The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-23 00:00:00

free exercise Of an indepsudent judgment. It was said that
the recommendations or the Assembly ought to have been at-
tended to, but as the time three and a half years' arrears of
salaries were due, and a six months' supply only was granted,
being only a small proportion of what was actually due, and
making no provision for the future salaries. Lord Gosford
reported this answer, and prorogued the Assembly ; audit had
been asserted that the Government ought to have assumed
teat the dispute between the Assembly and the Council was
irrecoecileable; but the Government was anxious not to
force on such an evil ; and considering that some passages in
the reply of the Assembly showed a distrust of the Government
and misunderstanding of their intentions, they had directed
Lord Gosford again to convene the Assembly, to lay before
them the whole of his instructions, and to request them, with
these explanations, to reconsider their resolutions. In answer to
the address which Lord Gesford accordingly made to them
the Assembly declared that they had not misunderstood the
Government; and that in reference to a supply they
considered that a redress of grievances should pre-
cede a grant of maney, and that they hal come to the
determination to
,adjourn their proceedings till the de-
termination of the Government should be known, and till
the second branch of the. Legislature was made conformable to
the wishes sod wants of the people. By this expression they
meant nothing less than the introduction of the elective
)14.riciple; and his Majesty's Government, not being prepared
to establish or propose the adoption of that principle, had
asked of the Parliament the resolutions which had been passed
to explain the opinions of the Parliament, to show the Cana-
dians that it was not a mere difference between the Govern-
ment and the Canadian Legislature, but what were the real
sentiments of the British Legislature, in order that the Cana-
dian Legislature might reconsider their resolutions, and might
be induced to yield to the voice of the Imperial Parliament
what it would not grant to the requests of the Executive Go-
vernment. Ha regretted that it had been necessary to call
upon the Parliament to act as an arbitrator, and he re-
gretted still more that its arbitration had been rejected,
and that the solemn resolutions of the Imperial Parliament
had been met in a spirit still more hostile than had been
before experienced, and that a resolution had been passed by
the Legislative Assembly- that they would not resume their
functions till the elective principle was accorded ; and not
being able to propose a concession to their demands, because
they conscientiously believed that such concession would he
detrimental to the colony as well as to this country, and
would tend to the dismemberment of the empire, Ministers
were bound to provide the means by which a temporary sub-
stitution could be made for the discharge of the functions
which had been abrogated by the Legislative Assembly, and
to provide for the necessities of the colony left without a le-
gislature. Against the Bill, then, before the House, and
which was proposed with this view, nothing had been urged
by the Hon. and Learned Gentleman who had been heard at
tha Bar, and nothing had been suggested by him as an equi-
valent, except that be asked them again to call together the
Assembly, who had been three several times convened, and
who :sad most unequivocally declared that they would never
dieharge their duties as one branch of the Legislature till the
Government had complied with all their demands. The Bill
now proposed was only a temporary measure, rendered ne-
cessary by the emergencies of the times, and he (Sir G. Grey)
entertained a hope, which amounted almost to a certainty, that
this measure, in the hands of the Earl of Durham, coupled
with the general instructions upon other points which he knew
he had received, would effect the object so inueh desired. that
all past differences would be buried in entire oblivion, and that
all parties iu the colony would concur in establishing a firm, a
reasonable, a stable, and a liberal form of government, which
would not only cement the connection between this country
and the colony, but would also render the Canaries prosperous,
and the people contented and happy ; and he trusted that long
before the period limited by this Act, his hopes being fully
realised, her Majesty in Council would be able to avail herself
o fthe power contain( d in this Bill to shorten its duration, with
advantage to all parties, and to call together, under better
auspices than had of late prevailed, the ordinary colonial legis-
lature. Reference had bee:a made by the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman to some points in which he asserted the
Legislative Assembly had been wronged by the Executive
Government. He had said that money was the only object of
the Governor, that no redress was afforded, and that in every
other respect, except the attempt to get at the supplies, he
had made long and useless delays. The Learned Gentle-
man particularly complained of- the delay which had
taken place in adding to the Legislative Council the
names of Members of a more liberal character than had here-
tofore been selected, and who possossed greater confidence
with the Legislative Assembly ; but he (Sir G. Grey)
thought that the papers on the table of the House afforded
full reason for the short delay which had taken place ; and by
a perusal of those papers it would be found that Lord Gosford
had in June last year, after the most mature deliberation, sent
home a list of men whom he bad selected as fit to fill the im-
portant office, not indeed of men who were pledged strongly
to any line of political conduct either on one side or the other,
but men entitled from their character and station, and, above
ell, their moderation, to the confidence of the country ; and
he must candidly confess that the spirit in which those names
had been received was such as to afford him no hope•that if
the selection had been made, the list had been forwarded, and
the persons appointed at an earlier period, this increased cele-
rity would have removed any of the evils which had been com-
plained of, or would have produced any quicker reconciliation
between the two branches of the Legislature. For had not Hon.
