The Sun.
London, England, 1827-09-05 00:00:00

their friends. .neprehension or punishment, from those at
home, they little dreaded; and, could they obtain a ma-
jority in the Provincial Legislature, they would like-
wise escape all datigei• of censure from the people
of the Colony. They possesssed no poWer Over the House
of Assembly ; but, happily, the Legislative Council was at
their disposal; The Governor, having authority to nomi-
nate the Members of that Council, the Executive Coun-
cillors soon found means of having themselves chosen in
sufficient numbers to constitute a majority. And thus it
happeng that the two Councils, Executive and Legislative,
are in reality composed of the same persons, acting in dif-
ferent Characters. The interest and ignorance of succes-
sive Goveinors led t 6 this eonstimMation ; their interest,
which compelled them to be on friendly tering Itiith the
Executive council ; and their ignorance of the country
and its inhabitants, which enabled the Council to impose
upon their fears with exaggerated descriptions of the factious
and dangerous disposition of the Canadian people; which
dispositions, if not counteracted in one of the Legislative
bodies, might lead, they said, to the disruption of the Colony
from the Parent State

are the character and situation of the persons composing
that portion of the Canadian Government which is supplied
by the superintending care of England. They arc pos-
sessed of unbounded rapacity, and enjoy something very
like impunity in its gratification."
We wish our limits would allow us to follow
this intelligent writer through the various details
of the system of abuse, the result of the impunity
granted to the Governor and the Legislature and
Executive Councils ; but we must refer our
readers to the Review itself. We may observe,
however, that in Canada there is a large perma-
nent revenue, composed of Scignoral dues, the
produce of the estates of the Jesuits, revenues
derived from permanent Acts of the Imperial
Legislature, and from permanent Acts of Pro-
vincial Legislature ; but that this permanent
revenue not being sufficient to defray the ex-
pences of Government, the House of Assembly
have hitherto made up the deficiency by tem-
porary Acts, and have thus maintained some
controul over the Government. "To preserve
their controul (says the Reviewer) over this fixed
revenue free from the unhallowed gaze of a po-
pular Assembly, has been the object of the most
strenuous exertions on the part of the Executive
Council ; and they have not failed to deprecate
all cognizance of the House of Assembly on
this point, as being an insult to the Crown, and
a breach of the Constitution. The following
details may, perhaps, suggest some other reasons
for shutting out the light :
" The Jesuits, previous to our conquest of Canada, were
possessed of immense and flourishing estates in that coun-
try. The revenues derived from these estates were for the
most part expended in the education of the people ; and
their College at Quebec (which, in its dimensions, would
bear a comparison with almost any edifice in England de-
dicated to the purpose of instruction) is a striking proof of
their industry and usefulness. These estates, when the
body of Jesuits became extinct, devolved to the Crown ;
their extensive College was converted into a barrack; and
their revenues, before spent in instructing the inhabitants
of the country, were transferred to the pockets of the Exe-
cutive. Certain commissioners were appointed to admini-
ster these estates, and the disposal of the revenues arising
from these has from that time to the present been shrouded
in the most profound obscurity. Some years since, in-
deed, when the House of Assembly deemed it advisable to
investigate the manner in which the money had been ex-
pended, they met with a refusal on the part of the Commis-
sioners to answer any of the inquiries. The Commis-
sioners were servants of the Crown, and, it appeared,would
answer no questions that did not proceed from officers of
the Crown, lest they should derogate from the dignity of
his Majesty. Of these Commissioners, some were Execu-
tive Counsellors, others persons appointed by them.
" Another person entrusted with public money is the
Receiver-General of the Provinces; an officer appointed
by the Treasury in this country, and a Member of the Le-
gislative Council. This officer, like his brethren, had a
dislike to investigation At length, the
House refusing to impose new duties on the subject, the
Executive could no longer shield the Receiver-General, but
were compelled, by pressing exigencies, to draw upon him
to defray their current expences. The event proved the
wisdom of the 'House of .A.ssembly. 'ln 1824 (we quote
from the publication at the head of one article) the, defalca-
tion in the Receiver-Generar* chest, amounting to four
hundred thousand dollars, was officially communicated by
Message from the Government to the Assembly; and one
of the Receiver- General's accounts was, for the first time
since the establishment of the present Constitution, laid
before the House. It appeared on investigation that the
former Receiver-General had long owed a large balance,
which was stated to be about one hundred and sixty thou-
sand dollars, when he was succeeded by his son, in 1809,
and that accounts stating that this large balance, frequently
rapidly increasing, though occasionally less than the
balance stated by the Colonial Administration to be in the
Receiver-General's hands, at the disposal of the Legislature,
had been, by the. Receiver-General, regularly laid before
the Colonial Government, and after being reported on by
the Executive Council, transmitted to the Treasury in
England.' That is to sa.,v, these Executive Councillors,
knowing that one of their body was daily spending the
money of the people, not only permitted him to remain in
office, but shielded him from all inquiry.
The Reviewer shows that had the Government
been entirely in the hands of the colonists them-
selves, this embezzlement could not have taken
place, or it would have been followed by punish-
ment ; but that owing obedience only to the
authorities in England, supported by English
arms, and paid often with English money, these
men not only brave the representatives of the
people, but are now endeavouring to foment a
quarrel between England and the Colony, in the
hope of thereby acquiring foi themselves the
happy license and impunity they have so long
enjoyed, and for the colonists the unalloyed bles-
sings of English dominion. He shows that
the connection with England has led to an oppo-
sition to the, progress of education in the pro-
vince, the mal-administration of justice, &c. We
cannot conclude without quoting the following
pithy passage
" Notwithstanding the outward demonstrations of good
will manifested by the Canadians towards the English
people, they bitterly hate every thing connected with the
English name ; distrust and oppose every thing supported
by English interest. They are themselves neglected and
abused ; their priesthood slighted, their manners, laws,
and customs, the subjects of daily scorn and contempt. The
people are evidently tired of English dominion ; they se-
cretly pray for release from our thraldom, an 4 wistfully
turn their eyes towards America, where they behold a na-
tion under the dominion of a frugal Government, ap-
pointed by themselves, rapidly improving in arts, in litera-
ture, and in wealth, extending their commerce to every
part of the inhabited world, and rivalling in the extent and
wisdom of their undertakings the most civilized and wealthy
communities of Europe."—Morning Chronicle.

Sr. JAMES'S PA RK.—The workmen arc now
employed erecting a brick building on the north
side of the canal, next to the Horse Guards, for
the purpose of fixing a steam-engine to pump
out all the water in the canal, to enable the
workmen to remove the banks, &c. left them
between the old canal and the new basins Which
are now forming.
A ridiculous paragraph has appeared in
the
Journal du Commerce, of a cruiser having
chased a vessel off Portland, and then went in
pursuit of two vessels off Cape Finisterre.
LONDON AND PORTSMOUTH GRAND SHIP
CANAL.—A public Meeting will be held at
Portsmouth on Friday, to consider the different
reports which have been made on this stupendous
undertaking, by the engineers employed to sur-
vey the line. Another Meeting will be held this
week at Arundel, by which town the proposed
pass, or from which a Branch Canal
w
be cut to Arundel Bay. The projector
Canalill will
(Mr. Cundy) will attend the different Meetings,
to explain the plan which has been selectld to
be carried into execution. Subscription books
will be opened at the Bank of England in a; few
days.