the canadian dominion-第6部分

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ed　the　whole　island　by　lottery　to　army　and　navy　officers　and　country　gentlemen；　on　condition　of　the　payment　of　small　quitrents。　The　quitrents　were　rarely　paid；　and　the　tenants　of　the　absentee　landlords　kept　up　an　agitation　for　reform　which　was　unceasing　but　which　was　not　to　be　successful　for　a　hundred　years。　In　all　three　Maritime　Provinces　political　and　party　controversy　was　little　known　for　a　generation　after　the　Revolution。

It　was　more　difficult　to　decide　what　form　of　government　should　be　set　up　in　Canada；　now　that　tens　of　thousands　of　English…speaking　settiers　dwelt　beside　the　old　Canadians。　Carleton；　now　Lord　Dorchester；　had　returned　as　Governor　in　1786；　after　eight　years'　absence。　He　was　still　averse　to　granting　an　Assembly　so　long　as　the　French　subjects　were　in　the　majority：　they　did　not　want　it；　he　insisted；　and　could　not　use　it。　But　the　Loyalist　settlers；　not　to　be　put　off；　joined　with　the　English　merchants　of　Montreal　and　Quebec　in　demanding　an　Assembly　and　relief　from　the　old　French　laws。　Carleton　himself　was　compelled　to　admit　the　force　of　the　conclusion　of　William　Grenville；　Secretary　of　State　for　the　Home　Department；　then　in　control　of　the　remnants　of　the　colonial　empire；　and　son　of　that　George　Grenville　who；　as　Prime　Minister；　had　introduced　the　American　Stamp　Act　of　1765：　〃I　am　persuaded　that　it　is　a　point　of　true　Policy　to　make　these　Concessions　at　a　time　when　they　may　be　received　as　a　matter　of　favour；　and　when　it　is　in　Our　own　power　to　regulate　and　direct　the　manner　of　applying　them；　rather　than　to　wait　till　they　shall　be　extorted　from　us　by　a　necessity　which　shall　neither　leave　us　any　discretion　in　the　form　nor　any　merit　in　the　substance　of　what　We　give。〃　Accordingly；　in　1791；　the　British　Parliament　passed　the　Constitutional　Act　dividing　Canada　into　two　provinces　separated　by　the　Ottawa　River；　Lower　or　French…speaking　Canada　and　Upper　or　English…speaking　Canada；　and　granting　each　an　elective　Assembly。

Thus　far　the　tide　of　democracy　had　risen；　but　thus　far　only。　Few　in　high　places　had　learned　the　full　lesson　of　the　American　Revolution。　The　majority　believed　that　the　old　colonies　had　been　lost　because　they　had　not　been　kept　under　a　sufficiently　tight　rein；　that　democracy　had　been　allowed　too　great　headway；　that　the　remaining　colonies；　therefore；　should　be　brought　under　stricter　administrative　control；　and　that　care　should　be　taken　to　build　up　forces　to　counteract　the　democracy　which　grew　so　rank　and　swift　in　frontier　soil。　This　conservative　tendency　was　strengthened　by　the　outbreak　of　the　French　Revolution　in　1789。*　The　rulers　of　England　had　witnessed　two　revolutions；　and　the　lesson　they　drew　from　both　was　that　it　was　best　to　smother　democracy　in　the　cradle。

*　It　will　be　remembered　that　in　the　debate　on　the　Constitutional　Act　the　conflicting　views　of　Burke　and　Fox　on　the　French　Revolution　led　to　the　dramatic　break　in　their　lifelong　friendship。


