The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-31 00:00:00

of all the charges made by the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman against Sir Charles Metcalfe this one had
filled him with the most astonishment. The Noble Lord
then read an extract from the address of Sir Charles
Metcalfe to one of the townships of Canada, in which he
expressed his full opinions with respect to a responsible
government. He would not sign the death warrant of
british connection, but he would have the British and
Canadian interests work together ; he would not
pursue a course which would be disastrous to either if
not to both.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to the distri-
Lution of patronage, to which the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman had with so much severity adverted, not a
single appointment of Sir Charles Metcalfe had been ob-
jicted to. Nor had any legal administration or execu-
tive act of the Government been called into question—
(Hear, hear)—except by the Council, and they did so on
one occasion when Sir Charles Metcalfe was in the
midst of difficulty. One act had been seeeifically
charged against Sir Charles Metcalfe, that he had en-
couraged Orange Societies in Canada. He (Lord Stan-
ley) had no sympathy with Orangemen or their
societies, nor had the Governor-General of
Canada. ; he (Lord Stanley) did not think
flat even the fervid loyalty and zeal for British institu-
t'ons of these men would counterbalance the evils which
their religious dissensions and societies were likely ro
occasion.—(" Hear, hear," from the Opposition.) But
Fir C.-Metcalfe had no sympathy with Orange lodges ; at
the same time he was not prepared to accede to a step
which virtually proscribed all belonging to the Orange
party: He refused to take any arbitrary measures
against a party which included so many loyal subjects of
the Crown, and warm friends of British institutions and
British connection.—(" Hear, hear," from the Ministerial
benches.) A Bill was then passed through the Legisla-
ture which Sir C. Metcalfe, in its progress, repeatedly
rotested against. He would read the substance of that
till to the House. (The Noble Lord then read extracts
from th B'll, which provided that all Orangemen were
declared incapable of holding civil or military office,
serving in the militia, serv:ng on a jury if challenged,
cr, in short, any public situation of trust ; and further,
any publican subjected himself to a penalty and the loss
of his license for allowing. an Orange lodge to meet in
his house.) The Crown had of course power to veto any
Bill of the Legislature, and Sir C. Metcalfe, as the repre-
presentative of the Crown, possessed that right ;
but he preferred referring to the home Government,
and they had no hesitation in recommending
that the Bill be reserved fur the Queen's
pleasure. Why questioning the policy or propriety, of
this proceeding, was questioning the most unquestion-
able and one of the most valuable of the prerogatives of
the Crown.—(Hear, hear.) Had Sir C. Metcalfe acceded
to the wish of the Council, nothing could be a more
complete surrender of the liberties of the Crown. The
Hon. and Learned Gentleman adverted to several acts of
Lord-Sydenham, and, amongst others, to that of limit-
ing the suburbs of Montreal. In that case he must say
that the Governor-General was perfectly competent to
exercise the power which he took upon himself, and to
incur all the responsibility which he exerted. The Hon.
and Learned .Gentleman had likewise adverted to the
civil het. Now he (Lord Stanley) was not going to re-
open- this unpleasant question ; but if ever there was a
case -in which the interference of the Crown was not
only justifiable but imperatively called for, this was
that one. For was it not obvious to any man, that no-
thing could be more desirable—nothing more useful—
nothing more indispensable for the proper government of
a country, than that provision should be made for desert-
ingand eminent men independently of the whim or caprice
of the Local Legislature. He again said that it was ab-
solutely necessary for the proper administration of
justice that such of should be independent of the
Local Legislature. He (Lord Stanley) had received an
address fr mn the Legislature of Canada, complaining of
the imposition of a civil list, and requesting that they
might be permitted to substitute one. He would read
to the House the answer which had been recommended
by the Government to that address. (The Noble Lord
then-read portions of the reply, which were declarations
of the opinions of the Government that provision should
1 e made for those men who had served their country
faithfully, and for the declining years of eminent and
distinguished individuals who had rendered uncommon
public service. The reply further assured the peti-
tioners, that whenever the Canadian Legislature would
make the necessary provision for the civil list they (the
Government) would be prepared to recommend to
Parliament the repeal of such portion of the Act of
Union as had relation to that subject.)—(Hear, hear.)
The. Hon. and Learned Gentleman had referred to the
scenes which had occurred at the late election in Mont-
real,- in proof of the discontent which prevailed in Ca-
nada ; but he (Lord Stanley) thought a more infelicitous
illustration could be hardly adduced. He believed that
the disgraceful riots which occurred at Montreal were
mainly owing to a mob of Irishmen having been brought
into Montreal from the canal on which they had been
working, and that the election was in nowise a test of
the -feeling which prevailed in Canada.—(Hear, hear.)
