The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-13 00:00:00

CANADA.

TORONTO, JULY 29.
RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTRY !
HER MAJESTY'S CHOICE OF A SEAT OF GOVERN-
MENT FOR CANADA DECLARED BY A MAJORITY
IN PARLIAMENT TO BE NOT IN ACCORDANCE
WITH THE WISHES OF THE PEOPLE OF UNITED
CANADA ! MR. GEORGE BROWN, THE LEADER
OF THE OPPOSITION, SENT FOR !

The following explanation of the Ministerial re-
signation was made by the late Premier in the
house at its assembling at 10 a.m. this day :

" Attorney-General MACDONALD then ro'e and said—
The Government have taken into consideration the adverse
vote of the house last night, and have felt it to be their duty
to offer their resignations to the Governor-General. Those
resignations have been accepted, and we now only hold office

till our successors have been appointed. This course must
have been anticipated as the result of the action of the
house last night, in adopting the motion of the hon. mem-
ber for Berthier. The Legislature bad by an Act of Parlia-
ment made an appropriation for the erection of public
buildings at whatever place might be selected by her Majesty,
and it was to all intents and purposes the law of the land.
We felt that as a Government we could only take the course
which any Government placed in like circumstances would
have been bound to do—that the law of the land being so,
the Government must carry it out. the house, on the motion
of the member for Berthier, resolved last night that the law
should not be carried out. It was simply a resolution of the
house that the exercise of the prerogative by her Ma-
jesty, made at the request of the Legislature, was a mistake,
and that she had chosen the wrong place. It did not even
ask her to reconsider her choice, and did not assign any
reason why her decision should not be carried out, but simply
stated—in a manner which I characterised last night as
an act of discourtesy and rudeness to her Majesty—that
We havincr, asked her to select a plc..,
so at our request, she bad made a mistake. We had to con-
sider then what our future course must be in consequence
of that resolution of the house. We considered that the

law of the land declared that Ottawa was the place, and that
we were bound to carry it out. The house declared we
should not carry it out, and we stood in this position, that

we must either commit a breach of what we considered the

law of the land, or act in opposition to the will of a majority
of this house, a majority of 14. We came to the conclusion
that the usefulness of our position was so much deteriorated
by that vote, that we could not, with respect to ourselves or
advantage to the country, continue to hold our offices, a
considerable number of those who have usually supported
the Government having taken that strong view, and joined
in the vote that her Majesty bad made a wrong selection.
Those are the grounds on which we have resigned. I may
add that, subsequent to that vote, there was another by
which the action of the member for Toronto, who leads the
Opposition, was made a test question. Upon that the
Government had a majority, but we could not conceal from
ourselves that several gentlemen who had formerly accorded
their support to the Government had now withdrawn, and
therefore in all the circumstances we thought it right and
due to ourselves, and due to this house, to offer our resigna-
tions. The Attorney-General East reminds me that as the

motion of the member for Berthier merely stated that her
Majesty had made a wrong selection, and did not recom-
mend any other place, it had the effect of preventing the
selection of any place whatever. With these explanations,
I move that the house do now adjourn.
" Hon. J. S. MACDONALD—This is not the time to make
any remarks on the position of the Government. Last
night I viewed the vote in the same light in which the
Attorney-General has characterised it to-day. The house
distinctly manifested want of confidence in a very impor-
tant step which the Government had taken, and to which
they still remained pledged, and the Administration are now
sensible that the position in which that vote places them re-
quired that they would tender their resignations to the Go-
vernor-General, with whom are vested the authority and
prerogative of calling to his councils those whom he considers
possess the confidence of the country. I think the Adminis-
tration have acted properly in submitting their resignation,
when they found the voice of the country was against them
ou a very important branch of their policy, and the explana-
tions of the Attorney-General are clear and distinct. But I
do not think he should have taunted this side of the house
with offering an insult to the Queen. It is not offer-
ing the Queen an insult to stand by our own rights,
for the Queen can have;noobject in forcing a sent of Govern-
ment upon this country. She merely deferred to the wish
of this Legislature that she should select a place, and the
house has said that the plan selected was not the most
suitable.

