North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1839-07-24
EDITED BY cANADIANs& AMERICANS

tithes TO their priests, these have always
been the most supple and the most degrad-
ed tools OF the British government. All
that the priests wanted. was their portion
Of the Ioares and fishes, and this the Eng
lish government had given them The priests
were then ready at the first command
from the Castle OF St. Louis to preach
pdssire obedience 10 The authorities which
paid them SO well at the expense of the
people.
The bill Of Quebec was accompanied by
another ore inttuled, " an Act 10 provide
a fund 10 deray the expenses of the ad-
ministration Of justice, and to support the
civil government in the Province of Que
bee in North America" Whilst the whole
Of the thirteen English Colonies were Pc
titionlng and demonstrating against the
right of Great Britain to tax them without
their being properly represented in the
English Parliament, the poor Canadians
were submitting tamely to those very acts
To give to our readers an idea Of the
opinion that some enlightened Canadians
had Of the bill ofl774, we shall quote the
remarks Of Mr.. Du CalYet a Canadian Of
great talents and much prosecuted. "The
bill Of Quebec re-esta6ished in the Pro-
vince the French laws; we must begin BIZ
remarking that the legislators have ex-
pressed themselves in obscure and mbigu>
Gus terms; according to the theory Of
law, this obscurity would suffice to annu
the Act, and ought to prevent it from be-
ing approved by the nation; for the. law
teachers tell US that the obscurity Of law
renders it null (ex obscura, lex nua;) and
indeed the expression " French La,cs" is
ambiguous and equivocal which brings to
the mind but vague, undetermined and in
definite ideas; it may signify either the
fundamental laws, that is TO say the con-
stttu'ion Of The French government, or
only the civil laWs, in other words the
French Jurisprudence; and it is this dou-
BILE meaning which wrongly handled, has
been the primitive source of the caIami.
ties which have desoIated, and even now
desoate the Province Of Quebec"
A little further Mr.. Du CaIvet describes
the powers conferred on the Governor of
Canada by the bill in the following man.
ner, e" Indeed the power Of the Governor
Of Quebec deyonrs and bsorbs all other
power; he is in reality the sovereign
master Of all; his titles Of generalissmo OF
His Majesty's forces, gives him the power
TO dispose at his will Of the military de-
partment; the dependence under which
are daily curbed the memb beers of the Legis-
lative Council whom he names or displaces
at his own choice and within, makes Of
those Legislative Councillors but the mere
echoes of his orders, unless they expose
themselves to be Immediately degraded
and turned out of Office; in fact he is the
only Legislator Of the Province"
" BY the re-estabishment Of the militia,
whose officers are all named by him, he
keeps under his control and guidance all
the parishes which he charges with taxes,
and forces them TO public works according
TO his dictates; as grand Chancellor and
President Of all the Courts of Judicature
the judges Of which are named and ap-
pointed according 10 his orders, he con-
firms or cancels in an arbitrary manner.
their Judgements; it is he and he alone
who, in person or by his substitutes
renders the oracles Of justice according
TO the dictates of his passion To-
crown this supremacy, so arbitrary and
despotc, his person is above the laws:
every one is brought TO his tribunal whilst
he (the Governor is not responsible to
any one for his judgements or conduct.
An appeal to the justice Of England is
but line theory To cover beforehand all
kinds Of Infamous practicrs; it is q policy
Of external show TO dupe an innocent and
'redolous people. This appeal is only
nominal and abusive"
Such were the opinions of the leading |
French Canadians in regard to The despo- |
n Fl Il h..