He believed the moderation, discretion, firmness, and
conciliatory temper and disposition of Sir C. Metcalfe,
and the earnest desire he entertained to _carry on the
government of Canada in accordance with the well under-
stood views and opinions of the people of the province,
would not be without a happy influence on the future
condition of Canada. The clamour which had been
raised against Sir C. Metcalfe, by misrepresentations and
misstatements of his words, actions, and sentiments,
would be dissipated in a short period, and he (Lord
Stanley) confidently believed that, by acting
on his own sound and moderate views, tran-
quillity and concord would be restored. The Hon. and
Learned Gentleman had spoken of what Canada might
be in the event of a war with the United States. lie
(Lord Stanley) apprehended that, in any case, Canada
would be, in time of such war, rather a source of weak-
ness than of strength. Canada would be a most vul-
nerable point ; but in a military, naval, and commercial
point of view, the possession of that colony was still
most desirable. It was an appropriate nursery for sea-
men, and, might become a great receptacle for our manu-
factures, as well as eminently productive of the raw ma-
teriels which constituted them. Besides, Canada was
the-great inlet for our commerce to the great continent
of America by the river St. Lawrence, one of the great-
est of the waters of the world. Commercially and poli-
tically, he did not seek to deny that it was of great im-
portance to this country. But if Canada were of im-
portance to the mother country, he asked-the lion. and
Learned Gentleman to consider whether it was not of
infinitely more importance to the people of Canada that
they should be connected with .England ? The peo-
ple of Canada enjoyed as free a* Government
as—and, he ventured to add, a lighter taxation
than—any people on the face of the earth. They had
Perfect religious liberty ; they had, at no cost to them-
selves, the military and naval protection of the mightiest
Power in the world ; they had annually an immense ex-
penditure of capital in the shape of the commissariat and
military establishment ; while the United States were
unable to borrow money at six per cent., Canada, by its
connection with this country. and nothing else, had been
able to borrow, by the guarantee of this country, for the
improvement of her internal communications, no less a
sum than one million and a half, and at an interest little,
if at all, exceeding three-and-a-half per cent. ; she had
an immense indirect expenditure, and she derived a
great advantage from the settlement of British merchants
within the colony, and the investment there of British
capital. She had for her produce—and no inconsider-
able addition had been recently made to that exclusive
advantage—she had the privilege of admission upon the
most favoured terms to the richest and to the highest
market in the world. These were the advantages which
Canada possessed by her connexion with this country—
these were the advantages which Canada must be pre-
pared to sacrifice if separation from this country should
unhappily be the. result.—(Hear, hear.) It was for
Canada well to consider whether the price she had to pay
in her slight and all but nominal subordination to this
country, was too high a price to pay for the protection,
the advantages, and the substantial benefits which she
derived from the connexion.—(Hear, hear.) But
Canada must not expect, as the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman seemed to think she had a right to
expect, at once to enjoy the unlimited and entire inde-
pendence of a separate republic, and at the same time
the advantages which she derived from British connexion
and British commerce.--(Hear, hear.) He believed that
the people of Canada were in the main cordially at-
tached to this country.—(Hear, hear.) Ile believed
that when they seriously considered the results of that
course into which unprincipled demagogues and rash
advisers were hurrying them, they would fall back from
such blind and interested guides upon the liberal and
honest views of the Governor-General of Canada, and
upon the protection of this country ; and he believed
that, by the exercise of sound sense and sound discre-
tion, Canada, if she did not follow mischievous and in-
terested advisers, might long retain the advantages
which .she possessed by her connexion with, rather
than her subordination to, this country, in the capacity of
a thriving and happy colony of the British empire.
Mr. HUME said that, after the lengthened discussion
which had taken place on this important subject, it was
not his intention to do more than Just notice the points
to which the Noble Lord had adverted. The state-
ments which bad been made .by his lion. and Learned
Friend the Member for Bath he knew to be perfectly
correct. He regretted that the Noble Lord lead not
stated whether or not he approved of the conduct of Sir
Charles Begot, for addresses had poured in from all parts
of .the country, in which that conduct was highly ap-
plauded. He wanted to know what had produced so
great a change of feeling in the colony. The Ministry,
finding it impossible to conduct the government under
sir Charles Metcalfe, and be at the same time
responsible to the House of Assembly, had felt it their
duty to retire. Was it possible to make out from what
was passing in Canada the meaning of the term re-
spensible government?—(Hear, hear.) It appeared that
in Canada responsible government was one thing, while
in England it was another thing.—(" Hear, hear," from
it J. Graham and Loid Stanley.) It was for the Go-
vernment to expla;n what acts of Sir Charles Begot, and
what acts of Sir Charles Metcalfe they approved or dis-
approved. The Noble Lord had asked what individual
appointments of Sir Charles Metcalfe, were objected to.
If the Noble Lord had read the speeches of. Mr. Baldwin,
Mr. Hineks and' other Members, he would have found
them stated at length. The Governor himself admitted
that from the moment of his arrival in the colony there
was an antagoaism between him and his Council. lie
(Mr. Hume) deplored the events which had taken place ;
because if there was one man in the country from whom
he expe,cted conduct which would conciliate the people
°Manacle, Sir Charles Metcalfe was that man.—(Hear,
hear, from Lord Stanley.) By everythbag reported of
his conduct in India, and still more of his conduct in
Jamaica, he was led to believe that his appointment was
one of the most fortunate which had been made
by the Government.—(Hear, hear.) He had thought
that if any one could conduct the affairs
oft Canada comfortably and
calre would do so:had quietly, Sir Charles Met-
no doubt, in fact, that -he
would have done so if he had
nrotbeen under the tram-
mels of the Noble Lord.—(Hear,
Stan-
ley.) Ile might be wrong, but hear, from Lord g
bad § higher opirapa