the canadian dominion-第10章

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Money　and　banks　were　as　necessary　to　develop　intercourse　as　roads　and　canals。　Until　after　the　War　of　1812；　when　army　gold　and　army　bills　ran　freely；　money　was　rare　and　barter　served　pioneer　needs。　For　many　years　after　the　war　a　jumble　of　English　sovereigns　and　shillings；　of　Spanish　dollars；　French　crowns；　and　American　silver；　made　up　the　currency　in　use；　circulating　sometimes　by　weight　and　sometimes　by　tale；　at　rates　that　were　constantly　shifting。　The　position　of　the　colonies　as　a　link　between　Great　Britain　and　the　United　States；　was　curiously　illustrated　in　the　currency　system。　The　motley　jumble　of　coins　in　use　were　rated　in　Halifax　currency；　a　mere　money　of　account　or　bookkeeping　standard；　with　no　actual　coins　to　correspond；　adapted　to　both　English　and　United　States　currency　systems。　The　unit　was　the　pound；　divided　into　shillings　and　pence　as　in　England；　but　the　pound　was　made　equal　to　four　dollars　in　American　money；　it　took　1　pound　4s。　4d。　in　Halifax　currency　to　make　1　pound　sterling。　Still　more　curious　was　the　influence　of　American　banking。　Montreal　merchants　in　1808　took　up　the　ideas　of　Alexander　Hamilton　and　after　several　vain　attempts　founded　the　Bank　of　Montreal　in　1817；　with　those　features　of　government　charter；　branch　banks；　and　restrictions　as　to　the　proportion　of　debts　to　capital　and　the　holding　of　real　property　which　had　marked　Hamilton's　plan。　But　while　Canadian　banks；　one　after　another；　were　founded　on　the　same　model　and　throughout　adhered　to　an　asset…secured　currency　basis；　Hamilton's　own　country　abandoned　his　ideas；　usually　for　the　worse。

In　the　social　life　of　the　cities　the　influence　of　the　official　classes　and；　in　Halifax　and　Quebec；　of　the　British　redcoats　stationed　there　was　all　pervading。　In　the　country　the　pioneers　took　what　diversions　a　hard　life　permitted。　There　were　〃bees〃　and　〃frolics；〃　ranging　from　strenuous　barn　raisings；　with　heavy　drinking　and　fighting；　to　mild　apple　parings　or　quilt　patchings。　There　were　the　visits　of　the　Yankee　peddler　with　his　〃notions；〃　his　welcome　pack；　and　his　gossip。　Churches　grew；　thanks　in　part　to　grants　of　government　land　or　old　endowments　or　gifts　from　missionary　societies　overseas；　but　more　to　the　zeal　of　lay　preachers　and　circuit　riders。　Schools　fared　worse。　In　Lower　Canada　there　was　an　excellent　system　of　classical　schools　for　the　priests　and　professional　classes；　and　there　were　numerous　convents　which　taught　the　girls；　but　the　habitants　were　for　the　most　part　quite　untouched　by　book　learning。　In　Upper　Canada　grammar　schools　and　academies　were　founded　with　commendable　promptness；　and　a　common　school　system　was　established　in　1816；　but　grants　were　niggardly　and　compulsion　was　lacking。　Even　at　the　close　of　the　thirties　only　one　child　in　seven　was　in　school；　and　he　was；　as　often　as　not；　committed　to　the　tender　mercies　of　some　broken…down　pensioner　or　some　ancient　tippler　who　could　barely　sign　his　mark。　There　was　but　little　administrative　control　by　the　provincial　authorities。　The　textbooks　in　use　came　largely　from　the　United　States　and　glorified　that　land　and　all　its　ways　in　the　best　Fourth…of…July　manner；　to　the　scandal　of　the　loyal　elect。　The　press　was　represented　by　a　few　weekly　newspapers；　only　one　daily　existed　in　Upper　Canada　before　1840。


Against　this　background　there　developed　during　the　period　1815…41　a　tense　constitutional　struggle　which　was　to　exert　a　profound　influence　on　the　making　of　the　nation。　The　stage　on　which　the　drama　was　enacted　was　a　small　one；　and　the　actors　were　little　known　to　the　world　of　their　day；　but　the　drama　had　an　interest　of　its　own　and　no　little　significance　for　the　future。