Members heard, even in that House, men who did form part
of the extreme party in Canada, and who did not go to the full
extent of the views of the Assembly, designated as worse than
the most violent of the Canadian party ? Was there any
disposition to give credit for liberality to any other in that
colony than men who bad looked not to the attainment of
an effective Reform, such as the Imperial Parliament had
agreed to, and was more than once pledged to grant, but
ing au
produce
establish
inconsistent eti
Electiveieat raiittli IdolLetnlligbenneitstedlwr:etenist. lee:
of Great Britain and of Canada. Allusion had also been
made to acts which bad taken place since the passing of the
resolutions, and the Learned Gentleman had quoted extracts
from papers published iii America, and by the more violent
party in the colony itself, and he had proved, or endeavoured
—for he (Sir G. Grey) trusted that he had not succeeded in
his atten:pt—to fix a stigma on her Majesty's Government,
and. a stigma on the Gallant Officer commanding in Lower
Canada, on account of the supposed conduct of the troops,
an insinuation which at no time ought to be allowed to be
made in that House, either by a Member or at the Bar, ex-
cept it were intended to support the charge by proofs, and
unless thervse.esi Ng-ahstsothmaen oatahoeirvfnolulnudsatnieonwsiomnpetrvbpicalriagitraprhess‘t_ed
(orldemaro,rehear, hear.) He would ask whether the persons who
made the statements were prepared to prove that villages had
been burned, that houses had been sacked, and the mysterious
allusion to all those other outrages usually perpetrated by an
excited soldiery in a state of war? If they were prepared
with such proof, he hoped that they would not delay in bring-
. sit forward ; but iii the mean time he must express his utter
inn
disbelief in the statement, and he thought that, from the elm-
the troop's, he might safely
assert that there were no grounds for the statement. The
Hon. and Learned Gentleman had also to-night, and the
Honourable Member for Kilkenny had, on a former occasion,
alluded in severe terms to di.. conduct of Lord Gosford with
respect to the selection of the Magistrates, who were said to
hare been chosen solely from one violent political party, and
ato carry into effect the de-
termination of the Governor with respect to the State prose-
cutions. Now, though he had not before him the names in
beent dismissed, nor of those
d
had boen. appointed, as moved for by the Honourable
)it'ar'(lnmvhe..; oguchti
bornic'eic'hoinlrcilafifld°,voaftiNeloi°a.. amm:reni n'id;aabdlK:tog—eittffi,oeie'lshi‘nr colony—measures
nctil who
ireceoanaratai colony,t
pisiniseilal:ueceys 'btord()ooilimyrn'iul teoia'aeho°' d'ldarsfie' li'onki:d't:rdreliodimefil Ygge,
cer
on
nenight,tra,n yetg a characterliere port
thought
ort
ifromlimight
t thattibi co
list
l
gsollZned fraiosnm3d7tl:seo(ll,ii,siptaotre_lGiees.nel:ailLs orredmGecotsifoigrd'tshdeispateli,
proceedingsdated
iANetostyht;en2lde2Yi'strict of Montreal, it is said, " our undivided atten-
tion has been devoted to the attainment of such evidence as
would authorise the arrest of those political incendiaries to
whose machinations the present alarming state of this city and
district is to,,bezttributede Having at length accomplished
this important object, by the assistance. of Messrs. Cuvillier
and Penn, two of the magistrates of
sic contained in ;
therein,chem ittoum oaetrtrenrdaotnhntteoes
hi
weoure
eieepi
treasonsiEnsuitloegetadlibiiitfssalotini aradtegm(tlo:tahnul
against
sitri
itrsceyattlrpii
depositions and accompanying documents were submitted, with
of
apprehension." :Petrel against whom the denunciations
dilbtaleebdoeinntey
company
Hikv
nice:
iliewymhant
solyi
eobwnehicatandopf tlrey.
