the eirmenstames which led
to Its introduction, and the mons& on which I resolved,
after meek reflection, to sanctios it. No mossy ma be paid
miller it as indemnity tor • messiderab'e mend, se then her
Nelesty's power it chealowanee eon be exercised with effect,
should Ma Majesty be so adored, notwithstanding the
antra which I have alma. As lam waling this
in haste, with • view to Its transminion by way of Neal:Ter:
I shall seaflas myself for the present to • stateliest of the
prow dings by which the pesos of the sty has been die
turbed.
Is cedar, however, to this narrative istrUlglble. I
meet peewee that formes time past the Row of Assembly,
as at weest constituted, has bees the object of bitter deem-
Madan sod not unfnquently of meager menses. on the
pert of • certain portion of the am of the province., end
sure especially of that of klostreaL Tour lordship will pro-
bably recollect that the body in question is the product of a
election, which took place about 18 months ego, under
petrel
of the political petty now in °provides.
end after a dirsolatios, to which I had recourse on their @i-
vies, for the purpose of strengthealeg them in their position
ase government. The result et this mature was is the
last degree sefavonsuble to those who had issomsamided
It ; net, however, eo much 5o I. Lower Canada, where
the complexion of the representation wm affected
by the dimolution, as fa the Upper Provisos, where sere
tai coostim nein. among whirl were some of the most pops.
loss, rejected conservative is fumy of liberal candidates.
Os • questim of confidenee raised at the winteacement of
the session, immediately after the enteral ideation the sal-
ministration was detested by • majority of more than two to
one, and • cheap of government, as • matter of mune,
ensued.
This alOration in the political completion of the assembly,
and the ch urge of government itoteequent upon it, were
therefore nearly and distinctly traceable to a nvalsion of
sentiment in the British coastituencies of Una Canada.
In Lower Car ads nothing had owned to arecant
for either. This circumstance bas, however, failed to emir*
sentstive body
for the decisions of the popular repre
either forbearance et, respect iron a certain section of
Wee who profess to be emphatically the supporters of
British interests. To denounce the parliament as French
in its composition, and the retirement ae subject to French
influences, has been their constant object, sad the wiliest
doctrines have:heen broached with respect to the right which
belongs to a British minority of redressing by violence any
Indignity to which it may be subjected from such • source. I
have now before ate an article that appeared in foe early
prpsl Baskah merspepers of Ilmtral at •• very
period of the wesise, of which I trasecribe the caulading
ph, as illustrative of the temper and Legume in
=even at that time, sad before the public mind had
been excited by the decision of the Rebellion
Limes BiU, • portioa of the peen ventured to uni-
tise the proesediap of the local parliament. The
entitle treats of Cineasure affecting the townships, to which,
I believe, so great objection was raised in parliament. It
tenaiaahre, however, in the words—" We are glad of it—the
NOW the cloven foot is made visible the bent: the obvious
intention of that majority, composed of Freedoms, aided by
traitorous British C.nadiaas, is to force French institutions
still further upon the British minority In Lower Canada.
The inteatkes is ahvi no, es we said, aad we ere very glad
that it is openly shown. We true that the party el the go-
ausemat will asseeted ia may ems of their obsoxiouo mea-
saree. Whoa Yr. ash tyranny bassists lesuppertsble we
*alltime, hod was Cromwell. Sheffield, I. the intim' times,
used to be iimeets for its keen and well-tempered whittles ;
well, they make bayonets there now, just maw" mad just
as well-tempated. When we ma stied 'maw me longer.
it will be seen whether good bayonets is Baiese beads will
M be MOM than a saw& for • mem and • majority."
To pursues accustomed to the working of manitutiesal
nowernmeet is wellordered wanimities, it may seam ia-
eifeffibke that such lemgeule should be employed by the
Inane of my reepeetsble party in referees, to a body eon-
=the Neely-chosen representatives of a constituency,
ea • mem medal boas; but the same of the also-
naly is apparent enough to all who are acquainted with the
history of Canada. For a series of Iwo the pom dm repro
seatatim body and the executive, supported by the Legisla-
tive Comma, were, la the lower provisos eepodelty, is •
condition of almost constant antagonism. To revile
the one woo the sure-t test of patriotism ;tO
source the other, of loyalty. la • society sin-
gularly democratic in its structure, where divination
of race ',nein d special elements of oeufusion, and where
cousequenily it was meat emporium that constitute I autho-
rity should be respected, the moral influence of law and
government was enfeebled by the fasten*e of pert eked Mire
between the powers that oven to have afforded to each
other a mutual support: so state of altars mold be
Imagined less favourable tellies entwine of national animo-
sities, end to the firms establishment of the gentle and benig-
nant control of those liberal institutions which it is Rag-
land's pride and privilege to bestow upon kw &Urea.
