The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-10 00:00:00

beg to come to that part of the Learned Member's speech
that referred to himself. After the Committee had been for
some time sitting he had been named upon it, and he would
take that opportunity of stating that from what he had ob-
served of the proceedings of the Committee, and from what
he had heard of them before his taking an active part, he did
not see any thing in the conduct of the Hon. Member that
would lead to the conclusion that he did not act with fairness.
Two Gentlemen had been deputed by the Canadian Legisla-
ture to attend the Committee and give evidence, and any ex-
planation that might be thought requisite. He believed they
were not regularly commissioned by both Houses to substan-
tiate the claims of the colony ; the fact was he thought that
they were only authorized to come by the Lower House.
However, they did come, and he (Mr. Rice) hearing of their
mission was anxious to see them, and the Hon. Member did
introduce him to them. We understood him to say that
there was an intention of introducing a Bill to take away from
the Canadian Government the power of appropriating for colo-
nial purposes the money granted by this country. That- Bill,
however, though the Hon. Member had dwelt on it with so
much zeal and vigour had not passed—notice merely of it was
given. That Bill was not proceeded with ; and if it were it
should be on his ( Mr. Rice's) authority and responsibility. He
(Mr. Rice) was most anxious that every concession should be
made to Canada. He was sorry that concession was so long
withheld, and would have no hesitation in saying that conces-
sion was made too late for the tranquillity, and comfort, and
peace of that colony. He felt that if he succeeded in adjusting
the affairs of Canada that he would have achieved a great
triumph. He was anxious for that good object. He was
charged with having promised to send a despatch, and having
withheld it while its transmission, by developing the fa-
vourable views of Government, would have tranquillized and
comforted the whole colony. The fact was that he had pre-
pared a despatch in which the friendly and liberal views of
the Government were fully exposed. It was to be sent on the
Monday, and two hours before the sailing of the packet it
was found that the Government itself had been despatched.
—( Hear, and laughter.) He then thought it right to send
to Lord Aylmer and say that as the Government was changed,
it was better his successor should settle the Canadian differ-
ences. It would be easy for him ( Mr. Rice) to say that he
intended to do so and so, but he would not defend himself in
that way.—( Hear.) The Hon. Gentleman might say that he
went out of office without doing any thing. It might be said
he entered into office in June, and what was he doing till No-
vember? His object was to benefit the colonies, and to do so
he withheld the despatches till they might reach the colonies
contemporaneously with the meeting of the Assemblies. He
did not wish the opinion of the British Government to reach
Canada before the opening of the Legislative Assemblies.
The Honourable Gentleman had asked about particular
facts ; among the rest as to the judicial appointments ; the ap-
pointment of Judge Gale was referred to. His (Mr. Rice's)
reply was this, that as it appeared that Judge Gale had so far
identified himself with the proceedings in Canada which led
to the Committee of 1828, as he was so far committed as a
partisan, he could not, though he was recommended by the
Government, confirm his appointment.—( Hear.) There was
another case, that of Judge Parr (we understood.) He had
been a Judge of the Admiralty, and Chief Justice of the King's
Bench. These were two appointments that were incom-
patible. In consequence of certain accusations brought home
against him, he was dismissed from his situation as Judge of
the Admiralty Court, and as he was then from misconduct
removed from one office he (Mr. Rice) did not think him
fit to fill the other, and he accordingly ordered his suspen-
sion.—( Hear, hear.) With respect to the Admiralty Court
he (Mr. Rice) should say that he thought the office of Judge
of the Admiralty should be filled by Englishmen rather
than by Frenchmen. There was one part of the petition
to which the Right Honourable Gentlemen had not alluded,
but to which he (Mr. Rice) thought it necessary to advert.
Lord Dalhousie took upon himself the responsibility of dis-
posing of the unappropriated revenues after the Bill of Sup-
plies had passed the House of Assembly. The emergency
was certainly great, and in the conduct he (Mr. Rice) pursued
he acted on the advice of his colleagues. Two years' salary
was due to the public officers. There was distress, urgent
and enormous. To meet the exigency money was raised by
the Canadian Legislature, and lie (Mr. S. Rice), in the full
confidence that a Bill providing for the necessities of the case,
and securing ample funds for the exigency would have been
passed in November, ordered the money to be supplied from the
funds of this country. He admitted the case of the Canadians
was urgent. They had grievances to complain of, but then
they should not be urged in the language of vituperation, of
reproof, or of menace, as the Hon. Gentleman had done.—
( Cheers.) Where was the Hon. Member for Taunton ? He
was ever the steady advocate of Canadian interests, but then
he was never guilty of indiscretion, menace, or any thing that
would touch on disaffection.—( Cheers.) He (Mr. R.)
assured the Hon. Member ( Mr. Roebuck) that there was not
a more zealous advocate of Canadian interests than he was.
The Canadas were valuable of themselves ; but he considered
them more valuable from their connection with England, a
connection that he should ever labour to defend. He was
sensible of their importance as States, and of their importance
as provinces of England. Their wrongs and grievances he
would consider with a strong predilection in their favour; yet
he would be guided by the great principle of justice, and he
should in alluding to them studiously refrain from the language,
as he thought every Hon. Member should, of opprobrium or
menace.--( Hear.) (The Hon. Member's peroration reached
us as indistinct sounds.)
Lord STA NL E Y and several Members rose at the same
time. There were loud cries for his Lordship, and after some
interruption his Lordship proceeded. He scarcely felt it ne-
cessary to trouble the House with any vindication of the policy
of the Colonial Department of the State respecting the Ca-
nadas, after the explanation of the Right Hon. Member for
Cambridge. His explanation was an ample vindication. As
to the personal attacks upon himself, he thought he would
better consult the dignity of the House and his honour, if he
passed them without notice, indeed with contempt. With re-
spect to the charge of his slighting the interests of the Ca-
nadas, he would meet the charge with a positive denial of
facts. Two gentlemen were sent by the Canadian House of
Assembly, in order to expose the real or supposed wrongs of
their State. They were patiently heard, and the result of the
investigation was a full and convincing impression that the
grievances were not clearly established. These Gentlemen
were examined on each of the ninety-two charges, or bills of
accusation, and yet, singular to say, they had established no
one ground of justifiable complaint.--( Cheers.) On each
count of the ninety-two accusations he (Lord Stanley) joined
issue with the Deputies and their defendants here, and he got
from the verdict of the Committee a triumphant acquittal.
The Hon. Member himself might know all this, because it
appeared on the face of his despatches, which were laid before
the Committee, and which were consequently in his own pos-
session. He would only further say, that whatever his success
might have been while in office, it was obtained altogether in
consequence of his anxiously following up the course of policy
recommended by his predecessor in office.—( Hear.) The steps
he did take he took with the concurrence of his predecessor,
and in consequence of the opinions expressed by him previous
to his secession, and if they had proved successful, to that pre-
decessor was due the praise.—( Hear, hear. )
Mr. ROBINSON trusted, that when the Canadian popu-
lation again desired to petition the House of Commons, they
would select a more temperate advocate than the Honourable
Member for Bath. A more unfair, distorted, or intemperate
address than that of the Hon. Member, had never, he believed
been uttered within the walls of Parliament.—( Hear, hear.)
He despaired seeing the question brought to anything like a
satisfactory issue after such an exhibition as the House had
that night witnessed. The present was not the first occasion
the Hon. Member had recommended the Canadian people to
appeal to arms. In a wild and visionary pamphlet he had be-
fore incited them to the use of force.--( Cries of " no, no.")
Mr. ROEBUCK rose to order. The words he used
were, " It is better to try everything before an appeal to
arms."

