been prudently withdrawn; "Col. E. W. Thompson was brought forward in the Conservative interests, but the show of hands being 50 to 1 against him, his friends had the good sense not to demand a poll."(1) Mr. Perry was then declared elected by acclamation.

The Examiner naturally hailed the election of Mr. Perry as a serious rebuff for the Government and a vindication of those men and journals which had been demanding greater progress. But, most interesting of all, it claimed that the election had brought out clearly a new division of parties. "The natural line between parties, which, for some time past, has been dimly shadowed forth, has here been drawn. The Reform and Progress Party has for a long time been confounded with, or swallowed up in the present Government party, but on this occasion stood forth conspicuously, and came out of the contest triumphantly . . . Mr. Perry's election is the beginning of a movement that will place the real Reform party in its true position. Then we may expect real reforms." (2)

The Annexationists quite erroneously thought the return of Mr. Perry was a victory for annexation. The Toronto Independent, founded only a short time before to advocate independence as a step towards annexation, announced: "Perry's position is that he is ready to make himself the champion of independence and annexation, when the question is submitted at a general election, but that he will oppose it if it is raised in the present chamber. We approve this position."(3)

The results of the election were momentous. The cleavage between the Conservative and Radical wings of the Reform party had up to this time been "dimly shadowed forth," but it was now plain. In January, 1850, the Examiner still objected slightly to the name "Clear Grit," and the Globe was led to reply that it "merely gave the name which they themselves had assumed, to a little miserable clique of office-seeking bunkum-talking cormorants who met in a certain lawyer's office in King St., and announced their intention to form a new party on "clear Grit" principles."(4) But, a short time later, the Examiner had adopted the name, and announced that the Clear Grit party was now a great fact. Its principles had got hold of the public mind. Its platform did not present many new features except that of elective institutions all around; and yet, because the present ministry was divided on that question, all decidedly advanced measures must be left to a Clear Grit ministry, "a

(1) Examiner, Dec. 12, 1849.

(2) Examiner, Dec. 12, 1849.

(3) Quoted by L'avenir, Dec. 28, 1849.

(4) Globe, Jan. 10, 1850,

thing which may well be counted among the not very distant certainties of the future."(1)

At a great political meeting of advanced Reformers, held at Markham on March 12, 1850, at which Mr. Peter Perry, M. P. P., was the chief figure, the following platform was adopted: 1. The abrogation of the Rectories, and the secularization of the Clergy Reserves. 2. Retrenchment in Provincial expenditure. 3. Abolition of the pensioning system. 4. The appointment of all local officials by local municipal councils. 5. Thorough judicial reform, especially the abolition of the Court of Chancery. 6. A very great extension of the elective franchise, and vote by ballot. 7. Repeal of the law of primogeniture. 8. Abolition of Copyright. 9. Election of the three branches of the Legislature by the people. 10. The right of the people to peacefully discuss any question affecting the Government or Constitution of the colony. 11. The amendment of the license law so as to make the liquor dealers responsible for the effects produced. (2)

Many similar meetings were held in other parts of Upper Canada. Between Jan. 16 and Mar. 6, 1850, the Examiner contained reports of meetings at Lawrenceville, Pelham, Jordan, Hamilton and Smithville. The resolutions passed at these meetings varied a good deal, but retrenchment and a settlement of the Clergy Reserves question were always demanded.

The Clear Grits soon had an opportunity to put their platform to the test. The Hon. Malcolm Cameron resigned, early in December, 1850, his office of Assistant Commissioner of Public Works. He said he did so because the office was a useless one; but it is quite certain that he was dissatisfied with the unprogressiveness of the Government, for he at once made common cause with the Clear Grits. Mr. John Wetenhall, the member for Halton, was appointed to the position vacated by Mr. Cameron, and this necessitated a by-election in that constituency. Mr. Caleb Hopkins, who had been elected by the Reformers of Halton to the first Parliament after the Union, now came forward on the Clear Grit plat form, and conducted so successful a campaign that (partly owing to the illness of Mr. Wetenhall) he was elected by a majority of 57, where as Mr. Wetenhall had been elected, in 1847, with a majority of 265 over his Tory opponent.

But the best proof of the growing strength and importance of the new group came in May, when the Assembly met. The Baldwin-Lafon

1) Examiner, March 20, 1850.