For　this　reason　the　measure　of　representative　government　that　had　been　granted　each　of　the　remaining　British　colonies　in　North　America　was　carefully　hedged　about。　The　whole　executive　power　remained　in　the　hands　of　the　Governor　or　his　nominees。　No　one　yet　conceived　it　possible　that　the　Assembly　should　control　the　Executive　Council。　The　elective　Assembly　was　compelled　to　share　even　the　lawmaking　power　with　an　upper　house；　the　Legislative　Council。　Not　only　were　the　members　of　this　upper　house　appointed　by　the　Crown　for　life；　but　the　King　was　empowered　to　bestow　hereditary　titles　upon　them　with　a　view　to　making　the　Council　in　the　fullness　of　time　a　copy　of　the　House　of　Lords。　A　blow　was　struck　even　at　that　traditional　prerogative　of　the　popular　house；　the　control　of　the　purse。　Carleton　had　urged　that　in　every　township　a　sixth　of　the　land　should　be　reserved　to　enable　His　Majesty　〃to　reward　such　of　His　provincial　Servants　as　may　merit　the　Royal　favour〃　and　〃to　create　and　strengthen　an　Aristocracy；　of　which　the　best　use　may　be　made　on　this　Continent；　where　all　Governments　are　feeble　and　the　general　condition　of　things　tends　to　a　wild　Democracy。〃　Grenville　saw　further　possibilities　in　this　suggestion。　It　would　give　the　Crown　a　revenue　which　would　make　it　independent　of　the　Assembly；　〃a　measure；　which；　if　it　had　been　adopted　when　the　Old　Colonies　were　first　settled；　would　have　retained　them　to　this　hour　in　obedience　and　Loyalty。〃　Nor　was　this　all。　From　the　same　source　an　endowment　might　be　obtained　for　a　state　church　which　would　be　a　bulwark　of　order　and　conservatism。　The　Constitutional　Act　accordingly　provided　for　setting　aside　lands　equal　in　value　to　one…seventh　of　all　lands　granted　from　time　to　time；　for　the　support　of　a　Protestant　clergy。　The　Executive　Council　received　power　to　set　up　rectories　in　every　parish；　to　endow　them　liberally；　and　to　name　as　rectors　ministers　of　the　Church　of　England。　Further；　the　Executive　Council　was　instructed　to　retain　an　equal　amount　of　land　as　crown　reserves；　distributed　judiciously　in　blocks　between　the　grants　made　to　settlers。　Were　any　radical　tendencies　to　survive　these　attentions；　the　veto　power　of　the　British　Government　could　be　counted　on　in　the　last　resort。

For　a　time　the　installment　of　self…government　thus　granted　satisfied　the　people。　The　pioneer　years　left　little　leisure　for　political　discussion；　nor　were　there　at　first　any　general　issues　about　which　men　might　differ。　The　Government　was　carrying　on　acceptably　the　essential　tasks　of　surveying；　land　granting；　and　road　building；　and　each　member　of　the　Assembly　played　his　own　hand　and　was　chiefly　concerned　in　obtaining　for　his　constituents　the　roads　and　bridges；　they　needed　so　badly。　The　English…speaking　settlers　of　Upper　Canada　were　too　widely　scattered；　and　the　French…speaking　citizens　of　Lower　Canada　were　too　ignorant　of　representative　institutions；　to　act　in　groups　or　parties。

Much　turned　in　these　early　years　upon　the　personality　of　the　Governor。　In　several　instances；　the　choice　of　rulers　for　the　new　provinces　proved　fortunate。　This　was　particularly　so　in　the　case　of　John　Graves　Simcoe；　Lieutenant　Governor　of　Upper　Canada　from　1792　to　1799。　He　was　a　good　soldier　and　a　just　and　vigorous　administrator；　particularly　wise　in　setting　his　regulars　to　work　building　roads　such　as　Yonge　Street　and　Dundas　Street；　which　to　this　day　are　great　provincial　arteries　of　travel。　Yet　there　were　many　sources　of　weakness　in　the　scheme　of　governmentdivided　authority；　absenteeism；　personal　unfitness。　When　Dorchester　was　reappointed　in　1786；　he　had　been　made　Governor　in　Chief　of　all　British　North　America。　From　the　beginning；　however；　the　Lieutenant　Governors　of　the　various　provinces　asserted　independent　authority；　and　in　a　few　years　the　Governor　General　became　in　fact　merely　the　Governor　of　the　most　populous　province；　Lower　Canada；　in　which　he　resided。

In　Upper　Canada；　as　in　New　Brunswick；　the　population　was　at　first　much　at　one。　In　time；　however；　discordant　elements　appeared。　Religious；　or　at　least　denominational；　differences　began　to　cause　friction。　The　great　majority　of　the　early　settlers　in　Upper　Canada　belonged　to　the　Church　of　England；　whose　adherents　in　the　older　colonies　had　nearly　all　taken　the　Loyalist　side。　Of　the　Ulster　Presbyterians　and　New　England　Congregationalists　who　forme