The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-25 00:00:00

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• .1 : . .':• . 'IIIOXTILIAL, Jam 4, 1460.
Ai a Wed,/ VI la Ilds city a few days sp. of
the Yentrasl hiMi of the British American Lague,
swiss of resoled.= was passed is favour of egi. ,
toting the country fsemeadegthaligielstive sennals
eleotave. This body, Wendel te she es indistios of
the Blida Hesse of Lori, is at ppeseM 111.464 by
the appointment of the setidameif lea snetnediog
ministry, under a madams' from the Qom's, and the
co is held for life.

The league ie principally colipoind of the cones&
vative or tory party, and it now seems very singular
I. see each reeolutioas proceeding from these men.
The more so, viewed in connexion with the history of
the last few years; for it will be remembered that
the agitation of this subject formed the burden of the
celebrated 92 resolutions, and wee one of the proxi-
mate causes of the rebellioe. Then the ex-rebels
ascribed all the (mile under which the province
groaned to the abeam of this principle. Now, these
same men in power oppose it ; and now, those who
with force of arms opposed it before, are of opinion
that it is nereesary. I must, however, state that the
tory party is by no means unanimously in favour of
the introdneties of this principle. It is opposed by
some of the Upper Canada branches of the league,
but in Lower Canada the almost universal voice is
for it.

I may take this opportunity of mentioning that
daring the summer there has been a remarkable
change of the pablie mind in this respect, and the
fact may serve to illustrate its little stability in
Canada. When, in the Convention of the League at
Kingston, the subject was first broached, few of the
members would even listen to it at all, and almost by

acclamation the proposition was thiown out. The
subject was in the meantime sedulously agitated by
those in favour of it ; and at the convention lately
held at Toronto, a reaolw ion in favour of its adoption

was only lost by a majority of four. This is mach ;
for, as Major Laughlin observed at the meeting, it is
not long aux* when a proposition of this kind almost
made one's hair stand on end.

Whatever might have been, or may yet be urged
against this principle, certain it is that it is sup-
ported by some of the most conservative men of
Canada, and men, too, most loyal, and at heart in
favour of British connexion. The Hon. George
Moffatt, long the chief of the tory party, and the
most respected (even by his enemies) of all the poli-
ticians of Canada, was in the chair on the occasion
of the meeting to which I allude. He stated it to
be his belief that the system of responsible govern-
ment could not be worked without having the Legis-
lative Council elective. The reason is simple and
patent. It is, that we have not a hereditary aristo-
cracy, wherewith to form an analogous chamber
to the British House of Lords ; nor is it likely
that we can have for many years to come—if
at all. Then for the working of the present
system. Take one fact, the ex-ministry caused the
a, point ment of eight new members, the present
ministry neutralised their voice by the effective addi-
tion of a number equal to ose-third of the whole
house. This was to make it "harmonise," as Mr.
Attorney-General Baldwin expressed it. It did so
pretty effe:ttually, for some of the most important
bills of last megaton were passed through all their
stages at once, without even untying the red tape
from around them. This foot I have witnessed.

It will be at once seen that such a body as this can
be no check, and which, from the very manner of its
creation, cannot be expected to be anything more
than a mere office of record of the lower house,
which it is in reality. Then, with the interpretation
of Lord Elgin of his functions as governor-general,
it will be seen that our system of government is a
pure democracy without a single check on the lower
house. We have not the checks the Americans have
on their senate and president. Our consitution re-
quires checks of some kind; it requires a balance, to
save us from rash and blundering legislation. These
it is believed are to be found in the application of the
elective principle to the Legislative Council, under
different qualifications and a different term of years
than thee required for the election of members to the
lower house. It is argued that if the application of
this principle will abrogate the form, it will better
preserve the spirit of the British constitution.
ANOLAIS.