Mr. ROBINSON asked if that was not recommending an
appeal to arms ?—( A laugh from Mr. Hume.) The Hon.
Member for Middlesex laughed, but he was not much sur-
prised at that, as it was well known he and the Hon. Member
for Bath entertained similar opinions on the subject.—(Hear,
hear.) The Hon. Member's " beautiful domination" letter
was but too well known.—( Hear, hear.) In his (Mr. Robin-
son's) opinion nothing more tended to endanger the peace of
the Canadian colonies than the course pursued by the Hon.
Members for Middlesex and Bath. As for the Hon. Member
for Bath he was nothing more than the Representative of Mr.
Pappineau's faction in Canada, and a more intemperate con-
stituency he could not well have.—( Hear, and a laugh.) This
individual, in an address to the Montreal people, had heaped
upon him (Mr. Robinson) every species of abusive epithet and
gross insult that could be strung together, and simply from the
circumstance of his being the Governor of the British Ameri-
can Land Company, to which, for certain reasons, he was op-
posed. Among other things he had termed him a vile swind-
ler.—(A laugh.) In conclusion, the Hon. Gentleman en-
treated the House to look to the question brought under their
notice dispassionately and fairly.
Sir R. PE EL--I do hope, Sir, that this debate will not be
continued ; but should it not meet the wish of the House that
it should here stop, I do trust that it will be continued with-
out any further reference to Mr. Pappineau or his actions, to
the Canadian party as opposed to the English party, or, in
short, without further refer Ace to any of those exciting and
unincidental topics with which it has pleased the Hon. and
Learned Member for Bath to charge his speech. I am, how-
ever, inclined to hope that the course which his Majesty's Go-
vernment have resolved upon pursuing in reference to the sub-
ject, and which I am now about to announce, will be deemed

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a conclusive reason why the advice of the Hon. Member for
Worcester should be generally followed, and why this discus.
sion should at all events for the present be brought to an end.
Before, however, I proceed to state the intentions of the Go-
vernment I must be allowed to say a few words in answer to an
observation of the Hon. and Learned Member for Bath. Re-

ferrincr to the great delay which has taken place in the settle-
ment of' the disputed matter the Hon. and Learned Member said
he attributed it altogether to the frequent chancres which had
of late years occurred in the office of Secretary ofe' State for the
Colonial Department, and concluded by recommending that
a fixed office, not determinable on the changes in the Admi-
nistration, should be created for the management of colonial
affairs. Such a remedy Ido not hesitate to say is one alto..
gether incapable of adoption.—( Hear.) The Executive for
the time being, it is quite evident, must, as a body, be answer-
able for the management of the highly-important affairs coming
under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Department. Now,
how could that responsibility be attached to them if they were
to have at the head of that department an officer altogether in-
dependent of their controul, and totally irresponsible to them
for any acts he might direct in the management of those af-
fairs.—( Hear.) Such an arrangement could not be satisfac-
tory to any of the parties concerned in colonial matters ; and
great as might be the inconvenience attendant upon frequent
changes in the'office of Colonial Secretary I am prepared to
maintain that the remedy proposed would be far from an im-