The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-16 00:00:00

18141, hear.) All this may be inevitable and highly
1
e4latitutional; but all this time the population of Upper
I,lllada is increasing in a ratio far beyond that of the
p:er province and all this time the feeling of yen-
Once created' by the conviction that they have been
treated by the Sovereign to whom they were
faithful and the country which they have served toe
will be acting upon those men.—(Hear, hear.)
e„Y°ll, then, what will be the situation of Lower
a",,aua when the wheel turns round, and when Upper
4-'414 will have that pre-eminence which you cannot
~ellev,ait them from obtaining.—obtaining.—(Bear.) It is all very
stab coming fozward and saying that the question at
Th e is the question of responsible governmenti
ttfese are empty phrases for debuting clubs an
Lbui boys, but they are not the language to be used
ti; Practical men—men who- are acquainted with
forth
details of public affairs; and are responsible
the policy- which they recommend—(Hear, hear)—
e,"s„y, that the situation of the two provinces according
tit'ue system now in operation, will lead not only to
~zi4ter feelings and violent opposition, but to bloodshed
0 danger far more terrible than any which has yet
icarree. Have you no remedy, however, for this?
t,e8,,; I maintain you have, and that remedy is given you
11,1 '4O Constitution. That remedy consists in a just,
ks°, and politic exercise of that power which you pos-
Is over two parties so circumstanced, and by such ex-
Nise You might ensure the prosperity of thht country,
44(1 th
vp„ e greatness and prosperity of sour own, and pee-
s those evils which you tell us this constitutional
e-ellae is projected to avert. Your course is impolitic,
pjeC
kit"' according to your own parallel cases. I take the
anee of Ireland, as introduced into this debate by the
fight
Member for Sheffield. I have contemplated what
4be the consequences of the repeal of the Legisla-
! between the two countries. No one can doubt that
the vast numerical majority, and with an extended
of ._chise, what would be the immediate effect in Ireland
:ech a scheme. With an absolute internal inde-
yni,teeee, there would be a party there who would
,to external independence also. You would re peir nt all the high places the members of the re-
16' Party, You would have a system of legislation
Cre which would not favour or discourage emigre-
rlo that would not disturb the balance in the sister
1:04/a„,1. No doubt the means used might be factious, but
be highly constitutional—(Hear)—and I have no
it would be impossible for us to interfere, much as
t:„'"ght sympathise with them. But suppose the repeal
ts,-:,,began to believe that it had been oppressed—sup-
fol.,' "ley said there are cases of men who have suffered
sttll''.--there have been our followers for whose descend-
kids we must do something—we must impose a rate in
,r 1 for instance, on Ulster, to compensate successors of
h,E,"'lnot or a Meagher.—(Hear, hear.) Now, from
ien")" WO have seen of another rate in aid, I can hardly,
eQ`'' 3"e that a proposition of this kind would be very ac-
Da-Ptabla__( Hear, hear.) But suppose the dominant
art). Were to call upon them to pour their troops into
bViistriet for the purpose of enforcing such. You
I,ieflt tell us, on constitutional maxims, that the opi-
-44;)f the majority was consulted. The Hon. Mein-
% '( e Northampton (Mr. V. Smith) might make an
aucl°,_tnt speech on the subject, and tell you that that
I a'sit,x.'o system of responsible government —(Hear)—but,
per Sou, would you not be destroying the empire, and
tie„_"'lng the kingdom?--( Hear.) I could go into the case of
eer,,,Yer Canada, as another precedent; but it is too late
to enter into those details.—(No, no.) Well, I shall
%qr.., into them very shortly.—(Cheers.) I am told by
'ight lion. Baronet the Member for Tamworth.
