the canadian dominion-第11部分

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opposition　of　a　Whig　group　led　by　Burdett　and　Mackintosh；　and　then　Papineau　and　Neilson　sailed　to　London　and　succeeded　in　inducing　the　Ministry　to　stay　its　hand。　The　danger　was　averted；　but　Papineau　had　become　convinced　that　if　his　people　were　to　retain　the　rights　given　them　by　their　〃Sacred　Charter〃　they　would　have　to　fight　for　them。　If　they　were　to　save　their　power；　they　must　increase　it。

How　could　this　be　done？　Baldwin's　bold　and　revolutionary　policy　of　making　the　Executive　responsible　to　the　Assembly　did　not　seem　within　the　range　of　practical　politics。　It　meant　in　practice　the　abandonment　of　British　control；　and　this　the　Colonial　Office　was　not　willing　to　grant。　Antoine　Panet　and　other　Assembly　leaders　had　suggested　in　1815　that　it　would　be　well；　〃if　it　were　possible；　to　grant　a　number　of　places　as　Councillors　or　other　posts　of　honour　and　of　profit　to　those　who　have　most　influence　over　the　majority　in　the　Assembly；　to　hold　so　long　as　they　maintained　this　influence；〃　and　James　Stuart　urged　the　same　tentative　suggestion　a　year　later。　But　even　before　this　the　Colonial　Office　had　made　clear　its　position。　〃His　Majesty's　Government；〃　declared　the　Colonial　Secretary；　Lord　Bathurst；　in　1814；　〃never　can　admit　so　novel　&　inconvenient　a　Principle　as　that　of　allowing　the　Governor　of　a　Colony　to　be　divested　of　his　responsibility　＇to　the　Colonial　Office＇　for　the　acts　done　during　his　administration　or　permit　him　to　shield　himself　under　the　advice　of　any　Persons；　however　respectable；　either　from　their　character　or　their　Office。〃

Two　other　courses　had　the　sanction　of　precedent；　one　of　English；　the　other　of　American　example。　The　English　House　of　Commons　had　secured　its　dominant　place　in　the　government　of　the　country　by　its　control　of　the　purse。　Why　should　not　the　Assembly　do　likewise？　One　obvious　difficulty　lay　in　the　fact　that　the　Assembly　was　not　the　sole　authority　in　raising　revenue。　The　British　Parliament　had　retained　the　power　to　levy　certain　duties　as　part　of　its　system　of　commercial　control；　and　other　casual　and　territorial　dues　lay　in　the　right　of　the　Crown。　From　1820；　therefore；　the　Assembly's　main　aim　was　twofoldto　obtain　control　of　these　remaining　sources　of　revenue；　and　by　means　of　this　power　to　bludgeon　the　Legislative　Council　and　the　Governor　into　compliance　with　its　wishes。　The　Colonial　Office　made　concessions；　offering　to　resign　all　its　taxing　powers　in　return　for　a　permanent　civil　list；　that　is；　an　assurance　that　the　salaries　of　the　chief　officials　would　not　be　questioned　annually。　The　offer　was　reasonable　in　itself　but；　as　it　would　have　hampered　the　full　use　of　the　revenue　bludgeon；　it　was　scornfully　declined。

The　other　aim　of　the　Patriotes；　as　the　Opposition　styled　themselves；　was　to　conquer　the　Legislative　Council　by　making　it　elective。　Papineau；　in　spite　of　his　early　prejudices；　was　drawn　more　and　more　into　sympathy　with　the　form　of　democracy　worked　out　in　the　United　States。　In　fact；　he　not　only　looked　to　it　as　a　model　but；　as　the　thirties　wore　on；　he　came　to　hope　that　moral；　if　not　physical；　support　might　be　found　there　for　his　campaign　against　the　English　Government。　After　1830　the　demand　for　an　elective　Legislative　Council　became　more　and　more　insistent。

