The Sun.
London, England, 1837-12-23 00:00:00

country always professed its disposition to administer had
been so tardy in its administration as not to be worth
having, who would tell him that the Canadians had
no cause for dissatisfaction ? Look at all those things,
and then could it be said that they had no reason to
complain of oppression, and of the acts of the Legis-
lature and Government of this country ? There had been
two courses open to her Majesty's Government on the
subject. On the one hand there was the course which had
been so often recommended, not merely by a few persons on
his (Mr. Warburton's) aide of the House, but by enlightened
Members on tile other side of the House. This was the
course so strerngly recommendod by Lord Ashburton when he
had a seat in that House. " Let the Canadians," said that
Noble Lord, "be governed in such a manner as may pre-
pare them at the earliest possible period for a state of inde-
pendence." Had that been done ? Instead of characterising
the demands of the Canadians by the term " organic changes,"
it ought to have been considered whether those demands re-
lated to objects which the Canadians themselves thought de-
sirable. If, on the whole, concession to those demands would
have introduced a greater portion of democratic arrangement,
what had that to do with the question whether those arrange-
ments would be consistent with the principles of our gave: n-
ment at home? Why not give the Canadian people that
which it was evident their hearts were so ardently set upon ?
Had they not repeatedly demanded an Elective Council ?
Why not give it them ? " Oh, hut," exclaimed the opponents
of their claims, "that would be to organize a change." The
answer was, that it was the change which the Canadians
wished for. That was one course which might be pursued.
They might grant the Canadians all the changes they re-
quired. If they did that the separation of the Canadas from
the mother country might be for a considerable time deferred.
If they would not consent to do that they might come to the
alternative to which, sooner or later, they must arrive—sepa-
ration. Let the House consider the advantages which would
belong to this or to that course. In the first place let them
consider the enormous expense which had attended the
maintenance of the administration of power in the Canadian
colonies. Those expenses were not on the ordinary scale of
the general system. There must be taken into the account
the enormous sums which it had been necessary to expend
for the purpose of advancing the prosperity of the colony.
Twelve years ago, when he first entered that House, one
of the first subjects which he had heard discussed was the
Rideau canal, the expense of which was estimated at above
a million and a half of money. That was only a single
instance of the vast expense to which the colonies had sub-
jected the mother country. No colony, while the mother country
was employed in raising it up was ever productive to that
country. The object was to plant on a deserted soil, or on a
soil inhabited only by savage hordes, a population which,
when it became powerful and enlightened, might become
consumers of the produce of the nation from which they
sprung. That was the promised land to which all states
looked when they planted colonies. Up to the present pe-
riod, the Canadas had been productive of nothing to the
mother country but expense. To get rid of them, therefore,
would be to get rid of a certain loss of money. The -sery
trading monopoly occasioned by our possession of the Cana-
das, had (as he had frequently represented to the House) cost
the country 1,200,0001. in the amount of duties. If they got
rid of the Canadas, that extension of trade would follow which
was the necessary consequence of the independence and pros-
perity of a colony. All the advantages would accrue to both
countries which, under the principles of free trade, must flow
from an interchange of commerce. Such vas the invariable
result of the prosperity that followed the establishment of in•
dependence. The next advantage would be the encourage-
ment to emigration, which would be occasioned by separation.
If the House inquired into the extent of emigratiou from this
country to the United Stater, while those States were colo-
nies of Great Britain, with the extent of emigration after
those colonies became independent, they would see that the
increased demand for labour which followed independence was
the source of very extensive emigration. Let no one say that
at present there was a great opening in the Canadas for
our superabundant population. Bat as the Canadas in-
creased in prosperity the emigration to them from this country
would speedily be doubled. But there were other advantages,
too obvious to render it necessary to dwell upon them. There
was the saving of the expense and misery of a cruel and dis-
graceful civil war. The next advantage was the escape from
the danger in which we were placed while we maintained these
colonies of being engaged in war with other countries. Dis-
agreements had already taken place between the diplomatic
agents of this country and of the United States, with refer.
