The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-13 00:00:00

the whole, there was not one of those measures
that would not be attended with greater objections, and
that the measure of the union had a greater prospect of
success, and was more likely to contribute to the mainte-
nance of that connection between Canada and this country.
More than that it was unnecessary to say, because it was
admitted on all hands that here was a question which was
' in its own nature very difficult, and which had been en-
compassed with internal dissensions—with agitation, lead-
ing to civil war—with prospects of foreign invasion, and
with all the evils that accompany those various calamities ;
and therefore no one could say that with all those evils
this measure was not unattended with danger, but it was
the best that could be proposed. He would allude as
shortly as he was able to the various objections that had
been taken to particular parts and provisions of
the Bill, and first with regard to the objections that
had been made to the Civil List, It was said the
annual interest of any public debt that might be
contracted was, by the Bill, first charged upon the consoli-
dated revenue, and t'Jerefore charged upon the consoli-
dated revenue previous to the Civil List. It might be
said in answer to that objection that the Crown would re-
fuse any Act tending to increase the revenue. At the
same time he must confess there was great force in the
objections of the Right Hon. Gentleman, and that they were
not altogether answered by saying the Crown might snake
such refusal, because if it was supposed that such measure
was for the general interest of the province, it would be at
the best an ungracious act, and at the worst an act tend-
ing to promotion of great discontent, to refuse the Royal
assent on the ground that the revenues of the Crown would
be diminished. He wished, therefore, to state, that he
would take a few days after the third reading,
and before the passing of the Bill, to consider
the Right Honourable Gentleman's proposition, which,
undoubtedly, was of considerable importance. The
Noble Lord (the Member for North Lancashire) had
asked whether the management of the Crown lands would
be vested in the Crown. He ( Lord J. Russell) conceived
the management of the Crown lands would remain in the
Crown, for there was no provision to transfer or take it
away from the Officers or Ministers of the Crown. It
would therefore remain in the Crown as it now rested,
and as he conceived it ought to do. Another objection
that had been raised was, that the Crown revenues, aril
ing partly from a sale of land, would, after a course of
years, be diminished. He could not conceive that any
great loss to the Crown revenues would arise from that
circumstance, because, although a part of the lands
might be thus alienated, yet, if the province
should continue, as he trusted it would, in the
progress of wealth, the remaining parts of the
land would become far more valuable, and other parts of the
Crown revenues would yield a considerably greater income
than they had done of late years. Therefore, upon the whole,
he was not disposed to think that the Crown revenues parted
with by the Crown during the time the Civil List was granted,
would be materially affected. But a further objection had
been stated, which was, that the Assembly might be disposed
to adopt a rapid sale of the lands ; he did not apprehend that
there was much fear of that, because, if such an occurrence did
take place, the Crown had a sufficient control over all its
officers. He came now to theobjections taken by his Right
Hon. Friend the Member for Ooventry, with respect to those
parts of the Bill which affected the District Council. He
thought he might first relieve the question from two of the
objections that had been stated by his Right Hon. Friend.
