the canadian dominion-第4部分

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　in　a　crisis　toward　France；　but　to　ensure；　if　the　worst　came　to　the　worst；　a　military　base　in　that　northland　whose　terrors　had　in　old　days　kept　the　seaboard　colonies　circumspectly　loyal。　Ministers　in　London　had　been　driven　by　events　to　accept　Carleton's　paradox；　that　to　make　Quebec　British；　it　must　be　prevented　from　becoming　English。　If　in　later　years　the　solidarity　and　aloofness　of　the　French…Canadian　people　were　sometimes　to　prove　inconvenient　to　British　interests；　it　was　always　to　be　remembered　that　this　situation　was　due　in　great　part　to　the　deliberate　action　of　Great　Britain　in　strengthening　French…Canadian　institutions　as　a　means　of　advancing　what　she　considered　her　own　interests　in　America。　〃The　views　of　the　British　Government　in　respect　to　the　political　uses　to　which　it　means　to　make　Canada　subservient；〃　Marriott　had　truly　declared；　〃must　direct　the　spirit　of　any　code　of　laws。〃

The　Quebec　Act　multiplied　the　area　of　the　colony　sevenfold　by　the　restoration　of　all　Labrador　on　the　east　and　the　region　west　as　far　as　the　Ohio　and　the　Mississippi　and　north　to　the　Hudson's　Bay　Company's　territory。　It　restored　the　old　French　civil　law　but　continued　the　milder　English　criminal　law　already　in　operation。　It　gave　to　the　Roman　Catholic　inhabitants　the　free　exercise　of　their　religion；　subject　to　a　modified　oath　of　allegiance；　and　confirmed　the　clergy　in　their　right　〃to　hold；　receive　and　enjoy　their　accustomed　dues　and　rights；　with　respect　to　such　persons　only　as　shall　confess　the　said　religion。〃　The　promised　elective　Assembly　was　not　granted；　but　a　Council　appointed　by　the　Crown　received　a　measure　of　legislative　power。

On　his　return　to　Canada　in　September；　1774；　Carleton　reported　that　the　Canadians　had　〃testified　the　strongest　marks　of　Joy　and　Gratitude　and　Fidelity　to　their　King　and　to　His　Government　for　the　late　Arrangements　made　at　Home　in　their　Favor。〃　The　〃most　respectable　part　of　the　English；〃　he　continued；　urged　peaceful　acceptance　of　the　new　order。　Evidently；　however；　the　respectable　members　of　society　were　few；　as　the　great　body　of　the　English　settlers　joined　in　a　petition　for　the　repeal　of　the　Act　on　the　ground　that　it　deprived　them　of　the　incalculable　benefits　of　habeas　corpus　and　trial　by　jury。　The　Montreal　merchants；　whether；　as　Carleton　commented；　they　〃were　of　a　more　turbulent　Turn；　or　that　they　caught　the　Fire　from　some　Colonists　settled　among　them；〃　were　particularly　outspoken　in　the　town　meetings　they　held。　In　the　older　colonies　the　opposition　was　still　more　emphatic。　An　Act　which　hemmed　them　in　to　the　seacoast；　established　on　the　American　continent　a　Church　they　feared　and　hated；　and　continued　an　autocratic　political　system；　appeared　to　many　to　be　the　undoing　of　the　work　of　Pitt　and　Wolfe　and　the　revival　on　the　banks　of　the　St。　Lawrence　and　the　Mississippi　of　a　serious　menace　to　their　liberty　and　progress。

Then　came　the　clash　at　Lexington；　and　the　War　of　American　Independence　had　begun。　The　causes；　the　course；　and　the　ending　of　that　great　civil　war　have　been　treated　elsewhere　in　this　series。*　Here　it　is　necessary　only　to　note　its　bearings　on　the　fate　of　Canada。

*　See　〃The　Eve　of　the　Revolution〃　and　〃Washington　and　His　Comrades　in　Arms〃　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


