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

of the King Log, who chose to leave -his- King
and country in the birch, on, the political death
LLierpOoi, and add to the number of
interested enemies his consistency and ho-
nesty have already procured him, remains to
be seen. If we wished to benefit our Colonies,
we should above all things avoid the evil of
over-governing; We should alwayo bear in mind
what BUrke observed with regard to olirOondam
Colonies of North Anierica :—" When I know
that the Colonies in general olVe little or nothing
to any ,care of Ottri, and that they are not
'
squeezed into this happy form by the constraints
of watchful and suspicious government, but that
through a wise Wand salutary neglect, a generous
nature has been suffered to take her own way to
p6-feEticiri ; When I reflect upon these effects,
when I see how profitable they have been to us,
I feel all the pride of power sitik, and all pre-
sUmption in the wisdom of human contrivances
melt and die away within me." They old Co-
lonies flourished because they were allowed " to
take their own way to perfection ;" the Colonies
now possessed by Britain are prevented from
flourishing, because the money of the mother
country is expended in supporting the spawn of
our aristocracy and their creatures in their plans
for promoting their interests, by means which
impede the progress of enterprise and improve-
ment. Wherever we turn our eyes we see the
same arbitrary system adopted—the same jea-
lousy of the colonists—the same pains taken to
satisfy them, that connection with the mother
country is not cemented by the only secure
means, reciprocal benefit, baby the sacrifice of the
interests of the Colonists. Possessing as we do
the command of the seas, we need hardly dread
any danger to our Colonies from a foreign
enemy ; and the dependence created by a bene-
ficial commercial intercourse between the parent
State and the Colonies, is more to be relied on
than that created by military coercion. But
so do not think the Lord Charleses, and
the trihe of military Lords who are placed
over our Colonies to punish the inhabitants
for their sins. Whether we look at Southern
Africa or North America, we see the same
vicious system of coercion in operation.—ln the
Number of The Westminster Review just pub-
lished, there is an able article on Canada, by a
writer who declares that " experience and not
hearsay is his guide," which is well deserving
of the attention of those who wish to understand
the nature of the machinery by which England
is impoverished, for the sake of producing dis-
tress and discontent in our Colonies. The pub-
lic of this country, we know, hate to be troubled
with the Colonies, partly, no doubt, from a con-
viction, derived from a pretty extensive experi-
ence, of the difficulty of interfering with any
effect. But the evil must be grappled with ;
for, from the nature of it, if we do not look the
difficulty fairly in the face, the burden must con-
tinually increase. With respect to. Canada, for
instance, its cost to this country is enormous.
" What the expellees are (says the writer in
The Westminster Review), it is almost impos-
sible to discover; it being the constant endeavour
of our Government to keep from the public all
knowledge of the real evils attendant on main-
taining the Colonies of this country. We can,
however, lay before our readers an account of
some portion of our enormous expenditure in
Canada ; well aware, indeed, that the account
is far from complete :
" It appears from papers laid before Parliament in 1826,
that in 1824-5, there were disbursed on account of the
extraordinaries of the army at the different military posts
in Canada £118,214 15 4i
That in consequence of Josses sustained • - •
" in the last war with the Vnited'Statea,
by individuals in the two provinces,
this country paid , 68,441 5 9
That there were also paid for regimental
subsistence 32,333 3 3
For the Commissariat and Account De-
partments
Half-Pay
Ditto
For Ordnance Department °6,732 15 7
Retired Allowances and Pensions
Naval Department 19,421 14 3
Arrears to Militia

£308,342 11 8i

Also for Military Works, paid in the •
same years, the enormous sum of ... 51,475 0
" Of these works many are not yet finished ; still more
expences must therefore be incurred. For the Citadel of
Quebec it is stated that 78,000/. more are required to
place it in a state of defence. A sum, we believe, exceed-
ing 50,000/. was this year voted for this purpose. Of the
works erected during the last war many are in ruins, while
the navies on the Lakes, which were built at an incredible
expence, will, in a very few years, be utterly useless& I/
another war is at any time to be carried on, these expellees
must be again incurred, and our burdens be again renewed."
" We maintain," observes the Reviewer, " at
our own expence, a large military force, for the
purpose of defending the Colony. Defending
the Colony means keeping it under our domi-
nion ; and keeping it under our dominion, a.s we
have already seen, means subjecting it to 'pis-
rule." The Reviewer does not content himself
by general and sweeping allegations of misrule,
but proceeds, step by step, in tracing the various
evils to which the Colony is subjected, and which
are unknown in the neighbouring Sections of the
United States, to the machinery established by
and supported by England. It appears that the
Canadas have a House of Assembly popularly
represented, and in addition a Legislative Coun-
cil, or Upper House, the members of which are
nominated by the Governor. As the Governors
are merely sojourners in the country for a few
years, and enter on office destitute of what rulers
ought to know, a permanent body has been es-
tablished to guide and instruct the temporary
rulers under the title of an Executive Council.
This Executive Council is, it seems, one and the
same in reality with the Legislative Council ; the
former having found the means of having them-
selves chosen members of the latter in sufficient
numbers to constitute a majority.. But we will
allow the Reviewer to state, in his own language,
the mode in which this contrivance of Governor,
Executive Council, and Legislative Council, ope-
rates to the disadvantage of the Colony ;--
" At the commencement of the English dominion, a
Council was formed under the direction of the then Go-
vernor and the Ministry at home. This Governor in
time left the country ; but the Councillors remained, pos-
sessed of all that knowledge of the affairs of Government
which it was requisite for a succeeding Governor to ac-
quire, and which it was almost impossible for him to ac-
quire without their assistance. As a connecting link be-
tween successive Governors, the Ministers at home soon
discovered their utility, and the established rule of Colo-
nial Government was henceforth adopted ; should a Go-
vernor and his Council quarrel, the Governor is to be re-
called, it being easy to find another Governor ; impos-
sible, without disturbing the whole scheme of Government,
to create another Council. Such being the power of the
Connell, it was not wonderful that they should turn it to
their own account ; that they Should successively instil
into the minds of Governors opinions favourable to their
private views ; and that they should possess themselves of
the lucrative offices of the State. The interests of the
Governors and Councillors are thus far the same—that
both have an interest in extracting from the people all the
• money the people can be induced to grant ; their interests,
however, are in so much different, as that each is sepa-
rately desirous of engrossing the spoils. But it has been
found that more was to be obtained by coalescing than by
. quarrelling ; they, accordingly, have coalesced, and ami-
cably divided the profits ; the profitable places being shared
w9pg the Goverim and his frivide, and the Ccuiicil ;vat'