Star.
London, England, 1822-07-19 00:00:00

share pf the impost duties, and one eighth was as-
sessed as their share, that being supposed to be the
proportion which the inhabitants of the Upper
Province bore to those of the Lower—(Near, hear).
This continued till 1797, when *system of etantina-
tion and appropriation by Custom-house Officers, was
adopted, From 1797, oue-fifth of the duties had
been allowed as the share to which the people of
Upper Canada were entitled. This arrangement con-
tinued till 1817, when a new inquiry took place. It
was then found impossible to make a satisfactory
appropriation of the duties, and in consequence Up-
per Canada had been kept out of its fair share of
them ever since. The Commission appointed to in-
quite into the subject had declared in their Report,
that the present mode of taking the duties was likely
to lead to a serious misunderstanding between the
two provinces. This state of things naturally led the
Government to consider whether a closer union be-
tween them could not be brought about. It would
be for the House to consider whether this might not
cause those differences, which were now referred to
the mother country for decision, to terminate altoge-
ther. With a view to this, they would see it it might
not be advisable to unite the two Legislatures, and if
other inestimable advantages should seem likely
thence to arise; and if, on general principles, inde-
pendent of local circumstances, this should seem de-
sirable, there was no Gentleman who would not allow
that this subject was well worthy the consideration et
Pal lament. He chewed, from the debates which took
place at the time, and from the language of Mr.
Pitt, that the Act of the 31st of the late King was
not considered one that was never to be altered. On
the contrary, it ivai distinctly stated that it would
always be open to revision, and it had never been
stated by Mr. Pitt that it would be necessary to ob-
tain the consent of the Legislatures of the two Pro-
vinces to any Change that might be contemplated.—
The Parliament of Great Britain, it was maintained,
would always have the power of making such changes
as might seem necessary. By the alteration now pi 6
posed, the privileges at present enjoyed by Electors
would be in norespect interfered with. A qualifica-
tion would be .named for those elected, which had
been omitted before, but such a qualification would
be fixed upon as would not have the effect of inter-
fering with that competition which ought to be ex-
cited. He described other enactments which the Bill
was to contain, and stated that a drawback was in-
tended to be allowed on the re-exportation of runt, the
produce of our West India Colonies. To settle the
portion of the duties which each province should
receive arbitration was to be resorted to, of which
so many examples were afforded in this country.—
The Bill prescribed, that persons should be selected
who would be acted upon by no local motive
whatever, and who would have no other object in
view but to decide with justice and impartiality.—
He had thus stated the general outline of the measure,
the details of which would be better explained in the
Committee. He recapitulated the circumstances
under which he had recommended this Bill to the
House. It might be expected that the measure would
meet with some objection from the inhabitants of
Upper Canada, on account of their Representatives
having to travel to Lower Canada; but this, which
was merely a personal inconvenience when balanced
against the advantages which were to be derived
from a law framed for the benefit of those ap-.
pendages to the British Empire, the two Canadas,
and consequently for that of England, would, lie was
confident, be overruled. This Bill would affect no
privileges hitherto enjoyed, and the union of the two
Legislatures must lead to more extended discussions
than would otherwise have taken I.lace, and thus con-
tribute to the progressive improvement of a Colony
which had deserved so well at our hands, by the
loyalty evinced during the late contest. The measure
he believed to be founded on the soundest principles
of wisdom. Every information on the subject hail
been sought from those whose experience best quali-
fied them to afford it; and, convinced of the utility
of the Bill he wished to introduce, be should now
move for leave to bring it in, earnestly hoping that
no opposition would be offered to its general pi inciple.
Sir J. MACKINTOSH said, that with many parts
of the Hon. Gentleman's speech he wholly concur-
red. The first Quebec Bill immediately preceded the
American war, and the other was almost contempo-
raneous with the accession of this country to the
coalition against France. Of the measure, as a whole,
lie entirely approved. He only wished the incorpo-
ration of the two provinces to be delayed for six
months, as he thought the 18th of July was much
too late for such an important measure as altering
the constitution of two great provinces. The same
indulgence that had been shewn to the publicans,
should surely be extended to the inhabitants of the
two Canadas. He had no doubt of the power of the
Parliament to unite the two provinces, but it was a
power to be used with great caution and moderation.
He would venture to affirm that colonies in the pre-
sent age, especially in North America, could only be
governed by a loose rein. He did not object to the
union of the two colonies and the mother country,
as long as it could be harmonious and affectionate.
This was the only instance of Parliament attempting
to take away the Legislature of one colony to unite at
with andther. This had not been done before, ex-
cept in the case of the State of Massachusetts. It
had not been done in the case of any one little island
of the West Indies, where an independent legislation'
had existed. It was not done in America for 200
years ; from the time that British wisdom established
our colonies in that country, until the time that the
folly of Britain lost the United States colonies' for
ever. There should have been enquiry into the
wishes of the people of Canada before they exposed
themselves to the chance of separating them front
the mother country. Nothing could be so alarming
to all our colonies as in the last meek of a Session of
Parliament to propose, without enquiry, the abolition
of two legislative bodies, and the substitution of a
third in their stead. This must give alarm to the
West India Islands, that instead of their separate
Houses of Assembly the Parliament should appoint
them a States General. For the people of our Cana-
dian colonies who were not represented in that House
they should shew that they attended to their interests.
They should shew that they were their representa-
tives, in consequence of their being unable, from
natural causes, to have themselves represented in the
British Parliament. He considered these colonies and
lus as Members of one great, confederacy; the one