"Mr. DORION—I do not desire to offer any remark except
on one point. The Attorney-General has characterised the
vote of last night as an insult to her Majesty. The resolu-
tion implied no such thing. It was not an address to the
Queen, telling her she was mistaken, but a mere resolution
that Ottawa should not be the place. It was no more an
insult to the Queen than when some years ago it was
declared that Kingston was not the right place—the Queen
having as much selected Kingston then as Ottawa now.
Nor was it any more an insult to the Queen than when it
was declared that Montreal was not the place. No one then
said it was an insult to her Majesty to declare that Montreal
was not the right place to be the seat of Government.
" Attorney-General MACDONALD—The hon. gentleman
is taking an unusual course. The Government give expla-
nations and retire, and when their places are filled then
will be the time for discussion.
" Mr. DORION—I had no desire to raise any iliscussion,
but merely to prevent the impression going abroad that the
house acquiesced in the charge that the vote of last night
was an insult to her Majesty.
" The motion was then agreed to, and the house adjourned.

" MR. BROWN SENT FOR.

"Mr. Brown, shortly after the rising of the house, was
sent for by his Excellency, and charged with the formation
of a-new Administration."
It will be seen from the above tliat the Govern-
ment resigned upon the plea that the Queen was in-
sulted by the vote of last night ; but of course
anybody who has watched the course of events
during the few past days must have perceived that
the Ministry had, from some cause or other, lost
ground with many of their usual supporters, and
that, in fact, a general impression prevailed out of
doors that some change at least in the personnel of
the Administration had become necessary. In fact,
no doubt the Premier desired an opportunity of ten-
dering his resignation, not perhaps with a view of
retiring in reality from office, but in order to be able
to reconstruct his Administration—a thing which
has been too much the custom in Canada of late
years. It is impossible as yet to say whether Mr.
Brown will succeed in forming a Government ; no
doubt he has to overcome great, very great, but not
insuperable, difficulties ; and the experiment is at
the best a doubtful one.

How the country at large will view the crisis, and
Mr. Brown's elevation, remains to be seen. My

impression is that Upper Canada will support him,
but that he will have to overcome such prejudices in
Lower Canada, where he is looked upon as a kind of
bogy to frighten people, and will require all the
tact and ability of a statesman of the first calibre.
Nothing definite can be known with reference to
the new Ministerial arrangements until to-morrow ;
but probably the telegraph will put you in receipt
of the latest intelligence. There will probably be a
dissolution, and the new Ministry may go to the
country with the cries of " No renewal of the Hud-
son's Bay Monopoly, and a Federal Union of the
British North American Provinces ;" all other agi-

tating questions will be set aside by the above, such
as representation by population, separate school abo-

lition, &c.
The New York papers—at least some of them—
have come out against the rumoured appointment of
Sir Alan Macnab as Governor of New Caledonia,
evidently in complete ignorance of the antecedents of
that distinguished Canadian. That Sir Alan pos-
sesses eminent qualifications ft-,r the post is well
understood in Canada; and when a great number of
our people are about seeking their fortunes at the
new diggings, they will feel quite secure as to the
future when they hear for certain that they are
to have for ruler one in whom all Cana-
dians have learned to place implicit confi-
dence, and who, from an experience dating
nearly from the infancy of the colony and Upper
Canada, is in a particular manner the proper per-
son to be entrusted with the duty of organising and
bringing into a state of civilisation a new colony of
Britain on this continent. By the way, the new
colony, instead of being named after an island of the
New Hebrides group in the North Pacific, stolen by
Fouge from Great 13xitoiD, might lie 0110 NoY

Britannia, a name which would recall to the de-
scendants of Britain the glories of their ancestors,
and which would not be improper when we consider
the immense country over which the new
colony will extend, and its future destiny, as
the great mainstay, with Vancouver's Island,
of the empire in the Pacific. That unreliable and,
indeed, untruthful paper, the New York herald, says
that Sir Alan obtained his title from his hostility
to, the United States. This is a completely menda-
cious statement. The fact is, after the affair of 1838,
Sir Alan was thanked both by the sympathisers and
the rebels, whom he had defeated, for the admirable
judgment, combined with moderation, which he dis-
played at a time when they might have expected
from him the most rigorous measures. With regard
to the statements put forth in some of the papers
here, that his general infirmity of body precludes
his undertaking such a charge, it should be
stated that Sir Alan has lately returned
to his native land, as I said in my last,
quite rejuvenated. The gallant baronet is yet
in the prime of life, his mental and physical
faculties are in no degree impaired, and no man
could be found in British North America better
fitted to organise and develop a new dependency of
Britain, or to enlist the sympathies of the people.
Sir Alan possesses a degree of firmness not sur-
passed by any person in the country, and at the
same time his manners are so conciliating, and his
judgment so ripened by experience, that the thou-
sands of all nations now pouring into the new
colony would feel implicit confidence in his manage-
ment of the affairs of the new colony.