Those objections appeared to him to be rather more specious
than real objections. One was that, somewhere in the Bill the
word " Municipal" occurred, and the other was with respect
to Captain Pringle's report. Now, with respect to the first, the
word " Municipal" was not used in the Bill, and as to Captain
Pringle's report, he thought that his Right Hon. Friend had paid
more attention to that than to the more important papers
that had been printed on the subject. He thought that his
Right Hon. Friend had hardly given due weight to the re-
commendations of Captain Pringle. With respect to Mu-
nicipal Government, it appeared from the statements of the
Governor that it was desired by the people, as it was likely
to lead to prosperity. But the Governor might be mistaken
in that ; and, supposing that to be so, what had the assem •
bled Commons of Upper Canada stated ? Why, they had pre-
sented an address, in which they said they had no desire to
interfere unnecessarily in questions of detail affecting the sis-
ter province, but they could not omit to state it to be their
wish that the introduction of municipal institutions into Lower
Canada on the same principle as in Upper Canada should be
established.—( Ilear, hear.) What then became of all his
friend's conflicting principles ? His Right Hon. Friend's ob-
jections would go, noti,. to the omission of the clauses, but to
the alteration of them. His Right Hon. Friend might argue
that this system might be introduced by the Local Legisla-
ture. Upon that point he admitted there might be consider-
able doubt, but he should be disposed to say, as a general
question, before he heard the opinion of the authorities
that it would be better that the Colonial Legislature should
introduce that plan.— ( Hear, hear.) He admitted that
there was nothing that ought to be introduced into
the present Bill that was likely to be better effected
by the Legislature of the United Provinces. If it were the opi-
nion of the House that there were no objections, either from
jealousy of race or local circumstances, which would prevent
the United Legislature from considering the subject, if that
were the opinion of the House, then it would not be necessary
for them to put the proposed clause into the Bill. His opinion
was when he introduced the clause that it was better that it
should be in the Bill, but he would say with respect to that part
he should wish to have some short time to consider it.—(Hear,
hear.) If he thought, as the Governor had stated, after that
consideration that those clauses were necessary, he would fairly
state it to the House, and leave it for them to decide whether
they would adopt them or not. If he came to a contrary opi-
nion after that consideration, he should have no hesitation in
avowing his concurrence with the proposition of his Right lion.
Friend. —( Hear, hear.) With regard to the great weight given
by the Hon. Gentleman who had spoken last with respect to
the opinions of Chief Justice Robinson, he must confess, al-
though he admitted those opinions were stated with great acute-
ness, yet with regard to his general principles and views re-
specting the Government of Canada he felt bound entirely
to dissent from them.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to the.
Church Establishment, Chief Justice Robinson had made
suggestions that could not be safely carried into effect
in any part of Canada. He thought no opinion could be more
absurd than that which had been advanced, that at the time of
James the First and Charles the First had they established in
the colonies, which were originated by the Puritans, and which
were now the United States of America, an Established Church,
they would never have separated themselves from this country.
Such an opinion as that he believed to be extremely unsouild.
With respect to some of the observations of the Right Hon.
Baronet the Member for Tamworth, relative to the renewed
Constitution of Canada, and binding that country to England
by new legislative: enactments, he conceived with regard to
any colony, it was the duty of the Government to keep togs-
ther every part of the colony it possessed. It was the duty of
the Government, with regard to the men who, various times, at
the end of the late war, and the civil war which was just ended--
with regard to the men who had shown their fidelity to the Bri-
tish Crown, and had suffered in person and property, and yet had
maintained their fidelity to the British Crown—it was the duty
of the mother country not to desert them, but to put forth the
right arm of this country in order to avert any danger that
might surround it; and it would be the utmost baseness, on the
part of a Minister of the Crown, and a gross dereliction of
the duty of that House if it did not sanction such protection.
Mr. C. BULLER had already expressed his opinion on the
general merits of the Bill, and it was not his intention at the
present moment to trouble the House at any length. With
respect to the formation of District Councils he thought the
Noble Lord had done but right in taking time to consider the
objections made to the clauses he had introduced into the Bill.
He, however, hoped that no consideration would induce
the Noble Lord to abandon those clauses.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir G. SINCLAIR hoped he would not be considered dis-
respectful if he pressed his motion to a division, but, as no di-
vision had taken place in the earlier stages of the Bill, he was
anxious to have the sense of the House on the subject. When
the Bill became law, he hoped it would be attended with the•
success that was anticipated.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House di-
vided, when there appeared—
For the third reading
For the amendment ...
Majority —lso
',her

ne Bill was then read a third time.
Mr GL ADSTONE inquired when the despatches he had
moved for with reference to British Guiana would be ready.
Lord J. RUSSELL said they should be delivered as speedily
as possible, but he was desirous of adding to them a despatch of
Lord Aberdeen's.