The English society thus forming a public opinion of their own, it may easily be supposed, that the sanction of that public is not always directed against conduct which, though highly immoral, affects not their own peculiar

friends, very properly refused. The consequence was, that all the fashionable persons looked upon him with an unfavourable eye, and would eventually have considerably injured his reputation, even among his compatriots, had he not called together a public assembly, where he explained the whole circumstances, and fully justified himself in the eyes of every one. It was well known, besides, that, in former cases, he had conducted himself as a man of courage and correct principle. With his compatriots, therefore, he was completely justified. In the opinion of the English society, however, matters wore a different aspect; and, although the Governor, Sir John C. Sherbrooke, was marked in his attentions to the Canadian gentleman who had been insulted, a complete division took place. This disagreeable quarrel took place a little before the meeting of the Quebec dancing assemblies, of which the Canadian had been previously named (and, after his general call of the citizens, renamed) a manager; the consequence was, that the assemblies were broken up, and the English separated from the French society; and each lived, and I understand are still living, so completely divided from the other, as almost to give the appearance rather of two hostile nations, than of two portions of the same people.

As a specimen of manners, I quote the following anecdote, from a private journal lying before me :

"Ayant eu occasion de faire quelque application au Governeur-en-Chef, en 1826, par la voie de son secrétaire militaire (military secretary), et ayant cru que je pouvais m'expliquer plus particulièrement avec le dit secrétaire si je lui étais introduit, je demandai à un de mes amis (un des premiers officiers civils, dans la colonie) de vouloir bien avoir cette bonté, ce à quoi il consentit avec sa politesse ordinaire; mais quelle fut ma surprise en paraissant devant ce grand personnage (c'était un homme de plus de six pieds de haut) d'être reçu, comme on dit en Canada, comme un chien dans un jeu de quille!' Comme il s'agissait simplement de faire parvenir certains papiers et documents à son Excellence, la visite ne fut pas bien longue, lui donnant à entendre que je n'étais pas venu pour demander aucune faveur, ni pour me soumettre à sa mercuriale, mais seulement pour le prier de transmettre au Governeur, qui était alors à Halifax, certains documents sur lesquels je désirais avoir sa réponse. Il se chargea d'une manière brusque et réluctante de mes papiers, et promit, malgré cela, de les lui faire parvenir. Je quittai l'office de ce nouveau Cerbère, en remerciant mon ami pour le trouble qu'il s'était donné, et qui ne fut pas moins surpris que moi de la réception gracieuse que nous avions eu, et je retournai à mon hôtel, bien convaincu qu'une telle conduite de la part du secrétaire militaire, ou de tout autre officier public, devait affecter le caractère et la popularité du Gouverneur-en-Chef, dans bien des cas le prévenir contre

interests. Want of courtesy is not looked upon as improper when the object of insult is a Canadian; and even in transactions depending on the common principles of honesty, their example and influence are pernicious in their effects. To be in debt, and refuse to pay the money owed, is highly fashionable. Men in the most respectable and lucrative offices are deeply involved, and allow actions to be brought against themselves without shame or scruple; and that too for the most trifling sums, putting off the actions from term to term by every possible evasion the law allows; and never satisfying the creditor till judgment and execution absolutely compels them. Men who have salaries of £.1000, or £.1200 a year (which, in fact, is more than £.2000 in England), will laugh at, and amuse themselves with the idea of having an execution in their houses for the paltry sum of ten or twelve pounds; and yet, should you doubt of their respectability, it is high treason against the State. Amongst a multitude of cases which might be cited, I remember one which sets off to great advantage the existing morality respecting money transactions. Capt. A. and Mr. B., considered among the most fashionable and distinguished personages in Quebec, lived together, and were both deeply in debt. When an execution came against Capt. A.'s goods, Mr. B. was always ready to claim the property in the house as his; and when an execution came against Mr. B., Capt. A. was equally ready to lay claim to the same identical furniture: and, yet during the whole of this dishonest proceeding, they were received, and received with distinction, by every great person in the town. Judges, the high functionaries of

les gens qui ne sont pas toujours d'humeur à se faire traiter de la sorte sans quelque cause, et lui faire commettre de grandes injustices, ce qui fut clairement démontré par le résultat de mon application."