Many Canadians have already embarked at New
York for the new gold regions, and others are pre-
paring'to go overland, either by way of Minnesota
or by our own recently reopened route—the Red
River. Nothing better shows the progress of the
country than the huge placards which decorate our
walls, stating that steamers will leave on such a day
for " Fort William," "Lake Superior," "Red River,"
R.,. 'rho P;rntimetanet. gptaalea «pll fl'
enterprise, and the opening of a fortnightly mail
route to Red River is one of the best acts of the late
Administration.

Should the new Government acquire strength, the
fate of the Hudson's Bay question, so far as Canada
is concerned, may be said to be settled. We cannot
understand here why Mr. Labouchere kept from the
Hudson's Bay Committee, of which he was chairman,
the news of the gold discovery, of which he was well
aware, as well as your correspondent, a year ago.
Does not this fact sufficiently establish the com-
plicity of the right hon. gentleman with the com-
pany ?
The Times' article about the Hudson's Bay terri-
tory is laughed at here. It is called a very " feeble
effort" on the part of the Thunderer. Mr. Ellice is
now in Canada. Perhaps he has come out to over-
awe his censitaires, who recently exposed his attempts
to squeeze money out of the province through the
Seigniorial Commission. I send a report of the
public meeting of the vassals of the right hon. gentle-
man. Perhaps, with Sir George Simpson, he wishes
to get Sir Edmund Head to refuse his sanction to the
North-West Transportation Bill. As is said when Mr.
Ellice rises in the House of Commons, his presence
here indicates something extraordinary, and of
course personal interest has the most to do with it.

A number of measures have been passed since
Monday. The tariff has passed the Upper House,
and other measures ; but, however, the country is
not satisfied, and demands action on the Hudson's
Bay question, and on others which have been no
doubt purposely delayed.
Should Mr. Brown succeed in forming an Admi-
nistration it may reasonably be conjeetnrel that the
question of a Federal Union of the British North
American Provinces will be the principal item in its
policy, and the sooner such question arises the better
for the whole of British America.

For some considerable time past public affairs
have been in anything but a very satisfactory
state, while day after day they have become
more and more complicated, until the dead lock
in the Constitution which was promised long
ago by prophets of evil seems to be on the
eve of making its appearance. The people of
Upper Canada have gradually become enlightened
as to the essential differences existing between them
and their fellow-subjects of Lower Canada, and an
impression certainly has taken possession of a vast
number of Western Canadians that a serious change
in the present Constitution is absolutely neces-
sary for the future well-being of both sections
of the province. No one could have read
the reports of what has taken place in the
Legislature, since the beginning of the session,
without arriving at the conclusion that the division
between Upper and Lower Canada was becoming
wider and wider, and acquiring an aspect which
threatened to bring about a dissolution of the union.
In former letters the state of public feeling on this
question has frequently been explained to the readers
of the Morning Post, and the particulars wherein
Upper and Lower Canadians differ, and which had a
tendency to disunion, have been broadly stated. To
say that the union has not exercised an influence for
good up to the present time upon the material in-
terests of the province, would be to state what is not
true. Unquestionably the country has been blessed
with wonderful prosperity, and has made surprising
progress since the union was effected, contrasting
favourably with the slow movement which, before
the consummation of that important measure, charac-
terised both Upper and Lower Canada. But it is
now argued that the very prosperity wrought by
the Act of Union has reached such a climax as to
call for further constitutional changes; that that act
has fulfilled its mission, and another step in advance
is required to promote the development of the im-
mense territories now fast yielding to the process of
civilisation. The Legislature, however,
would
hardly, at the present time venture, by a direct
vote, to condemn the existing union of the pro-
vinces, and last night pretty conclusive evidence
was given of the hesitancy to declare a repeal of that
union desirable or necessary—when the adjourned
debate on Mr. Ma e
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call forth a growl of dissatisfaction which might
even result—much as they themselves were disin-
clined to such a thing—in a severance of the union ;
but they did not deem it proper to vote directly for
the repeal—the numbers being for the amendment—
which stated„ " That in view of the large responsi-
bilities undertaken by the United Provinces, it is
not desirable to take any step to weaken the union,
but rather to cement the tie by mutual forbearance
and goodwill "—yeas, 67 ; nays, 34.
The following shows the opinion held of Mr.
Ellice by his own censitaires in Canada :--
"A large and influential meeting of the censitaires of
the Seigniory of Beauharnois was held on Monday, the sth
of July inst., at Durham Village, when on motion his
Worship the Mayor of Ste. Malachie, Orms!own, was called
to the chair, and Mr. A. M'Eachern requested to act as
secretary.

