The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-18 00:00:00

If there was anything in the course about to be taken by the
Government upon which he was especially doubtful, it was that
—it was whether the course they were taking in proposing to sus-
pend the Constitution of 17g1 would not seriously dissatisfy
that party. They were petitioners in 1825, and they continued
until a late period attached to those very individuals who had
thought proper, at a later period, to take a more violent course.
They were bound to the cause of the more violent petitioners,
and he thought it would dissatisfy that party if they now sus-
pended altogether the Constitution of 1791. He put it to the
good sense of the House, whether they were not likely to estrange
from them that moderate but liberal party, of whom great
numbers existed in Canada. He thought that in treating
with the inhabitants of the province of Lower Canada, they
ought not to put them precisely in the position in which
the inhabitants of a mere colony ought to stand. They should
recollect that their title to Lower Canada was founded
on a capitulation which had taken place in the year 1763.
By the capitulation of 1763, this country granted to the in-
habitants of Lower Canada all the privileges and immunities
which any individual or corporation then in the Colony was
entitled to. He did not mean to include among them any of
those privileges and immunities which they derived from the Acts
of the Legislature at a later period. From the observations
of the Noble Lord, he found that allusion had been made with
reference to the state of the inhabitants of Lower Canada,
as growing out of their race or religion.—( Hear, hear.)
He did not mean to say, that it was the intention of
her Majesty's Government to invade any of the privileges
that had been secured to the French Canadians by the capi-
tulation of 1763 ; he only mentioned it for the purpose of
forcing the Government to take care that faith was kept with
the French Canadians. No privileges which they enjoyed
ought to be invaded by any new Constitution.—( Cries
of " Hear, hear, hear.") He could not but think that
injustice had been done to the popular party in Canada, in
dwelling upon the important stress they laid upon keeping- up
their feudal rights. If he had any knowledge of what had
taken place in Canada during the last 13 or 14 years, the
French Canadians had been most anxious to commute the seig-
norial right, if that could be done upon terms advantageous
to the holders. The French Canadians had been among the
♦ery first to propose the introduction of a Bill for the commu-
tation of those rights, if any encouragement should be given
to such a measure by the Legislative Council. Loud cries
of Hear, hear.) He thought that in discussing the
conduct of the Liberal party in Canada, they ought
not to do them the injustice of saying that they were opposed
to the commutation of those rights. He thought, above all,
in any measure to be introduced with respect to Canada,
the feelings of the Liberal party who had remained
true to the British Crown should be considered.
The course which he (Mr. Warburton) would advise his
friends to take on the present occasion, in consequence
of ,the declarations of the Government in favour of an am-

nesty, and in order that they might observe not only calmness
and moderation—but the utmost appearance of calmness and
temper in the manner in which they received the proposi-
tion of the Government—was not to divide on the question
in this stage of the Bill, but to allow it to be produced
and read, so that they might have the opportunity of considering
its provisions before they divided against it. He thought that
in that course they would best observe the moderation
which became them in the discussion of so important
a subject, and which especially became them as the friends of
Canada in the present conjuncture.—( Hear, hear.) He
had risen for the purpose, not of stating all his
views on the subject, but of setting himself right
against the misrepresentations which had been made
respecting what fell from him in the discussion of the state of
Canada shortly before the late holidays. The advice which
he then gave, and the advice which he wail now prepared to
give her Majesty's Government on the subject of their
Cclonial affairs in North America was—Suppose the
insurrection were so violent and sc.. sly spread that it
could not be completely put down wit ut an exterminat-
ing war—and he was glad to hear : it it was not so—
if it were so, he (Mr. W.) should adv' that the colonies be
emancipated. He would not now enter i o a full discussion of
his reasons for this advice, but would L irepared to do so on
Monday next. Admitting—what he was is tppy to think was the
case—that the revolt was not very aide!. spread, and that her
Majesty's troops, aided by the well die used in the Colony,
would be able shortly to put it down—(l leas, hear)—and thus
give Parliament breathing time to con rider what measures
should be adopted with regard to that Colony—the advice
which he would still offer to them was, •‘ Emancipate
the Colonies." He did not give this advice on the ground—
as had been represented by the Right Hon. Member for Tam-
worth—that a Colony had rebelled—but upon the ground that
he believed such a course would be alike beneficial to
the Mother Country and to the Colonies.—( Hear, hear.)
It was nst as a money question that this subject ought to be
discussed, but it ought to be taken up on the greatest and
widest national views. One of the evils of the course
that had hitherto been taken with respect to Canada,
according to his view of the subject, was that such
a spirit of disaffection existed towards the mother country
that the North American Colonies would be driven into the
arms of the United States, or that they would be driven
to insurrection—so that they would become parts and pro-
vincos of the United States—( Hear, hear,)—or such a
feeling of interest would be excited on the part of
the colonists that a party in the United States would be pre-
pared to support them in their insurrection—such a feeling of
disaffection would be raised that they would be united more
strongly to the United States than any course of action that
could be taken by the Colonists themselves would give rise to.