Here we have the feelings of the individual expressed without much care; as they rose in his mind, so they are put down; and the cause of his discontent is unequivocally stated to be the manner of this public functionary. This manner is not described; in fact it could not be so. The look, the tone, the gesture of insult and contempt, cannot be expressed in words, although, in fact, they are bitterly effective.

the Church and of the Government associated with them, expressing, and probably feeling, no scruples at so doing. The following colloquy at length occurred, and the results effectually put an end to this extraordinary proceeding.

SHERIFF'S OFFICER.-Captain A., I have an execution against you, and come for the purpose of levying upon it. Capt. A. (calling up the stairs.)-I say, B., here is a fellow come to seize my goods; just come down and tell him these goods are not mine.

Mr. B. (having descended the stairs, and addressing the Officer.)—Fellow, these goods are mine; and I order you out of my house immediately.

SHERIFF'S OFFICER.-Well then, Sir, if they are your goods, I'll just take them on account of an execution I have against you. The consequences may be imagined.

These things, though they assume a ludicrous appearance, are, in reality, serious matters; they mark a state of feeling in the highest degree injurious to the people, both as regards their property and their morality. Habits are created amongst the richer classes, by the force of example, destructive of every virtuous principle. Idleness, carelessness respecting the sanctity of engagements, contempt of honest and laborious avocations, desire of show and of expense, and recklessness as to the means of gratifying that desire; in short, all the mass of evil which overgrown power and wealth have created in England, are transplanted into our poor and hitherto frugal community; and we thus possess all the foul deformity of the mischief, without those elegancies which here, in some degree, prove a species of mitigation for it.

What, it may be asked, can be done to remedy the mischief? Is it not inherent in every state of society, and by no means confined to that corner of the earth called Canada ? My answer is, that the evils I have stated are not inherent in the nature of things, and that the remedy is easy. Whether it be so, or not, however, is not here the question; my intention was, to describe the state of society; and that intention, I hope, I have honestly carried into execution: what I saw,

I have described; and the description I have given, few will be found to contradict. Some may consider the facts stated, not to be mischievous; and thus may deem, that no reformation is required with these I have no concern. To those, indeed, who believe that a divided people must be an unhappy people; who consider that internal discord is a fruitful source of misery and crime, the subject of the remedy must be an interesting topic. The evil, I think, has been shown to grow out of political causes; to arise from imperfections in the frame of the government: That which remedies the government, therefore, will affect these results. But the alterations of the government which I intend to propose, will be explained in a separate chapter. To this chapter I refer the reader who feels an interest on the subject; merely observing, that one of the great benefits I hoped to be derived from the proposed reform, is the important change that will necessarily follow in the manners and frame of the whole society.

CHAPTER V.

State of Education.

EDUCATION, among the people of Lower Canada, and particularly in the country, having made but little progress, as compared with that of the people of the United States, the Roman Catholic clergy have been considered the cause of this want of advance, and accused of a desire to keep the people in ignorance, inasmuch as they hope thereby to maintain a command over their opinions and their conduct. Nothing, however, can be more false, either as regards the cause of the little progress of education among us, or as regards the feelings of the priesthood; it being indubitable, that had it not been for the arduous endeavours of the Roman Catholic clergy, the people would, of necessity, have been far more ignorant than at present. To their active personal exertions, to the seminaries which they have built and superintended, is owing whatever knowledge is spread among the various ranks of Canadian society.

The Jesuits, careful to possess themselves of property in every quarter of the globe, obtained considerable estates in Lower Canada; (at the time of the conquest, their landed domains consisted of about one million of acres ;) and built in Quebecan immense college, or seminary of instruction for the Canadian youth. But as, in 1764, the Order was suppressed, the seminary of Quebec, originally destined merely