The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-19 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, JAN. 18.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his scat on the Woolsack at
ten minutes past Five o'Clock.
Earl FirzwlLLlAm and Lord WALLACE took the oaths ani

their teats.
Mr. Parkinlon, from the Accountant-General's Office, at-
tended at the Bar, and brought up a return of the sums re-
oi-ived annually by the Accountant-General of the Court of
Chancery under the provisions of the 3d and 4th of WillnAr.
3V. c. 94, and an account of the sums paid annualy thereat
salarios, &c., from the 25th of November, 1833, to 25th of

November, 1837.
DUCHESS OF KENT.
Lord MELBOURNE moved the seconl reading of the
Seeechese of Ke:.t's Annuity Bile to which he did not knew
that seeir Lords' ips would be disposed to rnake any further
objection.
Lord BROUGHAM s ,id he belisved that he was the
on:e nerson mho had offeisd any objection to this Bill, and
that Ile ;:.ad said on a former occasion all that he coesidesed it
necessary td ejvance on the subject.
'The Bill sees then read a second time.
AFFAIRS OF CANADA.
Lord E LI, EN B 0 ;Z. 9UG H stated that he was surprised
to find that the dates pf tae correspondence relating to the
affairs of Canada had not oven printed with the papers which
had been tail on their Lordship;' table; and be had under-
s'ood that they would have been prine.sd yesterday.
Lord GLE'NELG said he did nut believe :: was usual to
pint the dates of such correspondence ; but however I,c had
otdered them to be printed and distributed at the doors of Sit:,
House this afternoon.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH observed that the corre-
spondence would be perfectly unintelligible without the
dates. But he wished to ask the Noble Lord opposite, if he
bad any dispatch or document to prove that he had performed
the promise that was given to Lord Gosford in September last.
Lord GLEN ELG believed that the dispatch to which the
Noble Earl alluded was the dispatch of Sept. 1836. He ( Lord
Glenelg) had stated the other night, that if there were any
dispatches that would show it they would be produced. He
had found there were two dispatches sent off in consequence.
one of which was of a private and confidential nature, which
he did not think it proper to lay before their Lordships, and
the other had been produced.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH would venture to make one
observation in reply, which was, that although, before the in_
surreetion, it might have been inconvenient and improper for
her Majesty's Government to tare produced those dispatches,
vet after thee event had taken place, no such objection could
have existed.
The Order of the Day having been read by the Clerk,
Lord GLEN ELG saict—My Lords, I rise, according to
the notice, to raove that an humble Address be presented to her
Majesty relative to the present situat'on of affairs in Canada. My
Lords, this Address generally expresses tli.e regret of the House
at the state of affairs in Canada, and pledges this House to
support the Crown in whatever measures may be necessary to
maintain the integrity of the Empire, and I flatter myself
that it will find a ready acceptance with your Lord-
ships. I shall now take the liberty of reading the
Address, which is—that an humble Address be presented to
her Majesty, thanking her Majesty for her gracious commu-
nication of papers relating to the affairs of Canada—to
assure her Majesty that the anxious consideration of this
House will be given to such measures as the present
exigency may require—to express the deep concern of
this House that the disaffected party in Lower Canada have
had recourse to arms with a view to throw off their allegiance—
to declare their satisfaction that this party have been success-
fully opposed by her Majesty's loyal subjects in North Ame-
rica, and by her Majesty's troops, and to assure her Majesty that
while this House will be ever ready to redress the real grievances
of the people or Canada, they are fully determined to secure
the integrity of the empire, and the restoration of tranquillity.
My Lords, in submitting this address to your Lordships, I
trust you will permit me to offer a few observations on the sub-
jects to which it relates. I think, my Lords, I must
so address your Lordships, considering the deep im-
portance of the subjects to which it relates, and
the vast influence it may have with respect to the
prosperity of this empire. My Lords, I think it right to re-
quest your Lordships' indulgence while I offer the observa-
tions I have to make, because I think it is not possible t 3 pre-
sent the House with a just view of the measures which the Go-
vernment intend to propose, or the policy by which the
Government had been ,actuated, without trespassing for
some time, certainly not long, compared with the importance
of the subject. It is not necessary for me, my Lords, to recal
your attention to the history of our disputes in Canada—at
least, it i; not necessary for me to recal your attention to the
earlier period of them. It ie, however, necessary for me, in order
to place in a proper light the conduct of the Government, to
request your Lordships to refer with me to that period
of our history when the present Government came into office.
When they came into office, owe of the most difficult
questions which presented itself to their attention was with
respect to Canada—difficulties, not in consequence of occa-
sional circumstances, but from causes deeply rooted by
both in the frame-work of that State, the nature of its
Government, and the situation of the North American
Colonies. —( Hear, hear.) The great portion of territory
added to our dominions by the peace of 1761, divided into the
two provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, presented at that
time a scene of great difficulty and anxiety. With respect to Upper
Cenada it was rapidly advancing to prosperity, but there was
a coesiderable degree of discontent and animosity with re-
ference to the Lower Province of Canada, and that par-
ticularly ' arising from the peculiar situation in which
the Upper Canadians found themselves.—( Hear, hear.)