Ns° bee just addressed the House, that the word e loyal"
not inserted in the Bill relating to the case of
lAre: Canada. Now, what was the maim of that?
teeY' a very simple one, that there were no rebels in
loyal Canada.—(Hear.) The inhabitants there were all
.tod of the four or five cases which occurred there,
Sin' alt resolved themselves into commissariat returns.
dis ea this discussion commenced I have been shown a
ttPatl"3h from Sir J. Colborne, in which he lays it down
all l' the persons who supplied the troops with stores
al3tilaold .be compensated without reference to any. partici--
ceren the rebellion. And out of the five Lases oe
41'01114 in the upper province, four resolved themselves
ti/:,,a.see of commissiariat supplies. There was that dis-
a -4'; therefore, between the provinces. In fact, there
ere
dist, 110 rebels in Upper Canada; and in the Governor's
prev4teh retpecting the military force necessary to re-
pro s the disturbance, it appeared that the American
tee„P"' there were the only parties to be put down, and
1110`° Were no indigenous rebels. We have been told in
Piitue-°'ll.se of this discussion—in fact, considerable ern-
toe 318 has been laid en the assertion—that public opin-
-14,41 Canada has been demonstrated in favour of the
prestere in a most remarkable manner by the addresses
thsated to the Governor-General. Now, in my view
tend° ease we have nothing to do with this; but the
tve do who insist most upon this are those who say,
the, not want to have party politics introduced into
tete debate. Now, no sooner do they say this, than they
teidt to the addresses presented to the Governor-General
loes Which her Majesty's Ministers have with such sedu-
/ wee re placed upon the table of your House. Now, Sir,
the 'el:‘ these are points which have nothing to do with
to n.cluestion before us—(Hear, hear)—we have no right
toe into the details of those addresses, which those
TeellthiPs and localities have sent the Governor-General.
jest question we have to consider is, whether her Ma-
fo44,:shoulci be advised to exercise her constitutional
the-minns on account of extraordinary circumstances,
roes? being, in our opinion, the reward of men who have
%pled against the Government?—(Hear, hear.) You
ttLis a local question—we call it an Imperial ques-
vs,
eatin {Rear, hear)—but it is more than either—it is a
16 Aal one.—(Hear, hear.) I intended to have placed
v
detEtestion before the House; and if I have refe'rred to
lea 11-3, it is because you have done so for the purpose of
Weetleneing public opinion. Now, if you thought there
it it the elements of such an influence in those details—
(ti4 toy duty to show that they are utterly worthless.—
Or, hear.) Now, what is the answer which Lord
toga has given to one of these addresses from the Vic-
ki." district, which has been already referred to? Lord
Kitt observed that it was his firm belief that they did
lot •
2
~..11tend to countenance rebellion, or to compensate the
e,'s of those who had been guilty of the heinous crime
'"dg h treason, but only to make provision for the losses
4etose who had sustained a wanton and unnecessary
tamtion of property. Now, if that is Lord Elgin's
that is precisely what my Right Honourable
al:,t'd wants the House to sanction and support. We
the; the House to affirm the principle which has been
the.° enunciated.—(Hear.) But I will show you how
,Z! addresses have been procured and produced. Now,
ri,:itttk the right of petitioning is not only of inesti-
poTt) value in this country, but that it is extremely im-
ei„l,llknt that it should be publicly known that such a
thEito,t exercises a strong influence upon Parliament, and
he
s' 'Petitions are productive of no other result than to
ther\lered to lie on the table of that House—are thrown
th,tv., and are thought of no more. lam of opinion
pr....l3eublic opinion, to be fairly and constitutionally ex-
ra47. cl) ought to be expressed at public meetings—
lieciltngs constitutionally and fairly held. Now, how
beet, uese meetings in favour of the Governor of Canada
key got nP? I have before me a letter, dated Montreal,
Ve01,3, from a celebrated and notorious character—Dr.
