CHAPTER III.

A List of the Governors, from 1791 to the present timeObservations on the State of Canada, under Sir James Craig-Sir George Prevost-General Drummond-Sir John Sherbrooke The Duke of Richmond - Lord Dalhousie.

AFTER the exposition I have thus given of the Government, and the people to be governed, I shall be more easily understood in the narration which I am now about to commence, of the actual workings of this Government, and of the situation of the people under it.

It is not my intention to give a complete detail of its history, from the period at which our constitution was established down to the present time, but to single out such parts as will enable the reader fully to understand the workings of the system, to obtain a clear idea of the evils we labour under, as well as the remedies which ought to be applied to them. The following is a list of the various Governors who have ruled over Canada, since it was possessed of a free government. Of these reigns, if I may be permitted to use such a phrase, it is my intention to dwell particularly upon that of Sir James Craig, Sir George Prevost, Sir John C. Sherbrooke, and Lord Dalhousie, in order that the reader may perceive the difference of the effect produced by tyrannical and coercive measues, even upon the most tranquil and submissive people, and that resulting from equitable and conciliatory proceedings.

Alured Clarke, Lieut.-Governor and Com.-in-Chief

When the Government I have described was conferred upon Canada, the people generally were not in a situation to appreciate its worth, nor to act up to its principles. They had been brought up under a government which allowed them no will of their own in political matters, and they had long learned to submit in silence. The violent conduct of Sir James Craig aroused them from their lethargy. The proceedings of the then government led a body of courageous and instructed individuals to discuss the propriety of its measures. This patriotism-this desire to understand the government of the country, spread far and wide over the remainder of the people, and the whole Canadian nation was almost at one instant changed in their character and their desires.

The Anti-Canadian party was at this period openly supported by the Governor; and an English editor of a newspaper, entitled the Quebec Mercury, under the same patronage, indulged in every species of sarcasm against the manners, the habits, the religion, the political feelings, and, above all, the loyalty of the Canadians. This hostility on the part of the Governor-this abuse on the part of his satellite, induced a number of respectable and talented individuals to procure a printing press, for the purpose of

counteracting the effects that might be produced by the false accusations then indulged in. They quickly succeeded in establishing a weekly paper, published in French, and styled Le Canadien. The paper war which immediately followed did not fail to inflame the minds of both parties; and Sir James Craig, instead of endeavouring to calm these animosities, and remove the original cause of them, strenuously countenanced the English side, and thus increased the ill-will, on both sides, to a degree absolutely menacing to the interests of the province. He at length committed an act of injustice that no excuse can possibly palliate: he maltreated, degraded, and, in the end, without form or legal process, imprisoned a number of persons, whom he believed, or had been told, were suspected. These persons, to his great mortification, he was eventually compelled to release, by an order (it is said) from the Ministers in England. This was done without the slightest attempt having been made to inculpate them, and without the least compensation having been afforded to them for the ill-treatment they had received. It may be well to lay before the reader the circumstances which led to this extraordinary proceeding. At this period, a misunderstanding beginning to arise between England and America, the Governor deemed it necessary to organize a militia. Unfortunately, however, he was made to believe, that arms could not be confided to the Canadians without imminent danger; and some ill-disposed persons succeeded in inflaming his mind to such a degree, that he at length seriously believed the province to be in a state of revolt. The war carried on by the newspapers confirmed this belief. It was reported, and, strange to say, the Governor believed the report, that the French Minister in the United States fostered the rising sedition of the Canadian people; that large sums of money had been transmitted by the French Government, for the support of the insurgents. This idea, although ingenious, was absurd, as future events will sufficiently testify; but nothing appeared strange to the Go

vernor, who, in the present excited state of his imagination, was ready to give implicit confidence to whatever told to the disadvantage of the Canadian people.

At length there appeared a placard, or hand-bill, signed L'Ami Sincère*. This determined the Governor to seize the press of the Canadien, and, on the 17th of March, 1810, a party of military seized both the printing materials and the printer, who, in spite of the immense sums of French money, and, we suppose, to the great astonishment of Sir James Craig, was conducted to prison without oppositionwithout the slightest tumult. At the same time, and with the same ease and quietness, many other respectable Canadians, among whom were some members of the House of Assembly, were also sent to prison: and thus ended this dreadful revolution. Some time after, they were politely requested to leave the gaol in which they had been confined; -no explanations being given-no compensation offeredno justification being required. One of them, however, more obstinate than the rest, refused to depart, unless some process, or trial, should take place; and remained one year longer incarcerated. Perceiving that he gained nothing by thus holding out, he then took his leave of the gaoler. It perhaps may be satisfactory to learn, that, in the succeeding administration, all these injured persons were recompensed by lucrative places; that the printing press was restored to the original proprietors; and that the most obstinate among them, being an advocate, was advanced to the post of a judge.

We may here be permitted to remark, that the recompense thus bestowed was no retribution: it came not from the hand that had worked the evil-it came not from the law, acting as the redresser of wrongs-but was solely the result of the good feeling and good sense of the next governor, using his private judgment; and, though the

* From this placard, the reader will find some extracts in the Appendix, No. VIII.

world well understood the reason of the favours then bestowed upon these injured persons, no public avowal of misconduct on the part of the former Governor was ever made-no public and formal acknowledgment of the innocence of those he had imprisoned was ever attempted: the illegal act passed off without censure, and might be committed anew, for aught then or since done respecting it.

From this moment, the conduct of Sir James Craig, as well as of those who advised him, became utterly inexplicable. Hitherto he had enjoyed a fair share of popularity: he seemed determined now, however, to omit nothing which might render him obnoxious to the people. He constantly dissolved the Parliament, without the shadow of a pretext; he used insulting language towards the representatives of the people, and acted in every way, and to the highest degree his situation permitted, the imperious and reckless despot. The consequence was, that he inflamed the public mind, brought on discussion, and taught the Canadians to study the constitution which the Imperial Parliament had bestowed on them. They determined to resist, step by step, every encroachment on their rights; and thus the attempts to establish a despotic sway, and to beat down the spirit of the people, served to establish a free government, and create a sturdy independence. From this moment the influence of the popular party, among the Canadians, became paramount; the Canadian and Anti-Canadian parties became permanently and inveterately opposed: all the natives, whether of English or French extraction, now feel the necessity of acting in concert-they feel no longer any shame in acknowledging themselves Canadians. The spirit of nationality is augmenting, and must continue to increase. It has unfortunately, but unavoidably, caused an insurmountable jealousy against the power and dominion of persons sent from England ;-persons possessing themselves of all the most important posts in the government ;-persons unacquainted with the true interests of the people, and desirous of showing their superiority by continually calum