The　struggle　soon　reached　a　deadlock。　Governor　followed　Governor：　Lord　Dalhousie；　Sir　James　Kempt；　Lord　Aylmer；　all　in　turn　failed　to　allay　the　storm。　The　Assembly　raised　its　claims　each　session　and　fulminated　against　all　the　opposing　powers　in　windy

resolutions。　Papineau；　embittered　by　continued　opposition；　carried　away　by　his　own　eloquence；　and　steadied　by　no　responsibility　of　office；　became　more　implacable　in　his　demands。　Many　of　his　moderate　supportersNeilson；　Andrew　Stuart；　Quesnel；　Cuvillierfell　away；　only　to　be　overwhelmed　in　the　first　election　at　a　wave　of　the　great　tribune's　hand。　Business　was　blocked；　supplies　were　not　voted；　and　civil　servants　made　shift　without　salary　as　best　they　could。

The　British　Government　awoke；　or　half　awoke；　to　the　seriousness　of　the　situation。　In　1835　a　Royal　Commission　of　three；　with　the　new　Governor　General；　Lord　Gosford；　as　chairman；　was　appointed　to　make　inquiries　and　to　recommend　a　policy。　Gosford；　a　genial　Irishman；　showed　himself　most　conciliatory　in　both　private　intercourse　and　public　discourse。　Unfortunately　the　rash　act　of　the　new　Lieutenant　Governor　of　Upper　Canada；　Sir　Francis　Bond　Head；　in　publishing　the　instructions　of　the　Colonial　Office；　showed　that　the　policy　of　Downing　Street　was　the　futile　one　of　conciliation　without　concession。　The　Assembly　once　more　refused　to　grant　supplies　without　redress　of　grievances。　The　Commissioners　made　their　report　opposing　any　substantial　change。　In　March；　1837；　Lord　John　Russell；　Chancellor　of　the　Exchequer　in　the　Melbourne　Ministry；　opposed　only　by　a　handful　of　Radical　and　Irish　members；　carried　through　the　British　Parliament　a　series　of　resolutions　authorizing　the　Governor　to　take　from　the　Treasury　without　the　consent　of　the　Assembly　the　funds　needed　for　civil　administration；　offering　control　of　all　revenues　in　return　for　a　permanent　civil　list；　and　rejecting　absolutely　the　demands　alike　for　a　responsible　Executive　and　for　an　elective　Council。

British　statesmanship　was　bankrupt。　Its　final　answer　to　the　demands　for　redress　was　to　stand　pat。　Papineau；　without　seeing　what　the　end　would　be；　held　to　his　course。　Younger　men；　carried　away　by　the　passions　he　had　aroused；　pushed　on　still　more　recklessly。　If　reform　could　not　be　obtained　within　the　British　Empire；　it　must　be　sought　by　setting　up　an　independent　republic　on　the　St。　Lawrence　or　by　annexation　to　the　United　States。


In　Upper　Canada；　at　the　same　time；　matters　had　come　to　the　verge　of　rebellion。　Sir　John　Colborne　had；　just　before　retiring　as　Lieutenant　Governor　in　1836；　added　fuel　to　the　flames　by　creating　and　endowing　some　forty…four　rectories；　thus　strengthening　the　grip　of　the　Anglican　Church　on　the　province。　His　successor；　Sir　Francis　Bond　Head；　was　a　man　of　such　rash　and　unbalanced　judgment　as　to　lend　support　to　the　tradition　that　he　was　appointed　by　mistake　for　his　cousin；　Edmund　Head；　who　was　made　Governor　of　United　Canada　twenty　years　later。　He　appointed　to　his　Executive　Council　three　Reformers；　Baldwin；　Rolph；　and　Dunn；　only　to　make　clear　by　his　refusal　to　consult　them　his　inability　to　understand　their　demand　for　responsible　government。　All　the　members　of　the　Executive　Council　thereupon　resigned；　and　the　Assembly　refused　supplies。　Head　dissolved　the　House　and　appealed　to　the　people。

The　weight　of　executive　patronage；　the　insistence　of　the　Governor　that　British　connection　was　at　stake；　the　alarms　caused　by　some　injudicious　statements　of　Mackenzie　and　his　Radical　ally　in　England；　Joseph　Hume；　and　the　defection　of　the　Methodists；　whose　leader；　Egerton　Ryerson；　had　quarreled　with　Mackenzie；　resulted　in　the　overwhelming　defeat　of　the　Reformers。　The　sting　of　defeat；　the　failure　of　the　Family　Compact　to　carry　out　their　eleventh　hour　promises　of　reform；　and　the　passing　of　Lord　John　Russell's　reactionary　resolutions　convinced　a　section　of　the　Reform　party；　in　Upper　Canada　as　well　as　in　Lower　Canada；　that　an　appeal　to　force　was　the　only　way　out。