be
}tadplfil.ili)oei
inp dce"esaTs'aotesarf
twoesraeciltiamenetalesadretos
as
l',l'eilson; there was not the slightest evidence to prove that he
ever
awrsiseliietds to this
advocated, or the improvements in time government for which
he had ever contended; but finding that the leaders of the
people were going beyond what his sentiments had bean, he
had not gone along with them, and notwithstanding his former
agency on the part of the Assembly, ho Was equally attached
to the freedom of the people, and so stand by the Govern,
molt in all attempts at insurrection and revolt. lie (Sir G.
Grey) was sure that Lord Gosford's conduct would bear the
strictest investigation. Honourable Gentleman had, indeed,
brought no direct charge against him, but bad contented them-
selves with dealing in general allegations against him in every
case except the last ; and though there were at pws,-ent no doe'
eurrients relating to this charge to
..vhich reference could be
made, yet as far as the evidence want there appeared the most
perfect exculpation.--a(Hear, hear.) There was one other
statement of the Honourable and Learned Gentlemen which he
could not allow to pass unnoticed. He heat eepeated what had
been before explaiued, and he (Sir 0. Grey) thought that
after the contradiction which had been given, the misleatation
he would pat call jt hey the harsher name of etale,able ignorance
of facts, smeht n
qt to have been repeated. In Colonel We-
therell's report„ dated from St. Chales, 27th Nov., were .
contained these words, " I burnt the barn ;" and in this pas-
sage, to make up the forced construction c( the Ho
nourable and Learned Gentlemen, the \roads " with all the
individuals in it" were inteepeloted ; and hence the assumed
wanton destreetims of linmen lifts. It was not Cyst that those
m
stateents ,
Torte W. the oountry, the real facts
should be looked te, for it would be found that at the moment
when tea tea halal was burnt there was no allegation of there teeing
any person in it. Colonel Whetherall had been el; eely before
fired at from the very barn, while his trop be tesee draW.kng up.
but it did not appea. that_ eV P.P-c=.oo. awe absolutely within
the buildincr
et the time et. ita* being destroyed. The destruc-
tion of the barn was necessary, and only in accordance with
the practice universally adopted under such circumstances.
( Hear, hear,) He would ask the Honourable Member (Mr
Leader), who was present at the meeting at the Crown and
Anchor Tavern, whether jt was fair that these statements
should be made, which wee well'anowe.ceeld not be proved ?
—O-164r; Was• only anxious that the real facts

should be known—that they should be known as Ss idely
as possible, and he was the more anxious because he was
satisfied that it would be seen, on the real circumstances
being published, that the Ministers had not departed from a
wise and temperate mode of government, but that they had
acted only in the discharge of their duty, awl had only adopted
a course to which they were driven by the exigencies of the
times. It was a duty, however, most distreasing to them, end
One which he hoped would be discharged with temper and
judginent, and he felt confident that in these anticipations he
would not be disappointed, but that the Noble Lord who was
about to proceed to Canada, would conciliate the people so
far as his office and the state of the times would permit, and
that that course would taken which would be best adapted to
securing the happiness of the people and the re-establishment
of their affections towards this country.—( Hear.) [The Hon
Gentleman during his address to the House was frequently in-
audible in the gallery.]
Lord FRANCIS EGERTON gave his support on the
ground stated by the Hon. Member who had spoken last—on
the ground of the necessity of tie case, without any party pus-
pose or part! view, and sfonpinrs only to look at ths difficulties
in which this country and Canadar were entangled. From the
statements which had gone forth lie was most anxious to in-
quire whether it was any recent conduct of Ministers to which
the present state of affairs was to be attributed; but he mast
say that if he looked for reasons to support that proposition he
should not be at a loss to find them in the papers which had
been laid before the House, but on the contrary there were
passages in some of them which would lead him to entertain
that opinion. He would take the liberty of illustrating his
argument by referring to one or two passages which he
found in the documents, and which appeared to support this
view of the case. The first passage was in a correspondence
which took place between Lord Gosford and the Noble Lord
the Secretary for the. Colonies, in which the latter professed
to account for the delay which had taken place with regard to
the legislation promised in the resolutions passed in that House,
a delay which had given very little satisfaction in the colony.