Early　in　1775　the　Continental　Congress　undertook　the　conquest　of　Canada；　or；　as　it　was　more　diplomatically　phrased；　the　relief　of　its　inhabitants　from　British　tyranny。　Richard　Montgomery　led　an　expedition　over　the　old　route　by　Lake　Champlain　and　the　Richelieu；　along　which　French　and　Indian　raiding　parties　used　to　pass　years　before；　and　Benedict　Arnold　made　a　daring　and　difficult　march　up　the　Kennebec　and　down　the　Chaudiere　to　Quebec。　Montreal　fell　to　Montgomery；　and　Carleton　himself　escaped　capture　only　by　the　audacity　of　some　French…Canadian　voyageurs；　who；　under　cover　of　darkness；　rowed　his　whaleboat　or　paddled　it　with　their　hands　silently　past　the　American　sentinels　on　the　shore。　Once　down　the　river　and　in　Quebec；　Carleton　threw　himself　with　vigor　and　skill　into　the　defense　of　his　capital。　His　generalship　and　the　natural　strength　of　the　position　proved　more　than　a　match　for　Montgomery　and　Arnold。　Montgomery　was　killed　and　Arnold　wounded　in　a　vain　attempt　to　carry　the　city　by　storm　on　the　last　night　of　1775。　At　Montreal　a　delegation　from　Congress；　composed　of　Benjamin　Franklin；　Samuel　Chase；　and　Charles　Carroll　of　Carrollton；　accompanied　by　Carroll's　brother；　a　Jesuit　priest　and　a　future　archbishop；　failed　to　achieve…more　by　diplomacy　than　their　generals　had　done　by　the　sword。　The　Canadians　seemed；　content　enough　to　wear　the　British　yoke。　In　the　spring；　when　a　British　fleet　arrived　with　reenforcements；　the　American　troops　retired　in　haste　and；　before　the　Declaration　of　Independence　had　been　proclaimed；　Canada　was　free　from　the　last　of　its　ten　thousand　invaders。

The　expedition　had　put　Carleton's　policy　to　the　test。　On　the　whole　it　stood　the　strain。　The　seigneurs　had　rallied　to　the　Government　which　had　restored　their　rights；　and　the　clergy　had　called　on　the　people　to　stand　fast　by　the　King。　So　far　all　went　as　Carleton　had　hoped：　〃The　Noblesse；　Clergy；　and　greater　part　of　the　Bourgeoisie；〃　he　wrote；　〃have　given　Government　every　Assistance　in　their　Power。〃　But　the　habitants　refused　to　follow　their　appointed　leaders　with　the　old　docility；　and　some　even　mobbed　the　seigneurs　who　tried　to　enroll　them。　Ten　years　of　freedom　had　worked　a　democratic　change　in　them；　and　they　were　much　less　enthusiastic　than　their　betters　about　the　restoration　of　seigneurial　privileges。　Carleton；　like　many　another；　had　held　as　public　opinion　what　were　merely　the　opinions　of　those　whom　he　met　at　dinner。　〃These　people　had　been　governed　with　too　loose　a　rein　for　many　years；〃　he　now　wrote　to　Burgoyne；　〃and　had　imbibed　too　much　of　the　American　Spirit　of　Licentiousness　and　Independence　administered　by　a　numerous　and　turbulent　Faction　here；　to　be　suddenly　restored　to　a　proper　and　desirable　Subordination。〃　A　few　of　the　habitants　joined　his　forces；　fewer　joined　the　invaders　or　sold　them　suppliestill　they　grew　suspicious　of　paper　〃Continentals。〃　But　the　majority　held　passively　aloof。　Even　when　France　joined　the　warring　colonies　and　Admiral　d'Estaing　appealed　to　the　Canadians　to　rise；　they　did　not　heed；　though　it　is　difficult　to　say　what　the　result　would　have　been　if　Washington　had　agreed　to　Lafayette's　plan　of　a　joint　French　and　American　invasion　in　1778。

Nova　Scotia　also　held　aloof；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　many　of　the　men　who　had　come　from　New　England　and　from　Ulster　were　eager　to　join　the　colonies　to　the　south。　In　Nova　Scotia　democracy　was　a　less　hardy　plant　than　in　Massachusetts。　The　town　and　township　institutions；　which　had　been　the　nurseries　of　resistance　in　New　England；　had　not　been　allowed　to　take　root　there。　The　circumstances　of　the　founding　of　Halifax　had　given　ripe　to　a　greater　tendency；　which　lasted　long；　to　lean　upon　the　mother　country。　The　Maine　wilderness　made　intercourse　between　Nova　Scotia　and　New　England　difficult　by　land；　and　the　British　fleet　was　in　control　of　the　sea　until　near　the　close　of　the　war。　Nova　Scotia　stood　by　Great　Britain；　and　was　reserved　to　become　part　of　a　northern　nation　still　in　the　making。

That　nation　was　to　owe　its　separate　ex