He must say, that in the observations which had fallen
from Members on both sides of the House, it appeared
to him to be admitted; that when a Colony had arrived at
a certain state of strength and manhood, it was inevitable
that the Colony should become emancipated. The Noble
Lord had acknowledged that truism, and had said that the only
question was one of time--( Hear.) Let him look at
the history of the United States—the warm feelings which
existed it, that then Colony, previous to the war of 1762—1 et
him look at the support which they gave to the mother coun-
try against the French Canadians in that year—let him look
at the shortness of the period which elapsed between those
warm feelings and the time of their emancipation—and then
let him not consider that the emancipation of these
colonies is a matter which must be far off—let
him not defer the consideration of that emancipation until
the demand for it has become irresistible—let him ra-
ther, a ith the far-sightedness of a Statesman, prepare for that
emancipation. Let him take such measures, that when it does
take place, it shall be brought about, not only with the least
quantity of evil, but with the greatest good for both countries.
However disposed he was to admire both the form of Govern-
ment, and the wiidom of the Government of the United States
of America, yet he must say that if there was one thing which
every state in the world ought to apprehend more than another,
it was this, that a country, whether its form of Government
was aristocratic or democratic, should become so powerful
as to cause apprehension to every other country. That which
ought to be the consideration of every statesman was this, that
emancipation was just as natural an event in the history of a
country as justice was in the history of an individual. What
tkis country ought to provide for was, to make such a timely
separation of the Colonies of Canada, New Brunswick, and
Nova Scotia, from the mother country, as that they would not
fall separately to the United States, and thus raise a confe-
deracy of three, to counterbalance the overgrown strength
which the United States would obtain if these Colonies were
driven by force to unite themselves with them.—( Hear, hear.)
He, therefore, hoped that in the measure which was under the
consideration of her Majesty's Government, and which was to
be proposed to that House, measures would be taken that
would conduce to an amicable separation at no very distant
period, and to erect them into an indepeadant confederacy,
calculated to balance the enormous power of the United
States. This was a consideration well worthy of the states-
men of a great country like the parent, looking forward as
that statesmen ought to do, to the separation. He begged
now to call the attention of the House to that which was laid
down as the necessary condition of preserving Canada as a
colony to the mother country. That which the Colonists had
above all things put in the foremost rank was, their desire that
the government of the Colonies should be made responsible.
They asked in Upper Canada, what was the ground of dis-
missing the three gentlemen of the popular party that Sir
Francis Head proposed to call into his council. The three
gentlemen of the popular party desired either that they might
be responsible Ministers, or if they were not to be responsible
Ministers, that the Legislature might understand that it was
not they who shared the responsibility with the Government,
but that it was the Governor himself who was responsible for
all his measures. What did they find in the Report of the
Commissioners on the affairs of Canada? Why, they stated;that
it was inconsistent with the protection of the unity of a
colony with a parent Government to make the Members of the
for
gsohoedir
Gaeotvsertuomtheautpwopauslator
make the popular y amenable to the Executive
tnhc ai lt
the responsible
e c u ri
Assembly
Council. Looking at the great population of the Colony, its
Executive
s,gm b iy,
bCuotu
d •of separation from the mother
country come when the desire
great strength and rapid increase, he would say that the period
country would be so strong that it would bo impossible mush
maintain it. It was the business of a wise state in
such
circumstances to take tills by the forelock, and lead thou
longer to
from a state of rebellion to a state of tranquillity and good
order. He hoped such would be the measures the present
Government. would have to propose whenever the Constitution
em Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and their other
Colonies, of these Colonies was to be finally settled. Let that Constitu-
tionbrace
and thus lay the foundation of the great confedera-
tioito ie
which he bad already alluded.
G.
CAYL E Y felt bound to award to her Majesty's
for the
Government his full degree of praise and admiration, not only
Sir confedera-
tion
rline of conduct they had laid down for the present
emergency, but for that which had characterised their colonial
administration since their assumption of office. He main-
tained that the Canadas had no right whatever to complain
os
of neglect, for that all their grievances had been remedied
828 and that any which had since sprung up were under
up to 1 ,
the consideration of tho Government, and would, no doubt,
in time have met with redress. The French Canadians
assumed to themselves far more importance than they really
possessed ; and though in point of numbers they were in
a majority, they were greatly behind the English in re-
spect to wealth and stake in the country. Notwith-
standing what had been said in the speeches at the Crown
and Anchor, he did not believe that the people of Canada,
as a body, were favourable to the views of Papineau. It
was evident that the object of the leaders of Papineau's
party in the Legislative Assembly was not the redress of
grievances, but a separation from this country. The real
grievance to them was the rapid increase of British emi-
grants. lie perfectly agreed with the Honourable Member
for Bridport that, if it were a time for separation, the separa-
tion should be effected in such a manner as to secure to
this country all the benefits of a friendly intercourse with
the Canadians. But if they looked at the population of the
Canada!, and saw bow many British were there settled, it