The Noble Lord said, that much as he had always lamented the
necessity of adopting measures of a harsh or coercive nature, he
at the present moment felt peculiar reluctance in adverting to
that course, regretting, as he did, that almost the first lima-.
sure of the present Queen should carry with it the appear-
ance of harshness towards any of her Majesty's subjects.'
It appeared to him (Lord Francis Egerton) that no offi-
cial correspondence presented a parallel :passage, containing
so much of sickly and ill-timed sentimentality as this,
What a strange comment would it appear on the memory of
oar late lamented Sovereign, and what an ill-timed compli-
ment was it to the young Sovereign who had recently as-
cended the throne of this realm I For the memory of his
late Majesty there was no regard—no respect ; lie must be al-
lowed to go down to the grave with the unfavourable impress
sion against him of coercive measures haying been adopted by
him, a circumstance which would cover his name and memory
with obloquy. Such passages as this did more credit to the
injustice, than to the justice or the good sense of the Noble
Lord.--( Hear.) There was another passage which had to-
tracted his attention with reference to the recall of Lord Cos.
ford :—Sir Francis Head, it appeared, was recalled—it was
not known why. It seemed that there was some difference of
opinion existing with regard to that gentleman ; but so far as
he could judge from the papers, it appeared to him that he had
conducted the affairs of Upper Canada with peculiar tact.—
( Hear, hear.) Sir. John Colborne had been also Governor, and
uncles his management the affiirs had been well conducted, but
he, top, had been recalled—of the reason why, every one was
its dirk ignorance. He was recalled, however, and it was not
for him to say that there was not some good reason for that
course being taken. That Lord Gosford should himself
desire to be recalled was natural, from all the circum-
stances ; his demand or request that he should be recalled
might be consistent with the credit given to him by the Go-
vernment, and to which he (Lord F. Egerton) was ready to
subscribe ; therefore, if he had stated that the reason of his
wishing to retire was " The storm is gathering round me, I
do not like to remain, relieve me, and appoint a successor,"
nothing would have been more fair or more proper. But it
was on the reasons given by him, but which were of a far dif-
ferent nature, that he must decline to give his assent to that
part of the proceeding. He said, "My situation now is not
an enviable one, and on every Frivate consideration I should
be glad to relinquish it; it would be better, besides, to have
some one in my place who had not avowed his wish and deter-
mination to carry on the Government on the principle of re-
conciliation." He had been led to suppose that the most use-
ful agent who could he employed in a task of necessary or jtis-
tillable coercion, was one who had exhausted every weapon of
remonstrance, conciliation, or peace.—( Hear, hear, hear.)
It was to this very strange observation of Lord Gosford that
he desired to express his dissent, and as it appeared to have
been written not without consideration, lie must be allowed
to express his surprise at the sentiment expressed. Lord
Glenelg, in answer to this, wrote, " It is impossible not to see
that the course of policy now to be pursued will be best fol-
lowed out by yourself in the matter of conciliation." Did lie
not see that he was writing down the course which lie him-
self proposed._-( Hear, hear.) What had been his course
but conciliation? He (Lord F. Egerton) wondered that the
Noble Lord had not advised Lord Gosford to withdraw his
dispatch, or that he had himself presented it to the public, for
how could Lord Gosford know who would be sent out as his
successor ? whether it was to be a man such as Lord Durham,
or one who would have no care for the interests or the feelings
of the people,? He did not:urge these recta with the view to
impugning in any degree the credit to be given to Lord Goa-
ford in the execution of his duty, and which he was willing to
give him to the fullest extent. Ile knew Lord Gosford well,
and was willing to believe that he had done justice to all.
Among other matters referred to in the dispatches the sins of
omission had been much remarked upon, and it was said that
there were many gaps or intervals which ought to be filled up.
Certainly, on looking at the papers, it might be supposed that
there were some portions of the dispatches which had been
kept back ; but lie was informed that everything of importance
had been brought forward ; and he did not feel himself entitled
to take any liberties with the name of the Noble Lord in this
respect, as other Members had already done. He had been
told that an amnesty which had been carried into effect had
been mentioned to the House, and it had been received as re-
commending, it' not the policy of conciliation itself, at all
events the conduct of Ministers ; but if the Bill should tend
at all to take away the power w hich the Government at pre-
sent possessed in this respect, and which lie believed to be
most useful in recalling the misguided people to their alle-
giance, or if it be referred to any particular individual, be
should oppose it to the utmost. The House was told that few
insurrections had, in some points of view, less excuse than the
present. In spite of what had been said at the bar of the
House and elsewhere, he must confess that be believed that
there was much truth in this assertion, and that few measures
of great importance of an insurrectionary character had had
less ground. At the same time he thought that en other
newts of view few insurrections had been TiVITt3 excusable,
because few ever received greater encouragement from this
country—from the speeches made in this House.—(hear.)