"The MAYOR explained the nature of the meet-
ing ; after which the following resolutions were proposed,
seconded, and carried unenhlscusly :
" Moved by ".Ir. A. STEEL, seconded by Mr. J. RETILER-
FORD—` That this meeting is not astonished at the un-
bounded avarice of the seignior manifested by the exorbi-
tant claims he has fyled with the commissioners appointed
to fix the schedule for the abolition of the feudal tenure, the
censitaires of this seigniory having for a long time experi-
enced his unbounded exactions.'

"Moved by Mr. J. SMELLtE, seconded by Mr. S.
CRUTCHFIELD_' That the demand of £lO,OOO for water
privileges,
already sold by him at a high rate, is absolutely
presumptuous.'

"Moved by Mr. T. EVANS, seconded by Mr. A.
M'Counrcx—' That the demand of over g,3,000 a-year for
the dr oit de banalite, while he holds all the mills in his own
hands, except those for which he has obtained a price that
should amply remunerate him therefor, is in a pace with
his exacting principles.'
c!Moved by Mr, 11, TAIT, socoude IT by Mr, J. RVSe,ALL
_

That the sum of $724,644 claimed for his mills, which the
law permits him to hold, is certainly objectionable, and
ought not to be allowed by the commissioners.'
"Moved by Mr. J. M`WHENEY, seconded by Mr. 11.
CAINS--‘ That the demand cf £1,400 a-year for income of
mills possessed by him is, to say the least of it, singularly
absurd.'

"Moved by Mr. J. D. BRYSON, seconded by Mr. JAMES
M'ARDLL—'That this meeting is of opinion that the com-
missioners will have no difficulty in setting all the fore-
going claims aside without any remuneration to the
seigniors.'

" Moved by Mr. Wm. GRANT, seconded by Mr. NEIL
CAMPBELL—' That this meeting considers there exists no
claims for which the seignior is entitled to any remunera-
tion except for cens et rentes, which are in this seigniory
much higher than ever contemplated by the feudal system ;
and although the judges decided that the system did not
bind the seignior to any fixed rent, the commissioners
ought not to adopt the high rate charged in this seigniory
as a basis for the remuneration for them; and although this
meeting admits the legality of the claims for lods et ventes,
it considers the seignior has already realised more from
them than should suffice for their commutation.'

" Moved by Mr. JOHN SAITE, seconded by Mr. THOS.
WILLIAMS—' That the Mayor, James WArdle, A. Moore,
James Sangster, Wm. Rice, Thomas Williams, James Cairns,
W. Cross, John Smellie, Jahn Rodgers, Don. Abercrombie,
John Crutchfield, Charles Stewart, James A. Bryson, Alex.
Steel, and John Anderson, shall form a committee to adopt
such measures as may be found necessary for the purpose of
aiding to establish the rights of the censitaires.'
" Moved by Mr. DONALD ABERCROMBIE, seconded by
Mr. CHARLES STEEL—' That the foregoing proceedings be
published in the Montreal Gazette and Argus.'
" Moved by Mr. JAMES A. 'BRYSON, seconded by Mr.
JOHN STEIVART—' That the thanks of this meeting are due,
and are hereby tendered, to his Worship the Mayor for his
able conduct in the chair.'"