ence to the boundaries. Those boundaries Isere yet unsettled ;
and on the settlement of them it was not impossible that discus-
sions would arise which would involve the two nations in hos-
tilities. Now, if we were to make up our minds to an ami-
cable separation, we should avoid all the consequences of
war; we should avoid all the bad feelings engendered by
every war, and which were produced in an aggravated shape
by civil war. He trusted, therefore, that they would put
aside those sentiments of national pride by which so many
persona were influenced, and which frequently led Govern-
ments to adopt measures which they anew in their hearts
would be injurious to the countries, the affairs of which they
were administering. So far was he (Mr. Warburton) from
regarding a separation with feelings of shame or disgrace
(he believed the alternative would be productive of more
shame and disgrace). that he devoutly wished the period
of such separation had arrived ; convinced as he was that
the change which would then take place in the relations
between the colonies and the mother country would he ad-
vantageous to all parties. If, on the other hand, they
determined to retain the Canadas by war, they must be
prepared to incur all the disadvantages of such a course
of proceeding. What he most feared as the consequence
of the breaking out of civil war in the Canada?, waS,
that it might involve us in hostility with the United
States, and that would necessarily lead to the breaking out
of war in Europe. The course of events which would lead
to this result, and which had already been pointed out
by an Honourable Baronet, was obvious. Thousands of
American citizens would cross the boundaries for the pur-
pose of assisting the Canadians. That would occasion
complaints by Great Britain that the United States were
taking part against us in the quarrel between ourselves and
our colonies. Now, they all knew that the Government
of the United States, if they were inclined to do so, could
not prevent American citizens from taking part in thet
quarrel. But the circumstance would produce a state of
exasperation between the two countries, and the transition
to war would be easy. This country, then, would be en-
gaged in hostilities with the United States ; and being so
engaged, a quarrel between this country and some of
the European states would inevitably follow. If he were
asked what powers was most likely, if they did not actually
engage in war with us, to take a course which would be
highly detrimental to our interests, he would say all the
northern powers of Europe. Russia, Prussia, Sweden, Nor-
way, if they did not do so openly, would secretly endeavour
to promote the cause of the Canadians, in order to
destroy the forced trade which we had established
with the Canadas ; and to recover their full and free
trade with this country. This was an object which would
render all those powers either the open or the secret
allies of the Canadians. As to the question of the ad-
vantages or disadvantages which would result to the people
of Canada from a separation from this country, that of
course, was a matter of opinion. But if a people took up
arms, and subjected themselves to all the penalties attendant
upon revolt and insurrection for the attainment of what
they considered a beneficial object, it could not but be ac-
knowledged that of the value of that object they must be
the best judges. It was idle, therefore, to talk of drawing
up a Bill of indictment against the colonies. He was satis-
fied by their conduct that they wished to discontinue their
connection with this country. It had been frankly admitted
that the supporters of the British Government in Canada
were only a minority of the population. And yet, forsooth !
for the sake of that minority we were to plunge into civil
war. The loyalists in America, on the breaking out of the
revolution, were a minority. The Orangemen in Ireland were
a minority. To tell him that the acknowledged fact of the
friends of British connection being in a minority in Canada
was not a proof that it was not desirable to maintain that
connection was to tell him what he could not understand.
He must say that the conduct pursued with reference to this
subject by the present Government, considering to what
party in the State they belonged, struck him with astonish-
ment. In the course of his reading, as bearing upon the his-
tory of this country, he had always admired the conduct of
of the Whigs at the time of the quarrel between the Ame-
rican colonies and the mother country as one of the brightest
efforts that had ever been made in the cause of freedom.
What would be said, therefore, if the very same party were to
pursue an opposite course in the present instance?
Who would not laugh if such a one there be ?
Who would not weep if Atticus were he ?"
If, however, the indications which had that night been given
were to be followed up ; if the course which had been darkly
shadowed out were realized ; if that were carried into effect,
which he feared he had but too truly anticipated, he should
feel it his duty to do all in his power to oppose a Government
so acting. For ha could foresee nothing from such a course
but a repetition of all the disgrace which we had incurred in
vainly endeavouring- to prevent the United States from ac-
quiring their independence. Still, he could not but believe
that her Majesty's Government, having before them the his-
tory of the American war, and seeing that similar consequences
were likely to result from engaging in a similar contest with
Canada, would feel their error. if they should really enter-
tain this feeling, if they should at length come to the con-
clusion at which he (Mr. Warburton) had arrived namely,
that the separation would be advantageous to the mother-
country, he hoped they would make up their minds to relin-
quish their opposition to that separation, and not to plunge
into a civil war, which must lead to disastrous consequences
in whatever way it might terminate.—( Cries of " Hear,
hear.") If in such a war they should triumph, they
would triumph.—( Hear.) They would "make a solitude, and
call it peace." If they held the colony they could hope to
retain it only by a monstrous expenditure ; and, whatever the
expenditure might be, it would eventually be ineffectual. If,
on the contrary, as was recommended by his (Mr. Warbur-
ton's) part of the House, they agreed to the terms of an ami-
cable separation, they would derive from it all the advantages
which he had described, and many more which he would not
tske up the time of the House by enumerating ; and, so far
from losing the advantages of the connection between the
colony and the mother country, those advantages would be
increased to a tenfold degree. But, independently of the
question of separation (and a separation was not inevitable
at the present moment) Government had the alternative
of granting all the changes which the Canadians wanted,
whether organic or not, or of plunging into a war. the
termination of which no man could foresee. He was
aware that the number of individuals in that House dis-
posed to support the cause of the Canadians was not large.
If Parliaments were shorter, or if they were nearer a gene-
ral election, he should expect better things. Unfortunately