He would not go into them, for it was the duty of the Go-
vernment to suppress sedition—(Hear, hear)—it was the duty
of the Attorney-General to take up the prosecution of any in-
dividual whose speeches were treasonable. or seditious, and he
did not choose further to refer to sueh speeches, made in that
or elsewhere.—( Hear, hear.) But the opinions advocated in
those speeches had been such as to convince the misguided.
people of Canada, who knew little of the real state of feeling
in this country, that however extrome their views might be—
( Hear hear)—even if they should extend to the separationof
the colony from this country, thought they should go the length
of what the law called treason, yet that they would meet with
.1
a powerful sympathy from a powerful party in this country.
It was not supprising that they should place great reliance on
the power of that party, seeing the position in which it
stood ; that it existed not " in," but " over" the Government ;
that it was one on which the Government very much depended -
for its existence, and to which therefore, the Government must
be very subservient.—( Ilear, hoar.) The party was one which
the Government might resist on one question ; but mark the
consequences—they must conciliate it, by making some
sacrifice to it on another.—(Elear. hear.) The people were
told this, and was it to be wondered at that they should adopt
the supposition ? or was it likely that they, on the other hand,
would imagine that the Government was opposed to them,
and that with the assistance of the Opposition, that Opposition
on whose support they could always depend when any
question affecting the true well-being of the Consti-
tution was to be considered, they would pass a measure such as
that before the House ?—( Cheers.) They were told to look
at the tests of the feelings of the people which the elections
afforded. The real feelings of the country might be against
them, but there were events which passed which induced the
Canadians to suppose differently, for there had been a wailing
over the defeat of Baal ; and a triumph over the success of
Westminster.—( Dear, and a laugh,) They might be told to
ask where the influence of Ministers, where the influence of
the Crown had been given, and they would flail that the very
principles which they -themselves advocated were now supported
by the very mon to whom that inilue.nee had been extended.—
( Hear.) Under such eircumstaneea he could not call down the
penalties of treason on those who had been misled, seeing
that they had been misled by those very persons whom pecu-
Hedy Govermrseut had no:iced.—(Cheera.) The transactions
connected with the revolt afforded additional proof of the
utility eta small body of troops in Canada.:.., He was sure that
no other country in the world would have attempted to put
down such a revolt with so small a number -oi inenoind he did
hope .that in ales event of any measure being hereafter brought
forward i,i the House for the purpose of altering the present
p.vulations of the army that tionoureble Members would pause
before they gave their assent to it. To return to the Bill
itself, there were many provisions in it to which objections
might lad takers, but he thought it would be prematurOo en-
ter into the consideration of them before the Bill sheeld'come
fairly before the Committee, and any observation on tail point
he should, then ore, reserve until a metre fitting opportunity
presented itself.
