The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-09 00:00:00

of the question of granting additional endowments to
the Church established by law.
There was also held a very numerous and influen-
tial meetin:z of the Scottish Central Board for Vin-
dicating the Rights of Dissenters, at which there
were present, besides the ordinary Members of
the Board, Deputations from all parts of Scot-
land. The speeches at this great meeting are
given at length by our Edinburgh Contemporary,
and we should have been happy, had our space allowed
us, to transfer entire to our columns,: the elo-
quent effusions of Dr. WARDLAW, Dr. HEUGII,
and other distinguished men among the Dissenters,
who took an active part in the proceedings of the
meeting. On these, as well as on the general merits
of the question at issue, we shall make a few obser-
vations to-morrow.

Our readers will find in another column a letter from
Mr. lluat E tr.in the subject of the civil war in Lower
Canada. The Hon. Member for Kilkenny, whose
opinions upon this subject are well known, seeks to
excuse the Canadian insurgents, whotn he represents
as having persevered, " with a degree of forbearance
and patience almost unexampled in seeking redress of
their grievances, but without effect"—adding that,
in his opinion, they would have persevered in a
constitutional course much longer but for Lord JOHN
RUSSELL'S ill-starred string of coercive resolutions.
We arc of the same opinion ; but we are not therefore
convinced that the insurrection in Canada was a jot the
more justifiable. Will the Hon. Gentleman undertake
to say that the Canadians had any grievances corn•
parable in magnitude and intensity with those of the
people of Ireland ? Will he take upon him to tell the
people of this country, that the patience of the Cana-
dians equals that of the people whom he himself so
well, and so worthily represents in the Imperial Par-
liament ? Mr. HUME quotes extracts from a debate on
the subject of a petition presented by him in the
House of Commons in 1828. We have read that de-
bate, and beg, in our turn, to quote an extract from
the speech of Mr. HusictssoN, then a member of
the Government, comprising, in a brief space, a tole-
rably correct epitome of the connection between Lower
Canada and this country :
" In contemplating the nature of the constitution pro-
vided for the Canadas, we must always bear in mind the great
and leading principle on which this country has ever acted in
regard to her political relations, both foreign and domestic—
I mean the maintenance of national honour and good faith.
In this case it is necessary for us to maintain the good faith
of the engagements entered into by this country with the
French settlers, who constituted the original population of
these colonies. By the Constitution given to the Canadas in
1791, the Legislature of England reserved to itself the
liberty to alter, vary, and amend the government of these
colonies as it might think proper. That Constitution
carries the principle of modification or repeal even
to the reserved lands allotted for the use and maintenance
of the established church in Canada. The Canadas were
ceded by France to England in 1763 in fully sovereignty,
without any stipulation or obligation whatever with respect
to the mode in which they were to he administered, as in the
case of a new conquest. The French grafted on the small
population of 65,000 inhabitants the whole of the feudal
system of France, as it existed in all its deformities in the
middle of the 17th century. The mother country grafted on
the other institutions a law of succession, not that of primo-
geniture, but a system denominated the Custom of Paris.'
The lords paramount held directly under the crown, and
granted portions of their land to their vassals. These seigno-
ries were divisible into the smallest fractions, so that cases
have occurred of the sale of 1-13th of a hundredth of a lord-
ship. Hence arose the most complicated system of tenures.
" Shortly after 1763 British laws were established in the Ca-
nadas, and the promise of a Legislative Assembly was held
out to them. In 1774, it appearing that the Canadians were
greatly attached to their original form of Government, and not
satisfied with that which had been more recently introduced, a
Bill was introduced, suggested by and in compliance with the
feelings of the Canadians, on the principle that French laws
were well adapted to their situation and circumstances. The
Bill re-established the French laws and customs as they re-
garded property and the system of civil law, including the
custom of Paris. By the same Act, the criminal law of Eng-
land was retained in Canada; which from 1774 was to be go-
verned by the civil law of France and the criminal code of Eng-
land. In 1774 another important Act provided, thsit all cus-
toms and duties heretofore imposed on the colonists by France,
and from the date of the conquest to that year payable to Eng-
land, should cease for ever. In lieu of these the Act appointed
easier duties, which were to be appropriated not to the advan-
tage of the mother country, but to the maintenance of the
civil administration of Canada. Thus was a maintenance
made for the support of the established religion in Canada.
In 1791 the Quebec Act was passed, giving to the Canadas
a popular representation. By one of the provisions of this
Act, the right and control over all imposts were vested in an
assembly to be so constituted. Under the Act of 1791, all
duties were to be imposed and appropriated as the Colonial
Legislature should determine. The Act provided that in Lower
Canada the Legislative Assembly should consist of not less
than 50 members, while in Upper Canada the minimum was
fixed at 15. The chief power of representation was unfortu-
nately thrown by the mode in which this Act was executed,
into the hands of the seignories, the English settlers being
excluded from a fair participation in what ought to be popular
representation. The taxes imposed in 1774, in lieu of the old
French ones, which I may describe as the permanent revenue
of the Crown, amounting to about 35,0001. per annum. The
House of Assembly of Lower Canada now claimed the right
of appropriating the permanent revenue, item by item. On
the other part it is maintained, and, as it appears to me, in a
manner absolutely incontrovertible in law, that the Crown
possesses over this revenue a discretionary power as to the
proportions in which it is to be distributed. The House of
Assembly having the command of the large revenue of
140,0001 , refuse to appropriate unless the smaller and per-
manent revenue be equally placed at their disposal. This is
the contest between the Executive and Legislative body in
Lower Canada." ,