Toward　the　end　of　1837　armed　rebellion　broke　out　in　both　the　Canadas。　In　both　it　was　merely　a　flash　in　the　pan。　In　Lower　Canada　there　had　been　latterly　much　use　of　the　phrases　of　revolution　and　some　drilling；　but　rebellion　was　neither　definitely　planned　nor　carefully　organized。　The　more　extreme　leaders　of　the　Patriotes　simply　drifted　into　it；　and　the　actual　outbreak　was　a　haphazard　affair。　Alarmed　by　the　sudden　and　seemingly　concerted　departure　of　Papineau　and　some　of　his　lieutenants；　Nelson；　Brown；　and　O'Callaghan；　from　Montreal；　the　Government　gave　orders　for　their　arrest。　The　petty　skirmish　that　followed　on　November　16；　1837；　was　the　signal　for　the　rallying　of　armed　habitants　around　impromptu　leaders　at　various　points。　The　rising　was　local　and　spasmodic。　The　vast　body　of　the　habitants　stood　aloof。　The　Catholic　Church；　which　earlier　had　sympathized　with　Papineau；　had　parted　from　him　when　he　developed　radical　and　republican　views。　Now　the　strong　exhortations　of　the　clergy　to　the　faithful　counted　for　much　in　keeping　peace；　and　in　one　view　justified　the　policy　of　the　British　Government　in　seeking　to　purchase　their　favor。　The　Quebec　and　Three　Rivers　districts　remained　quiet。　In　the　Richelieu　and　Montreal　districts；　where　disaffection　was　strongest；　the　habitants　lacked　leadership；　discipline；　and　touch　with　other　groups；　and　were　armed　only　with　old　flintlocks；　scythes；　or　clubs。　Here　and　there　a　brave　and　skillful　leader；　such　as　Dr。　Jean　Olivier　Chenier；　was　thrown　up　by　the　evidence　opened　a　way　out　of　the　difficult　situation。　A　year　later　Peel　and　Webster；　representing　the　two　countries；　exchanged　formal　explanations；　and　the　incident　was　closed。

In　Upper　Canada　many　a　rebel　sympathizer　lay　for　months　in　jail；　but　only　two　leaders；　Lount　and　Matthews；　both　brave　men；　paid　the　penalty　of　death　for　their　failure。　In　Lower　Canada　the　new　Governor　General；　Lord　Durham；　proved　more　clement；　merely　banishing　to　Bermuda　eight　of　the　captured　leaders。　When；　a　year　later；　after　Durham's　return　to　England；　a　second　brief　rising　broke　out　under　Robert　Nelson；　it　was　stamped　out　in　a　week；　twelve　of　the　ringleaders　were　executed；　and　others　were　deported　to　Botany　Bay。

The　rebellion；　it　seemed；　had　failed　and　failed　miserably。　Most　of　the　leaders　of　the　extreme　factions　in　both　provinces　had　been　discredited；　and　the　moderate　men　had　been　driven　into　the　government　camp。　Yet　in　one　sense　the　rising　proved　successful。　It　was　not　the　first　nor　the　last　time　that　wild　and　misguided　force　brought　reform　where　sane　and　moderate　tactics　met　only　contempt。　If　men　were　willing　to　die　to　redress　their　wrongs；　the　most　easy…going　official　could　no　longer　deny　that　there　was　a　case　for　inquiry　and　possibly　for　reform。　Lord　Melbourne's　Government　had　acted　at　once　in　sending　out　to　Canada；　as　Governor　General　and　High　Commissioner　with　sweeping　powers；　one　of　the　ablest　men　in　English　public　life。　Lord　Durham　was　an　aristocratic　Radical；　intensely　devoted　to　political　equality　and　equally　convinced　of　his　own　personal　superiority。　Yet　he　had　vision；　firmness；　independence；　and　his　very　rudene