Mr. LEADER then addressed the House—lle said that
after the admirable speech made at the Bar it was almost un-
necessary for any Member to make any observations in oppo-
sition to the Bill. He, however, felt called upon to address
some remarks to the House iu answer to the speeches just
delivered. He could twat help feeling that it was a most
painful and diskgreOa.ble. subject to follow the lion. Baronet
threugh the, details of his speech ; and here he would at once"
remark as to the charge: inside by Mr. Roebuck with reassect
to the tecatment .of the people of Canada by the ssalaLers a that
Learned Gentleman had good authority fear asserting that
great severities and injuries had Veen committed by the
troops both at St. Denis end St. 'Charles,, and he was justi-
fied in saying that they had been guilty c‘, 1 excesses in Ca-
nada. 4,4 it` they tan; been. o
a
ese-s, 4 u enemy's country ; for
they net only burnt thse fortified houses, hilt they also
sacked and burned ether houses in those villages. The
Hon. l3aronet said that the assertions of Mr, Roebuck
wa. this subject were exaggerated, and that Mr. Roebuck had
made his statements on the authority of paragraphs in

American newspapers. Now he (Mr. Leader) could state
that this was not the case, but that the sta'ernetit was made on
the authority of a gentleman who arrived from Canada by the
list New Ysrk packet, namely, the We. tmiaster. He had
himself heard that genthysian, who was an Englishman, and
had nor hing to do with what the lion. Baronet called the
tie lsonable practices that had taken place in Canada,—
( Hear, bear. ) He could not undeastand that cheer ; hut he
was satisfied Oat many Canadians were eltarg:.nl with treasons
ab'e practices who were guilty of nothing of the kind, and it
was rather hard to call thorn by such names before they were
proved to be
guilty.lie had heard the gentleman to whom
he alluded make the statement almost in the same words aid
had been used by Mr. Roebuck as to the Tillage of St. Dania
and St. Charles hat isg been burned and sacked. He nada hot's+,
ever, eridencu on this point which would be considered better
an.: of more weight by Han. Gentlemen, lie %rebid rder tilt)
lion. Baronet to this better evidence, narnstly, the dispo.teltes
of the Governsr of Canada arid the military Officers who wrri
elgaged, and from them he would prove thet an unneomOry
degree of harchnsis and severity hit been used, and that the
property of Cenlatills had been wantonly destroyed. Thos
troops not only destroyed the stronghold of the insurgentn,
but also the houses and property of persons who sided with
the House of Assembly.—( Hear, and Oh 1)
epented.
it was merely for siding with the House of
.A.-ssembly that
they ha I had their property destroyc.d. tthe dispatch of
Colonel Wetherell. dated St. ChArle9, the 22d of November,
he says, " I then advanced t 0 lstiother position 100 yards
from the works, but finding defenders obstinate, I stormed
and cartied them, burn;sog every building within the
.stoc-
kade except that tit the Honourable Mr. Debartsch;" and the
llsuse will hardly believe what is the fact, that the house of
2,/r. Debartsch is the strongest house in the village, and that
was not destroyed, because the owner of it was a member
of the Luiistative Council, and a supporter of the Govern-
ment.—( Hear, hear. ) It seemed then that this property was
not destroyed, not because it did not afford protection to the
insurgents from the fire of the troops, but because it be_
-
longe-d to a person attached to the Government—it was saved
from destruction when other houses not nearly so strong were
destroyed, because it belonged to a partisan of the Govern-
nient. There was also a paragraph in the dispatch of
Colonel Gore which was confirmatory of this : he says,
" the property of the rebel Wolfred Nelson was, in the
course of,the day and the next morning, destroyed, and also
the fortifiedhouse and all the defences." He recollected that
great blame was cast on himself and others for having stated
that it wss probable that the Lower Canadians would
confiscate the property of their opponents if their party
happened to be successful. It was said that observations of
that kind only encouraged thorn to confiscate the property
of their opponents ; but he had not alluded to it with
any such view, but only mentioned it as a probable event. If,
however, it was such a horrible thing even to allude to such a
thing as confiscation, how came it that the property of Wol-
Fred Nelson was destroyed, as well as all the other houses in
the village s___( Hear,. hear.) If they were anxious to u dewn this insurrection, and secure the peaceful Goverpn.t
cent of the country, the best tray to do so was by con-
ciliation, and not working on the feelings of the people of
Canada and by the destruct on of pt.( party. —( Hear, hear..)
The Hon. ierr'osr then proceeded as follows :—Before en-
terinsr on the merits the 1311 before us, it is necessary, for
the sake of doing justice to all parties concerned, that I ;tumid
say a few words as to the origin of the present deplorable con-
test in Lower Canada Throughout the discussion three
causes have been assigned by various parties for the discontent
and insurrection of the Canadians. First, the Noble Lord
and his friends on this side as on the other side of the House lay
much of the blame on the machinations of a few demagogues, who,
we are told in one speech, have agitated and disorganised and
inflamed to Revolutionary madness the whole Canadian popula-
tion, and who, we are told, in another speech, though very
anxious to cause contusion, have signally failed in their attempt,
being supported by only a small portion of ignorant and de-
luded peasantry in one or two districts. Leaving these contra-
dictory ststernents to be reconciled with each other, and with
the truth, I proceed to the second alleged cause of the insur-
rection. The Noble Lord solemnly arraigned the House of;
Assembly, and traced all the mischief to their conduct.
