The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-01-23 00:00:00

irlnVeltat vattictiittitt.

(Continued from the Standard of la,t Friday.)
HOUSE OF COMMONS—WEDNESDAY.
Mr. E. CA YLEY did not believe that the people of Cinada, as
a body, were favourable to the views of Papineau. 'rhe objects
of the Legislative Assembly were, not to procure a redress of
grievances, but a separation trout the mother country.
Mr. GI LLUN said, that in cousequence of the couciliatury ad-
dress of the noble lord the Hume Secretary this evening, lie was
disposed to follow the advice of the bon. member fur Bridpurt,
and nut to oppose the first reading of the bill.
Mr. BOR THWICK said, this was not a tone to talk of concilia-
tion, when the subjects of her majesty were in a state of reoel-
hon. Toe lion. gentleman then allmied to the speeches which
had been made at the late meeting at the Crown and Anchor
Tavern, where, he alleged, trout the reference made to the death
of Charles 1., a threat was held out against her majesty's life.
Mr. D. Bitowsii. condemned the conduct of the government
towards Canada as unwise, unconstitutional, and timid withal.
It was at variance with constitutional principles, and just and
sound colonial policy.
Mr. BitorisEaroN wished justice to be done, but not by re-
sorting to severities anti warfare. It was much easier to get in-
to war than to get out of it. He felt considerable embarrass-
meut in being called upon to suspend the constitution in Cana-
da. He knew what he felt regarding the Irish Insurrection
Act; and he never could contemplate with any satisfaction any
suspension of the constitution.
Mr. CLAY said, his principles were pretty well known; he
Was not likely to be considered unfriendly to the cause of fire-
dour any where; but he hesitated not to declare. that the revolt
was wholly inexcusable sod unjust, and without any circum-
stances of palliatiou.—( Hear, hear.) Many of the grievances
had been redressed, and all were in the process of being redress.
ed. It was clear that the Canadians would ultimately have ob-
tained al! their demands by constitutional means. lie saw no
justification fur the recourse to arms.
Sir HUSSEY VI Viet N supported ministers. He defended the
conduct of the military in Canada, and complained that asser-
tions bad been made at the Crown and Anchor about burnings,
&e., of which there was nothing said in any report that had been
received.—( Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Kilkenny said,
he had foretold scli,at had taken place. There was no mall who
hatl.4 greater right to bowel it.—(Mr. Hume said, " Why?")
The hon. gentleman's letter showed it. It reminded hint of the
man who foretold, that York Niinster would be burnt, and then
set fire to it. lie meant to say, that he believed the tm. mem-
ber had in a very great degree contributed to what had taken
• place.,
Mr:-Hunts was happy to hear from the gallant officer a repe-
tition of what the right hon. gentleman, not now in his place,
(Sir It. Peel,) had gone out of his way the night before, to no-
tice. He was glad the gallant officer gave him the opportunity of
alluding to it. It was a personal calumny to which the gallant
gentleman was lending himself, as well as others. He said,
there were documents that were garbled and not correct. The
gallant officer said he (Mr. Hume) ought to know what had
taken place, and that he bad foretold it four years ago. Why,
he had foretold it ten years ago. He then proposed, and the
present Lord Ashburton concurred in it, that the colonies should
be separated amicably front this country. He had cot resporded
with Mr. Mackenzie, of Upper Canada. The right hon. baronet
(Sir R. Peel) had shown a worse and more illiberal spirit to-
wards that gentleman than he would have expected from
particularly considering the situation in Which that gentleman
was placed. Who was Mr. iltl•Kenzie, it was asked? He had
been a member of the House of Assembly of Upper Canada. He
was also the editor and proprietor of the itittocate, a liberal paper.
But fur a speech which he had made noon the hustings, the
House of Assembly had expelled him. He was re-elected; they
expelled him again. Four successive times he was re-elected.
The last time that he was expelled it was only by a majority of
one. He was re-elected a fifth time. This was the gentleman
who was " a Mr. M`Kenzie." There was " Sir Robert Peel"
also. (A laugh.) It was not the way to speak of Mr. blacken-
' zie, or of any man who was not present. Mr. Mackenzie was
now a rebel—a convicted rebel. If he bad been successful, he
would be called a patriot. He opposed the principle of the bill,