2) Examiner, March 20, 1850.

taine Government had, nominally, an overwhelming majority; but, in reality, the Reform party was now split into two large sections, and, according to the Examiner, (1) the relative standing of the different parties was as follows: Reformers 34, Clear Grits 22, Conservatives 20, Annexationists 7. It would have been possible at any time for the last 3 groups to unite, and oust the Government; but the Clear Grits did not carry their opposition that far. They wished to force the Ministry to be more progressive, but they had no desire to help the Tories back to power. The consequence was that the Ministry held office until 1851, when first Mr. Baldwin and afterwards Mr. Lafontaine retired from political life. Then Mr. Hincks healed the breach between the two sections of Reformers by adopting a progressive platform, and taking Dr. John Rolph and Hon. Malcolm Cameron into the cabinet he was called upon to organize. (2) But the Clear Grit element in the reunited Reform party remained a powerful one; and when, on the retirement of Mr. Hincks, in 1854, a reconstruction of parties took place, it was the radical, Clear Grit section of the party that rallied around Mr. George Brown.

Mr. Baldwin, Mr. Hincks and the Globe could neither prevent Mr. Perry's nomination, nor cause a rival candidate to be brought forward. The authority of the ministers among their supporters in the country had been too much weakened by dissatisfaction and criticism to allow them to influence greatly the Reformers of the Third Riding. At this very time, a meeting of Reformers was held on Oct. 25 at Sharon, in Mr. Baldwin's own constituency. While they expressed their undiminished confidence in the Government, and condemned the Montreal Annexationists, they passed a series of resolutions demanding many of the same reforms that the Clear Grits were calling for, and then invited their representative, Mr. Baldwin, to confer with them, hear their complaints, and advise them. (3)

But Baldwin, Hincks and George Brown did accomplish one very important thing. By their protests, they helped to save the more extreme Radicals from identifying themselves with the movement for annexation. Mr. Perry, it is true, believed that Canada's ultimate destiny was union with the United States, but he expressly deprecated its discussion at the time, or in the immediate future. At most, he was only such a philosophic separatist as Lord John Russel, at that time Premier of Great Britain. (4) In the Halton election, the question of annexation was not brought up at all although the contest was a very bitter one, (1) May 15, 1850.

(2) Hincks, Reminiscences of His Public Life, pages 251-257.

(3) Globe, Nov. 8, 1849.

(4) Allin and Jones, Annexation, Preferential Trade and Reciprocity, pp. 279-283.

and many personalities were indulged in. When Parliament met in May, 1850, several questions more or less related to that of annexation came up for discussion. But, although there were seven avowed Annexationists in the Assembly, the number voting against the Government on any of these questions was not higher than 14. In the division by which the Assembly, led by Mr. Baldwin, refused to receive a petition from some of the inhabitants of Essex, Kent and Lambton, praying for an address to the Queen in favour of independence, the vote stood 57-7. In the division on the motion of censure on the Government for dismissing from office those officials who had signed the first Montreal Annexation Manifesto, the vote was 46-14. Most of the Clear Grit members, including Perry and Hopkins, did not vote, and only two of the group voted against the Government. (1) While, therefore, Baldwin, Hincks and the Globe had solidified the opposition to the Government, by their interference in the election for the Third Riding of York, they had, nevertheless, helped to save the Radical wing of the Reform party from trifling with annexation, and so had kept the way clear for the reconciliation of 1851. In doing this, they performed a service for the Reform party, but quite as truly did a great service to the people of Canada, at a very critical moment.

(1) Allin and Jones, Annexation, Etc., pp. 338-351.

XVI.

DAVID ZEISBERGER AND HIS DELAWARE INDIANS.

BY REV. JOHN Morrison, SARNIA

To be born in one nation; at five years of age, because of religious persecution toward his people, to be carried like the Christ-child into another nation; to be left there at fifteen to complete his education, when, his parents seeking greater liberty in worship, emigrated to America; to live under a false accusation of thefts, growing out of a gift of gold bestowed by a wealthy man to whom he had rendered a helpful service; to run away with another youthful companion from the school, at seventeen years of age; make his way across Europe, cross the mighty Atlantic; find his parents in the new world; in young manhood to give himself to the church of his fathers; to carry the gospel to no less than thirteen of the great Indian tribes of the American continent, covering seven of the great states, or territories, including Canada; to see all the horrorsincluding Indians scalping innocent white people, and white soldiers, unworthy of the name, ruthlessly butchering innocent Indians-men, women and children; to spend more than sixty years in such arduous missionary labors; to have established the first Protestant mission, and to have administered the first Protestant baptism, west of the Alleghanies; to have hung the first Protestant church-bell and preached the first Protestant sermon in what is now the State of Ohio; to have founded no less than thirteen towns, some at least of which grew into places of importance and hold a prominent place to-day on the map-surely such a list of activities is enough to lift any life from the dead level of mediocrity and also place it on a mountain top of honor before an admiring world. Such was the life of the subject of this sketch.

David Zeisberger was born at Zauchtenthal, Moravia, Good Friday, 11th of April, 1721; at five taken to Herrnhut, Saxony, Luther's land; at seventeen, followed his parents to Georgia. At the age of 87 years ceased at once to work and live, crowned with the glory of God and the praises and honor of men, at Goshen, Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where his body was buried and his grave still is.