will not detain the House by defending their conduct; that talik
will, I trust, soon be performed by the man in this c.ountry
most capable of doing justice to it. But this I must say,
that from first to last the Assembly exercised a constitutional
right so-
lemnly guaranteed to them by this country. If blame, then, is to be
attached to army persons, it should lie attached to those who gave the As_
sembly a power which was not to be used--who put into the hands of
the Canadian representatives a weapon for using which in their own
defence you are now about to inflict punishment upon them. The third
alleged cause is that insisted on by the Gentleman opposite, namely, the
ilicompetence, vacillation, and procrastination of the present Ministers,
It is not necessary to stop to inquire into the exact proportion of the
mischief produced which should be attributed to each of these three
causes, nor to weigh nicely the exact amount of evil which shots/el in
strict justice be assigned to each, nor even whether one or even 'two of
them exist merely in the imagination of those who propound tl' em ; but
there is a fourth cause which I believe to be the real caus4 and origin of
all the discontent, and of tic consequent disturbance., and that is, the
Tory misguverinnent of the colony during more then twenty years. In
order to prove which I am the mare anxious to eemark on this period of
the misgovernment of Caneda, iu tionsequence of the praise bestowed by
my Hon. Friend the Member for London and by my lion. Friend the
Member for Kilkenny on the liberal dispatches and the liberal intentions
of Sir Gee. Murray amid Lord Aberdeen. It is very true that their dis-
patches contain an expression of liberal sentiments, and hold out a hope
that liber..l measures will he adopted ; but, unfortunately for the
Medians, these liberal views were never acted on, were never carried
into effect ; they had their beethining and their ending in time dispatches.
I refer to the debates which took placeoa the subject of Cauada in 1829,
1829, and 1930. I find. Sir J. Mackintosh, Mr. Labouchere, Mr.
Stanley (the Noble Lord now Member for North Lancashire), Lord
Seindon, Lord Howick, Mr. C. Grant (now Colonial Secretary), Lord
Altiiorp. Mr. Evelyn D,nison, Lord Milton, and Sir. Stuart Wortley,,
all cemnplaiiiieg of the misgovernment of Canada, and most of them(
strong y comicenning the Legislative Council, both for its composition.
ja,c,,neaonfLe:
and conduct. - I would also refer Members uiocciapr:s re.tcotf
facts to the evidence given by Mr. E. Ellice before the Committee of
1828. They will find him speaking of " along
ment and a constant attempt to reconcile contrsSictory principles in time
administration of affeirs in Canada ;" be evils which were
not
theoretical but practical, and w}eich fcrmed just ground of
complaint ;" " of taxes levied, against the wel of the House
of Assembly ;" of vexr.dsers dissolutions and prorogatiorse
of the Assembly ;" " of a trsrsenesance in measures illegal amid offensive
to the rights and feelings. of the people ;•• " of the French and English
population having be ,n almost brought into collision, and a wider sepa-
ration between th,...m in opinion on all matters of internal Government
and Le.gislatiee having been rather encouraged than checked.'^ The* and many riore grave charges are brought against the Government ill
his evid'ence, which is indee-i one of the best exposures on record of the
m!sg`./vernment of Canada by the Tories. From the documents to which
1 nave referred it is evident that the grievances which had been experi-
enced in Canada as early as 1820, which reached ttris country and
excited the attention of seine members of this Hcuse, and caused a
Committee of Inquiry iii 1823, were, though ackneawledged, unredresseet
in 1830—the revenues of the province plundeeed—its treasury bankrupt
—its suitors robbed—the constitutional 'lents of the people disregarded
—one portion of the Legislature (that which was nominated by the
Crown) allowed by every one to lse utterly unfit for the Govern-
ment of the country—time most arbitrary nets perpetrated by the Go-
vernor. These were the grievances of Tory domination—these were
the wrongs of Tory misrule. But it may be said as against time CATia-
dians, that when the Whigs came into office they, by the wisdom and
prudence of their views, and by the decision with which they carried
their views into effect, completely repaired all time errors of their pre-
decessors, and by a coarse of wise conciliation, united with a lirm adlie_
relict, to the real interests both of England and Canada, soon settled the
differences and removed the rancorous feelings which Tory mismanage.
ment had produced. It has, indeed, been boldly asserted by time friends
of the present Government that all the grievances of the Canadians
have been redressed. 1 must, however, first remark that grievances
which in 1820 might easily have been redressed, had in 1828 become
more corm heated, and in 1831 greater concessions were required to
compensate for long.continued wrongs. In 1828 the recommenda.
tion of the Committee would have been gladly accepted. The Noble
Lord had himself told us that the Canadians styled it " an im.
perishable monument of the wisdom and justice of Parliament."