In regard to the ce'mmercial interests of that Province, it being
surrounded by other nations, and having no means of
communication except through the different nations with
which it was surrounded, or the river St. Lawrence,
they were in consequence regarded with no small &glee of
'ealousy by their brethren of the Upper Province, and so much
was it felt that various plans were at different times de-
vised to escape from the difficulties of their podtion.
It is only necessary for me to state, my Lords, that a
plan was proposed—on the one hand an arrangement would
be made with the United States in order to obtain a com-
munication with the sea ; and, on the other hand, a
plan was proposed for connecting Montreal with the
Upper Province. In Upper Canada, also, there was
considerable internal anxiety. The House of Assembly
of that Province was then about entering into a race of ri-
valry with the House of Assembly of Lower Canada upon
those topics which agitated Lower Canada. But, my Lords,
there were cases of still deeper anxiety in existence with
respect to Lower Canada ; for in that Province there was
that at work which might not exactly be the origin
of the disturbances, but which certainly gave them the force
and energy which they had acquired,—namely. the division
of the two races which had inhabited that province—a division
which was not by circumstances at all mellowed, but which had
been matured, and had given rise to more heartburnings, and had
been the cause of raore disturbances than any political events of
the time. In that colony, my Lords, the Constitution was not
established on principles which gave to wealth the influence
and weight which, in conjunction with other circum-
stances, would have been beneficial, but which gave
the whole influence to numbers alone—the determination of
which alone made the elective franchise what it was ; and the
case, my Lords, is remarkable, as forming the peculiar politi-
cal society of that province. The numerical majority—about
400,000—returned by ter the greater majority of the Members
of the Assembly ; and the consequence was that one of the
races predoeninated to a great extent in the Assembly, from
which the other race was nearly excluded. Now those, my
Lords. who are thus returned by this numerical mujerity, were
those who were attached to the obsolete forms of former times
as they prevailed in that colony while under the dominion of
France Thry were opposed to all the forms of commerce,
to the extension of trade, and the settling of the country
by emigration. The leaders of that Assembly so chosen,
commanding a majority—commanding their constituents, for
whom they required to care but little, as, though they were a
most amiable and simple etas', still they were a most ignorant
one, and were peculiarly ready to be led away by the
prat: ces of designing men—these leaders, my Lords, had
the advaltage of fighting wi'h the influence of a popular
Constitution on their side, in consequence of the gross igno-
reuce which I have already mentioned ; and those, my Lords,
who were real Reformers—those who were in favour of actual
improvement—were compelled to resort to that which
might be calle.l the Aristocr ttic party in the province
'thus it appeared on the one band in support it may be said
of an oligarchy hostile to improvement, the rights and
Irivileges of a free institution were pushed to the extreme ;
and, on the other, the privileges generally used not to promote
but to retard improvement, were pushed to the extreme
by those who were anxious fur improvement. That formcl a
remarkable circumstance in the character of the people. But
these distinctions were still more aggravated by the circum-
stance of the differences between the two races in manner
and religion, in language, and in general views of political
principles; and notwithstanding the advantages that were thus
given to one race, the aspiring activity of the other race did
gain an ascendancy over those advantages. The English race
was in possession of ell the foreign commerce; it was in
possession also of some very large portions of the property of
Ste country where the habitat's lived ; and thus the illusions
with which the leaders of the malcontents flattered themselves
of a great Canadian republic were every day fading from
their view.—(hear, hear.) Such, also, was the contrast
between the two races—the hopes and fears of the two races
—that it could not fail to produce considerable animosity;
and preparations on both sides were made to assert, by enemy
dna in their power, and by such means as they could
find constitution illy, the ascendancy which the one de-
sired to maintain, and which the other desired to acquire.
But, my Lords. the Constitution given in 1791 might he said,
Fat least in earlier years. not to hare been administered.—
( Hear, hear, hear.) All the emoluments and honours of
the country were bestowed on the English, and thus, again,
time popular institutions were severed from the honours
and rewards that Government had it hs its power to confer.
The Executive Government being at that time, in truth, not
able to appreciate the gift it had obtained, usurp el practically
some of the functions of the Assembly. The money of the
--e-Vesiter „Tee in the hands of the Crow re or rather the Go-
/rs, es.')eree'e:Peenel, hence it followed that abuses crept in, and
/4,:::—.
e-IC:litittis.;t - abuses attained such an extent, that
kle.- epe ~esfeetkie nglish united their interests with those
es. `‘k
-e:-, e,?fsfetilstcrieStli4s order to obtain redress. The French,
tots
`e'LC.leeeepteeee9iesseetiorC4th the English, found the advantage
.fretteihge,etieive claims, on the ground of real abuses,
- -amp': of,*(if,twas given in 18',8, when first the subject was
.--- 0*;a:: Air ;veliament by Mr. Huskisson, and the resolutions
lot - yot e passed were afterwards carried into effect by
ity ii)arrriend opposite (Lord Ellenborough) as far as the
power and influence of the Crown could enable him to du so ;