" After completing our water from the springs in Cts-
Milli°, my people were employed assisting tile Pincer a
preparing her winter quarters. The boatswain with a pary
and the carpenter. budding a house.
" Commander Moore having determined to winter in the
Sound, and being very desirous to visit some chiefs who were
reported to live in some considerable place up the reel. I
determined to go there with a party sufficient to .n.ure
respect from these people, although Captain Moore -old _me
they were most friendly. Astoraiogly, on the 9th, I stared
with the Owen, the Plover's decked boat, Herald cutter,ati
two gigs, their crews and several officers.
" The first night we bivouacked at Elephant Point, sal
had the whole clew roaming over the ice cliffs for fossils,
could not find one of any importance.
" The second night we stayed at a large native Till ige tf
22 tents and about 150 people. We pitched our tents C:340
to one extreme of them, had our coppers, pets, kettles. ..to,
saws, etc-, on shore, but not an article was lest, a:though 3:
times we had a third of their numbers about us. Even it
way they were not troublesome when we told them we elite
them to go away.
" They were all very fine men, but disfigured in appear.
ante by the labrets they all near. They broucht
and water, gave us fish and venison, and offered us whaler'
blubber and seals' flesh.
" Leaving a few of the men to take care of the loam the
rest came on shore for an hour. The natives were hilt:),
amused, and joined in their sports of leaping and running.
" The sportsmen were always accompanied by some cf
them ; they were greatly surprise/ to see some of the your:
officers killing the birds right and lefr.
" The moment the boats started (until we got far upt we
were preceded by their little keen, wunding with their pad-
dles to the channel. We had pilots in each of the large b
who remained constantly with us, and who experienced great
concern when they unavoidably got es on shore.
" I have been the more particular in my remarks relit."
to these interesting people, because their behaviour n the
visits of Captain B echey and myself have been so very oppo-
site. It may be accounted for in this way: we bad an Inter-
preter who could speak with them, through -hick they
found out what our object was is going amongst them.
" The Russian settlement has also, I consider, been very
instrumental in causing this alteration in their conduct. t%'ll
found many of them with shirts, handkerchiefs of csu .
colours, cottons printed with walrus, reindeer, and id the
other animals that they are in the habit of catching, and re,
presenting in ivory, knives, and kettles—all tht to came tram
the Russian settlement. They were latterly very ahliou. :3
obtain muskets, and evinced no fear to dischsrgirg them.
September 11.—We arrived with the boats eta per: of
the river, 30 miles up, perfectly barred errors with hese!
rock, over which there was a fall of about 13 inches. Here
the heavy boats were stopped, but by unlading the 1 gh:er
ones we were enabled to haul them over.
" Wishing myself to return to the ship, and Commander
Moore being still anxious to go on, I directed Mr. U.
Quire (senior lieutenant of the Herald) to accompany bin
in my gig. For the purpose of mutual protection luster
one of the larger boats below the tall to wait their return
I directed him to make a trscarg of the river as far al
they might ascend it, and return to their respective yews
before the 23rd inst. They ascended the river about thicv
miles beyond where I left them. In this distance they tart
with but two natives. They paned several places where
they were obliged to unload and haul these light boats emu
They found also the pine trees scattered about in twos and
threes a little distance from the bank.
" The river, from the mud and leaves banging oc the
banks, showed that at some period of the year. it was it
least 10 feet above the level at that time.
" The absenoe of spars and wood of any descrintion on the
frequent bridges of rocks aeroas the river, on the t"ps of the
many spots of sand, or on the summit of the banks oshut
bear evident marks of having been overflown at lOW tell,fo•
shows that the Buckland is not the source from which the
enormous quantities of wood found at Choris Peninsula is
derived. We have n found a particle of wood on the
eastern face of this peninsula—all is on its western.
" Commander Moore and his party returned on t". 014. :h.
We sow comrremed to prepare fur our departure sown-
ward. The Plover's honor was nearly cempl•ted, and rt
much provisions an he could stow or take care of were Poo.-
on board her.
" September 26.—8 y this day we were ready to stet:.
having couipleted all the Plover's mass. She was not
mantled, nor did Commander Moore intend doing .0 Out,
she was fairly laid up on the beach.
" In coasequence of the illness of Mr. Shedden,
of the
yacht, and of my having previously removed his chi. t
1 was obliged to direct Mr. Parsons (second sass: eri ot
ship, to take charge of her and navigate her to Mse..to
where he might expect to meet me.
nwtirigirethithrnstar.lasyfro,oeyumnsolthiLybt:snitsenomeoftnumoepinnagnSit.:lll.Awiwat thteLe29adtisallairedabo:feeluetrtp;'..,sec7b.,,:tu.:::::-
still running. In fact, the whole ruoath of Sepiestroeour
bees cosaakably fine, generally with strong wihd, r
eastward. ' out ol
" We experienced very hard weather on getting ..
the Sound ; parted company with the yacht.
of ;of
B3IIOILLTIOM TO CALIFOINIA.—The barque John " Passed Sharing's Straits on the morning of the .
Calvin, o, London, 610 tons regiver, sew measurement, October a hese, gale from the north north-w,st
Captain Caslad, sailed from Plymouth for San Prem. " October 11.—At midnight passed the Ahtstien
steno, Califordia, on Tueeday, Jan. 24. She is crammed full by the Straits et Amorkhta, in longitude 171 .6
with an minted cargo of general tnerehandho, end Britoil These straits are 36 miles
metawde,. perfectly safe, rt,
issaufsetnred goods, Including several iron houses, Carlini from the races frequently with In the other st o
of
tents, &e. About 104 pomanders p out in her, 40 of whom this elude.
embarked es the Thames, and the remainder at Plr mouth. "On the 13th of October, in latitude 47 deg. 31Is °T. gsk
They include merchants, mechanics, carpenters, blacksmiths, longitude 106 deg., we ezperieseed a heavy nor 11,,,/
coopers, &o. Sir Maury Huntley, formerly 00TornOW of with and unusually heavy sea, which broke on bus"
Prism Edward bland, goes out in the John Calvin, with land nearly swept our deeke.
20 or 30 miaen, forming an expedition for the Wpm of On the 19th of October, is latitude 43 deg. end li_tnnet',ll:
workleg aim In Uppes Caked& 106 tig., we bad awake? gale at oath eouth-east. 13 I'