It is a pity that it was not carried into effect. In the year 1831 a
greater measure of concession was wished for, as the delay of justice
hat increased the apprehensions of the people, and caused them to de-
mand greater securities for good Government. If, therefore, the tie.
mantis of the Canadians have gone on increasing, the blame rests not
on them, but on those who permitted acknowledged abuses to continue
in existence. The conduct of the Tory party had tended to produce
in the minds of the snore reflecting of our North American subjects a
conviction that it was impossible for the mother country to govern
wisely and well a powerful anti distant colony whose interests were
most complicated. Moreover, they began to perceive that, unacs
quainted as the people of this country must be with those interests,
and uninterested likewise as they must feel in the internal concerns
of distant dependencies, it was impossible to enforce anything
like effective responsibility on the home Government of the colonies;,
and that when responsibility was wanting the experience of all
ages proved that abuses wou:d exist, and though acknowledged,
remain ttoredressed; and of the truth of these positions they had a
grievous practical proof- in the violence of Sir James Craig, in the arbi-
trary conduct of Lord Dalhousie, and in the policy of the
Office during a long series of years. With these feelings the Canadian&
increased their demands for local powers, convinced that the only
chance of good Government consisted in the greatest amount of self-
, government, and in the greatest amount of independence of this
country whic:i was consistent with the supremacy of Great, Beit,nse
for as yet they had no desire to shake off our yoke.. It must be
allowed, therefore, that the position of the Whigs when they came into
power was a far more difficult one than that of their predecessors at the
commencement cr at any other period of the dispute. But I ask, have
they in any way shown themselves equal to the task, or even attempted
to overcome the difficulties of their position p Have they even actions-
plished the recommendation of the Committee of 1828. I will answer th, last question in the words of their own Commissioners, who made a rc.pert
in 1837, 'the great grievance, and one which originated other grievarce,
was the composition and conduct and political character of the Legisla-
tive Council. This body had been condemned, as I have shown, by men
of all parties from 1828 to-this time, and the Committee of 1828 had
recommended a great alteration in its composition. An alteration was
indeed made in it in 1832 by the judges ceasing to take part in Its pro
ceedings, and by the addition of thirteen new members unconnected
with the Gov.erninent. HoW, in the first place, was this alteration, and
how were the new appointments, received by the Assembly? Their roc
ception may be gathered from the 92 resolutions of 1834, and partieu_
larly from the '24th, which says, " Such of the recently appointed COustt
suitors as were tal;en from the majority of time Assembly, and had enter-
tained the hope that a sufficient number of independent men, holdin:
opinions in unison with those of the majority of the people and of the c
representatiVes, would be associa' ed with them, must now ft:el that they
are overwhelmed by a majority hostile to the country." It was the
political character of the Legislative Council which induced it to
Oppose the Assembly, to reject all measutes even fur education'
and annual supply voted by the Assembly, It was the political
character whi.bh caused the chid part of its evil, and which re.
quired abave all an alteration, But your 04'11 Commissioners tell
yn..l that object was not etfeeted in 1837, though recommended
in
11828. The fact is, gust altering the Legislative Council you kept
the word of preet'ese to time ear, arid broke it to the sense ; and atter
your aftereVien the Legislative Council was as hostile to the Assembly,
at es great an obstacle to all useful and even necessary legislation, as
I when denoucced by M. Laboucherce in 1828, or by Lord Sandon in
1830. But have the Whigs shown themselves equal to the difficult
task of arratigisee tyke disputes, and smoothing the asperities caused by
tae lung eelsgoveetunent of their predecessors I' To that question there
its sect but a significant answer--Canada has revolted. The Whigs.
have clone positively nothing to overcome the many and great obstacles
that stood in the way of a peaceable settlement of Canadian differences.
They promised much—they talked of infusing a liberal spirit into Use
Legislative Council—they sent out a COallniSiioll to inquire into grit/.