Mr. HUME will recollect that in February 1831,
another debate occurred on the grievances in Lower
Canada, when Lord HOWICK, then a member of the
Government, with a view of conciliating the House of
of Assembly, made the following concession to that
body :

" His Majesty's Government relied upon the good feeling
of the Legislative Assembly for a proper provision for con.
ducting the civil government of the colony. In that confi-
dence, the Ministers would leave the whole of the revenue at
the disposal of the House of Assembly. The revenue hitherto
levied by the Crown amounted to 32,000?., which it proposed
to give up, calling on the colony to provide a sort of Civil List
for seven years. The sum required by the Government would
be, for the Governor 5,2001., for the judicial establishments
11,1501., pensions and allowances 1,0001."
Now, it must not be forgotten, that the first of Lord
JOHN RUSSELL'S resolutions proves, that this con-
cession was never received, or that the compact implied
in it, was not observed by the House of Assembly
a proof that its deliberations were not directed by a
disinterested zea► for the welfare of the Canadians as
subjects of Great Britain. The resolution alluded
to affirms expressly :—.

That since the 31st of October, 1832, no provision has
been made by the Legislature of the province of Lower Ca-
nada for defraying the charges of the administration of justice,
and for the support of the civil government within the said
province, end that there will. on the 10th of April next, be
required for defraying in full the charges aforesaid to that day,
the sum of 142,1601. 14s. 6d.

We state the question in this form, that equal justice
may he rendered to all parties. We admit as readily
as can Mr. Hush, that the Canadians have
great grievances to complain of ; hut, as we have
already repeatedly stated, they are not such
as would justify them in appealing to pf►ysical force,
with a view to redress them. The Canadians were
not without powerful advocates in this country, and
had they only waited a little longer, measures would
have been taken to render them ample justice. In the
Hon. Member for Kilkenny they had a host far more
powerful than any that is likely to appear in arms
under the banner of M., PA PINEA U.

The " hard-hearted political economists" out of
their superabundant regard for the land owners, seem as de-
termined " to fight to the death" for the Corn Laws, as a few
rears ago they promised to do for the Ballot and " Household
'Suffrage."
THE IRON TRADE.—The demand for iron dur-
ing the last fortnight, has been extremely brisk, and there has
been some advance in prices. The present price of common
bars, is 9/. per ton, shipped at Cardiff or Newport.—Cardiff
Chronicle.

On Thursday week, the Unitarians of Stockton
held their congregational social meeting in the freemason's
lodge-room, on which occasion upwards of one hundred per-
sons sat down to tea. The evening was spent in a highly
agreable and appropriate manner, the proceedings of the meeting
being concluded by singing and prayer, and with impressing
on the hearts of the company, the lovliness of exercising peace
and goodwill to all men.—Shields Observer. ,