the ':ell Nelson, in which that individual, after detailing
lirrkv.itenmstances which occurred in Montreal—the
Go,,,eig of the Parliament-house and the insults to the
geern°r—calls upon his fellow-citizens to petition the
OpinVl not to recal Lord Elgin, and to express their
eep,,ve that the responsible Government ought to be
filte(l. In consequence of this secret invitation
stifter: Nelson, a variety of petitions were sent to the
were tart of the Governor. No public meetings
Wei: held at which the subject of these petitions
petal. discussed.—(Hear, hear.) Among them was a
ANit:/nifrom Coburg, which was entirely devoted to the
be °I the Governor-General, and it was stated to
pftte"tt
ablen signed by 663 persons. Now, Sir, I have had
15 my hand to-night a letter, dated Coburg, May
h.
e addressed to Sir Allan 11‘1•Tab, whose acquaintance I
4t.v... not the 'honour of possessing, but I have the highest
(tileal for his distinguished bravery and talents.—
4tplOr. hear.) In this letter it is mentioned, that as a
uVe meeting was stated to have been held at Coburg,
efr.ivhich a congratulatory address to the Governor was
14`_el el to and signed by 663 persons the writer begs to
1411 in Sir Alan that the whole male population of the
1," bitants of Coburg only amounts to 653, and that the
mgt ion in question was signed by only 210 persons.—
VI a-, hear.) These, Sir, aro very important facts.—
ht these surreptitious documents are printed in the
.°)'t 1 Gazette, and are then in their official forms trans-
„..ea to Secretaries of State, and when they call for
Pe4aen admonitions from the President of the Board of
nare the effect of them may be most important.—
ate ar.) Petitions and addresses in favour of the Go-
ieritor may be all very well, but considering the manner
4'it hich those documents have been got up, and the
',,,pous way in which they have been introduced to
kr notice they may, I think, be fairly described as
ea,et:t rubbish as was ever introduced into this House.
as -(4_ ea.r, hear.) Let me say a word before I sit down
II .0 the course taken upon this occasion by my Right
oz. Friend the Member for Stamford. No one has
ventured to say that it was either an informal,
hear)senatitutional, or an irregular proceeding.—(Hear,
o?r,°,nne has stated .that he saw the whole programme
aso-e-rs,,‘ night's proceedings on his breakfast table in the
f but that I am very much inclined to doubt—so
ar, at least, as my Right Hon. Friend's motion is con-
tha:etied• It is quite a-new thing in this House to assert
for no motion should ever be made without giving a_
Sa notice of it. It often happens.—(Hear, hear.) I
that' 81r) that due and formal notice having been given_
one
ehis of the most eminent and important
.Members. of.
th_ owe intended to bring under the consideration of
mister
douse the state of affairs in Canada, and the Prime
discussion
having fixed a day at a long interval for the
pe4tl"len of the question—l say, Sir, after all this, it is
brieetly idle to preter.d that you were taken by sur-
prise by my Right Hon. Friend's motion.—(Cheers.) If
say that you were taken by surprise you can only
prove
it by asserting that we are the most incapable of
all men and the least interested in public business, and
that _ we were coming down here at this great colonial
crisis—in this great Imperial and local emergency—that
_w,e were coming down to this House to hear an exposi-
tion of your mal-administration, and what was intended
to be a satisfactory refutation of the charges brought
against you from the first Minister of the Crown, and
then, forsooth, go to dinner, and do nothing else.—
(Cheers and laughter.) I doubt not that my friends will
persist in the course they have taken, and unanimously
support my Right Hon. Friend.—(Cheers.) You may,
if you like, give up your colonial empire, and destroy, if
you will, the surest source of your wealth, and certain
source of your political power.—(Cheers) Do it. Sa-
crifice, if you will—l do not want to enter into that
question now—the wealth of your nation, and the power
of your Government to the economic phantasies of the
hour; but if you do this—if the empire of England is to
fall, and fall by our votes, do not sacrifice the national
honour or the royal word .—(Loud cheers.)
Mr. S. HERBERT thought the House were justified
in not allowing the division to take place last night.
The debate of to night had shown how necessary it was
that they should not come precipitately to a division, or
Proceed without notice or in the absence of Honourable