In　one　aspect　the　struggle　for　self…government　in　British　North　America　was　simply　a　local　manifestation　of　a　world…wide　movement　which　found　more　notable　expression　in　other　lands。　After　a　troubled　dawn；　democracy　was　coming　to　its　own。　In　England　the　black　reaction　which　had　identified　all　proposals　for　reform　with　treasonable　sympathy　for　bloodstained　France　was　giving　way；　and　the　middle　classes　were　about　to　triumph　in　the　great　franchise　reform　of　1832。　In　the　United　States；　after　a　generation　of　conservatism；　Jacksonian　democracy　was　to　sweep　all　before　it。　These　developments　paralleled　and　in　some　measure　influenced　the　movement　of　events　in　the　British　North　American　provinces。　But　this　movement　had　a　color　of　its　own。　The　growth　of　self…　government　in　an　independent　country　was　one　thing；　in　a　colony　owing　allegiance　to　a　supreme　Parliament　overseas；　it　was　quite　another。　The　task　of　the　provincesnot　solved　in　this　period；　it　is　true；　but　squarely　facedwas　to　reconcile　democracy　and　empire。

The　people　of　the　Canadas　in　1791；　and　of　the　provinces　by　the　sea　a　little　earlier；　had　been　given　the　right　to　elect　one　house　of　the　legislature。　More　than　this　instalment　of　self…government　the　authorities　were　not　prepared　to　grant。　The　people；　or　rather　the　property　holders　among　them；　might　be　entrusted　to　vote　taxes　and　appropriations；　to　present　grievances；　and　to　take　a　share　in　legislation。　They　could　not；　however；　be　permitted　to　control　the　Government；　because；　to　state　an　obvious　fact；　they　could　not　govern　themselves　as　well　as　their　betters　could　rule　them。　Besides；　if　the　people　of　a　colony　did　govern　themselves；　what　would　become　of　the　rights　and　interests　of　the　mother　country？　What　would　become　of　the　Empire　itself？

What　was　the　use　and　object　of　the　Empire？　In　brief；　according　to　the　theory　and　practice　then　in　force；　the　end　of　empire　was　the　profit　which　comes　from　trade；　the　means　was　the　political　subordination　of　the　colonies　to　prevent　interference　with　this　profit；　and　the　debit　entry　set　against　this　profit　was　the　cost　of　the　diplomacy；　the　armaments；　and　the　wars　required　to　hold　the　overseas　possessions　against　other　powers。　The　policy　was　still　that　which　had　been　set　forth　in　the　preamble　of　the　Navigation　Act　of　1663；　ensuring　the　mother　country　the　sole　right　to　sell　European　wares　in　its　colonies：　〃the　maintaining　a　greater　correspondence　and　kindness　between　them　＇the　subjects　at　home　and　those　in　the　plantations＇　and　keeping　them　in　a　firmer　dependence　upon　it　＇the　mother　country＇；　and　rendering　them　yet　more　beneficial　and　advantageous　unto　it　in　the　further　Imployment　and　Encrease　of　English　Shipping　and　Seamen；　and　vent　of　English　Woollen　and　other　Manufactures　and　Commodities　rendering　the　Navigation　to　and　from　the　same　more　safe　and　cheape；　and　makeing　this　Kingdom　a　Staple　not　only　of　the　Commodities　of　those　Plantations　but　also　of　the　Commodities　of　other　countries　and　places　for　the　supplying　of　them；　and　it　being　the　usage　of　other　Nations　to　keep　their　＇plantation＇　Trade　to　themselves。〃　Adam　Smith　had　raised　a　doubt　as　to　the　wisdom　of　the　end。　The　American　Revolution　had　raised　a　doubt　as　to　the　wisdom　of　the　means。　Yet；　with　significant　changes；　the　old　colonial　system　lasted　for　full　two　generations　after　1776。

In　the　second　British　Empire；　which　rose　after　the　loss　of　the　first　in　1783；　the　means　to　the　old　end　were　altered。　To　secure　control　and　to　prevent　disaffection　and　democratic　folly；　the　authorities　relied　not　merely　on　their　own　powers　but　on　the　cooperation　of　friendly　classes　and　interests　in　the　colonies　themselves。　Their　direct　control　was　exercised　in　many　ways。　In　last　reserve　there　was　the　supreme　authority　of　King　and　Parliament　to　bind　the　colonies　by　treaty　and　by　law　and　the　right　to　veto　any　colonial　enactment。　This　was　as　before　the　Revolution。　One　change　lay　in　the　renunciation　in　1778　of　the　intention　to　use　the　supreme　legislative　power　to　levy　taxes；　though　the　right　to　control　the　fiscal　system　of　the　colonies　in　conformity　with　imperial　policy　was　still　claimed　and　practised。　In　fact；　far　from　seeking　to　secure　a　direct　revenue；　the　British　Government　was　more　than　content　to　pay　part　of　the　piper's　fee　for　the　sake　of　being　able　to　call　the　tune。　〃It　is　considered　by　the　Well　wishers　of　Government；〃　wrote　Milnes；　Lieutenant　Governor　of　Lower　Canada；　in　1800；　〃as　a　fortunate　Circumstance　that　the　Revenue　is　not　at　present　equal　to　the　Expenditure。〃　A　further　change　came　in　the　minute　control　exercised　by　the　Colonial　Office；　or　rather　by　the　permanent　clerks　who；　in　Charles