I es met without hope that a steady adherence to the
priwiples of constitutional government, and the cattlemen
et hammy between the co Wines branches of the legisla-
ture, miy Ind in process of time to the correction of these
Wk. lleaewhile, however, 1 must ascribe mainly to the
ems I have stained the teas of arrogant daimon with
which the resolutions, not of the government only,
bat also of the parliament, are treated by pm. ies who
happen for the moment to be *Dahl' .o make their views
weal with either, and the seta of violence, to widen this
Ina wanton language has is the present butanes led.
That many persons conscientiously disapprove of the am-
mare tapering rebellion losers in Lower Canada which Ism
been introduced by the government, mad whisk the local
winsome has passed by large winkles, sad that in the
minds o 1 others it stirs national annpathiss sad rosollee-
tices of former o r,flicts, which designs' politicians seek to
improve to their own selfish ends, einem fear to doubted.
It is, therefore, emphatically a measure which should have
been approached with calmness sad caution, by all at
lout wite are not directly interested in the haat. Um
hetanately, however, this kae Ma by no mesas the cm.
Not ally have appeals to paggionottho most reckless dmerip
tics proceeded from the local prow, but they have received
ametragemeat hoot quarters from which they had little
terKok hr it. Passages such as the following, in
a Leaden journal of inflame treats of the British
pandatina to affected by the measure in question They
are tolerably able to take ears of themselves, and we very
mask misosastrus the tone adopted by the English mess and
anglidi rubies in the province if they do not and some
mom of roasting the heavy blow and great discouragement
which is aimed at them," are read with avidity, sad soa-
straed to mean that sympathy will be exteaded irom
Llasm-
tial =es at home to those • Ito seek to annul the obaosi-
IPM of dm keel legislature, whatever be the mesas
to which they resort for the attainment of that cad.
The seems by which the city of Olontreal has bees lately
disputed are the natural fruits of as agitation of this du.
rester, operating on • people of excitable temper, who have
been tenteht to believe that a nee which they toque sad
to over which they have been wont exercise di , has
obtained through the operation of a constitutional spa
tom am authority which it could sot otherwise have
acquired. Hence, more especially, their vehement Mehl
nation against me personally, and the movie ion in many
mem I doubt not perfectly mom, that I have been gul
of a serious dereliction of duty news I have not, as m-g-
-
proilsonsoro toms often •dme before me, commuted to place
myself is the front of an mintiest to eminence the policy of
parliameat. The nature of the coutiostional dos tunes
which preetically obtain in this section of the coatoissity, la
OlOrkseslyeseloplilltd by the fact, that it is net the pesmge-
of the bill by an overwhelming majority of the reptemeta
tine of the peoi.le. or the acquiescence of the council, hot
the olatiopot of the governor which furnishes the pretest
bra imbibition' of popular violas".
When I ism the Home of Parliament alter giving the
royal meat to several bills, to which 1 have referred, 1 was
maned with singled cheers and bootlegs by • crowd by on
mesas numerous, which surrounded the entrance to the
build's,. A small hoot of individuas consisting, It
has sines been seawatioed, of persons of • respect-
able class in sosioty, pelted the carriage with
'shahs which they mot have boo& with them for the
purpose. Within ahoar after Ibis _.riser
1.41°5, of
which I antes • mob breed hem ate of the newspaper
aloes, *sling • casettes the ape mfr. At the meeting
iallanuaatory spesehts were meas. On • sudden, whether
under the effect of someatay traillemoot, or la pier-
nonce of a plan arranged baheehaad, the mob pre.
seeded a the housed praiOnlint where the member vs
were still lilting a/ harthing the windows est
fire to the building aid hosed it to the ggrorouuad.
By this wawaa am piddle peepaiy of nide
vane, inelediag two meant lebarlsee has boss utterly
:=6LRata, @Moot dash inowd
appertatly wbsap*eat, ilail dam. The
minaMon were wafted to ralbo sod so told-
sus we Wood to the military, who at the pond
Aar a laid Wool to Nom oohs aM
the Imes Doris/ the two felbohdals a dad
esoboolot josoMed Is the
imemuiem vi:us=igateLthsetthims one farther sinew
hoe her book wad heiteeaefithlialla=
laity have ohm a dlspodlios M NOW& thole folokrors,
and te direct their eangies towards the mei coostitatiohil
eldest of petitions, the Closes kw my moll, aid

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