therefore Should satisfy himself in taking the sense of the house
upon his amendment on the introduction of the bill, leaving
hon. gentlemen who were adverse to the proceeding to oppose
it on the serond reading.
Sir G. GREY congratulated the house on the unanimity which
had been shown on this important qiiestion, but felt pleasure in
perceiving an alteration in the tone assumed when it was intro-
duced previous to the recess. Ile certainly did not regret that
the hon. member for Kilkenny stood alone in that house the
advocate of rebellion. The facts respecting the misconduct of
Mr. Mackenzie had been clearly stated, yet the hon. member for
Kilkenny had charged the right hon. baronet with a want of re-
spect in speaking of him (Mr. Mackenzie) as a traitor. The
hon. member for Kilkenny had compared the proceedings which
led to the American war with the present posture of affairs in
Canada; but there was no more ground for comparison than
there was between the speeches of Lord Chatham and the
speeches they had heard that night.
Sir R. PELL.—AS the lion. member meant to take the sense
of the house ou the principle of the bill, it was necessary every
hon. member should make up his mind. He should vote against
the proposition of the hon. gentleman, and for bringing in the
bill. He believed it might be right to give authority fur a tem-
porary suspension of the constitution of Lower Canada, and
make provision for the temporary administration of govern-
ment; but he hoped members would seriously consider the pro-
visions in the bill, and especially those which related to the
estate!' convention, iu Upper Canada. His opinion was, that
it would be better to confine themselves to the necessity of the
case—tu the suspension of the constitution. If local measures
were necessary, thew might be made the subject of future con-
sideration. It would be almost impossible to enable the estates'
convention to speak the sentiments of the people, whilst the
constitution was suspended, and the provinces under martial
law. All these things should be defined, and when they were
defined, it would only be, at best, a mockery of representation.
They had much better assume the real shape of the measure,
rather than to seem to act antler the colour of liberality, when
the object was meant to be decisive from the necessity of the
ease.
Lord Jonsa,RessEtt_ said, the formation of the bill was en-
, tirely vested in the prerogative of the crown ; and the conduct
of the governor must depend on the. instructions given to him
by this prerogative. It had never been intended that he should
at once assemble this convention of the states, as he had desig-
nated it. He was to have the authority so to do, but in assem-
bling this committee of advice be was to use his own judgment
as to what time he thought fit to call them together. If it was
likely to excite the people it would be for the governor to ex-
ercise his own judgment as to the course he ought to pursue.
Sir R. PEEL said that he could not think there were ten men
in the house who did not infer from the speech of the noble lord
on opening this debate, that this bill would contain provisions
enabling the governor to call together a committee of individu-
als from each province, and that such committee should have a
representative character. The construction bad been put upon
the speech of the noble lord by the honourable member for St.
Albans, who had complimented the noble lord upon thisadvance
in legislation in the representative system : and when the hon.
member put that construction upon the speech of the noble lord,
not one member of the government got up to contradict it.
(Hear.) The noble lord now said that the governor would be
instructed to exercise this prerogative of the crown, as nu doubt
,prerogative it was, to invite certain gentlemen to meet and give
him their opinion, amid it that Was all the noble lord wanted, be
he (Sir R. Peel) should not attempt to throw any impediment
in the way of the exercise of that prerogative. But what he
should object to was, the giving by the sanction of parliament
an operative representative character to such a committee.
(Hear, hear.)
For the first reading

Against it
Majority -191
Mr. GROTE presented a petition from Mr. Roebuck, praying
that the petitioner should be heard against the bill previously
to the second reading.
Lord Joel N RUSSN.LL c6ncurred in the suggestion.
Sir RosEuT PicEl. said that the parties implicated being
about to suffer so great a penalty, it was highly proper that they
should be heard by counqel at the bar.
The house then adjourned at a quarter past one.