the canadian dominion-第2章

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e　English　pattern；　the　coureur…de…bois　was　of　an　entirely　different　type　from　the　pioneers　of　British　stock　who　were　even　then　pushing　their　way　through　the　gaps　in　the　Alleghanies　and　making　homes　in　the　backwoods。　Priest　and　seigneur；　habitant　and　coureur…de…bois　were　one　and　all　difficult　to　fit　into　accepted　English　ways。　Clearly　Canada　promised　to　strain　the　digestive　capacity　of　the　British　lion。

The　present　western　provinces　of　the　Dominion　were　still　the　haunt　of　Indian　and　buffalo。　French…Canadian　explorers　and　fur　traders；　it　is　true；　had　penetrated　to　the　Rockies　a　few　years　before　the　Conquest；　and　had　built　forts　on　Lake　Winnipeg；　on　the　Assiniboine　and　Red　rivers；　and　at　half　a　dozen　portages　on　the　Saskatchewan。　But　the　〃Company　of　Adventurers　of　England　trading　into　Hudson's　Bay〃　had　not　yet　ventured　inland；　still　content　to　carry　on　its　trade　with　the　Indians　from　its　forts　along　the　shores　of　that　great　sea。　On　the　Pacific　the　Russians　had　coasted　as　far　south　as　Mount　Saint　Elias；　but　no　white　man；　so　far　as　is　known；　had　set　foot　on　the　shores　of　what　is　now　British　Columbia。

Two　immediate　problems　were　bequeathed　to　the　British　Government　by　the　Treaty　of　Paris：　what　was　to　be　done　with　the　unsettled　lands　between　the　Alleghanies　and　the　Mississippi；　and　how　were　the　seventy　thousand　French　subjects　in　the　valley　of　the　St。　Lawrence　to　be　dealt　with？　The　first　difficulty　was　not　solved。　It　was　merely　postponed。　The　whole　back　country　of　the　English　colonies　was　proclaimed　an　Indian　reserve　where　the　King's　white　subjects　might　trade　but　might　not　acquire　land。　This　policy　was　not　devised　in　order　to　set　bounds　to　the　expansion　of　the　older　colonies；　that　was　an　afterthought。　The　policy　had　its　root　in　an　honest　desire　to　protect　the　Indians　from　the　frauds　of　unscrupulous　traders　and　from　the　encroachments　of　settlers　on　their　hunting　grounds。　The　need　of　a　conciliatory；　if　firm；　policy　in　regard　to　the　great　interior　was　made　evident　by　the　Pontiac　rising　in　1763；　the　aftermath　of　the　defeat　of　the　French；　who　had　done　all　they　could　to　inspire　the　Indians　with　hatred　for　the　advancing　English。

How　to　deal　with　Canada　was　a　more　thorny　problem。　The　colony　had　not　been　sought　by　its　conquerors　for　itself。　It　was　counted　of　little　worth。　The　verdict　of　its　late　possessors；　as　recorded　in　Voltaire's　light　farewell　to　〃a　few　arpents　of　snow；〃　might　be　discounted　as　an　instance　of　sour　grapes；　but　the　estimate　of　its　new　possessors　was　evidently　little　higher；　since　they　debated　long　and　dubiously　whether　in　the　peace　settlement　they　should　retain　Canada　or　the　little　sugar　island　of　Guadeloupe；　a　mere　pin　point　on　the　map。　Canada　had　been　conquered　not　for　the　good　it　might　bring　but　for　the　harm　it　was　doing　as　a　base　for　French　attack　upon　the　English　colonies〃the　wasps〃　nest　must　be　smoked　out。〃　But　once　it　had　been　taken；　it　had　to　be　dealt　with　for　itself。

The　policy　first　adopted　was　a　simple　one；　natural　enough　for　eighteenth…century　Englishmen。　They　decided　to　make　Canada*　over　in　the　image　of　the　old　colonies；　to　turn　the　〃new　subjects；〃　as　they　were　called；　in　good　time　into　Englishmen　and　Protestants。　A　generation　or　two　would　suffice；　in　the　phrase　of　Francis　Masereshimself　a　descendant　of　a　Huguenot　refugee　but　now　wholly　an　Englishmanfor　〃melting　down　the　French　nation　into　the　English　in　point　of　language；　affections；　religion；　and　laws。〃　Immigration　was　to　be　encouraged　from　Britain　and　from　the　other　American　colonies；　which；　in　the　view　of　the　Lords　of　Trade；　were　already　overstocked　and　in　danger　of　being　forced　by　the　scarcity　or　monopoly　of　land　to　take　up　manufactures　which　would　compete　with　English　wares。　And　since　it　would　greatly　contribute　to　speedy　settlement；　so　the　Royal　Proclamation　of　1763　declared；　that　the　King's　subjects　should　be　informed　of　his　paternal　care　for　the　security　of　their　liberties　and　properties；　it　was　promised　that；　as　soon　as　circumstances　would　permit；　a　General　Assembly　would　be　summoned；　as　in　the　older　colonies。　The　laws　of　England；　civil　and　criminal；　as　near　as　might　be；　were　to　prevail。　The　Roman　Catholic　subjects　were　to　be　free　to　profess　their　own　religion；　〃so　far　as　the　laws　of　Great　Britain　permit；〃　but　they　were　to　be　shown　a　better　way。　To　the　first　Governor　instructions　were　issued　〃that　all　possible　Encouragement　shall　be　given　to　the　erecting　Protestant　Schools　in　the　said　Districts；　Townships　and　Precincts；　by　settling　and　appointing　and　allotting　proper　Quantities　of　Land　for　that　Purpose　and　also　for　a　Glebe　and　Maintenance　for　a　Protestant　minister　and　Protestant　schoolmasters。〃　Thus　in　the　fullness　of　time；　like　Acadia；　but　without　any　Evangelise　of　Grand　Pre；　without　any　drastic　policy　of　expulsion；　impossible　with　seventy　thousand　people　scattered　over　a　wide　area；　even　Canada　would　become　a　good　English　land；　a　newer　New　England。

*　The　Royal　Proclamation　of　1763　set　the　bounds　of　the　new　colony。　They　were　surprisingly　narrow；　a　mere　strip　along　both　sides　of　the　St。　Lawrence　from　a　short　distance　beyond　the　Ottawa　on　the　west；　to　the　end　of　the　Gasps　peninsula　on　the　east。　The　land　to　the　northeast　was　put　under　the　jurisdiction　of　the　Governor　of　Newfoundland；　and　the　Great　Lakes　region　was　included　in　the　territory　reserved　for　the　Indians。


It　is　questionable　whether　this　policy　could　ever　have　achieved　success　even　if　it　had　been　followed　for　generations　without　rest　or　turning。　But　it　was　not　destined　to　be　given　a　long　trial。　From　the　very　beginning　the　men　on　the　spot；　the　soldier　Governors　of　Canada；　urged　an　entirely　contrary　policy　on　the　Home　Government；　and　the　pressure　of　events　soon　brought　His　Majesty's　Ministers　to　concur。

As　the　first　civil　Governor　of　Canada；　the　British　authorities　chose　General　Murray；　one　of　Wolfe's　ablest　lieutenants；　who　since　1760　had　served　as　military　Governor　of　the　Quebec　district。　He　was　to　be　aided　in　his　task　by　a　council　composed　of　the　Lieutenant　Governors　of　Montreal　and　Three　Rivers；　the　Chief　Justice；　the　head　of　the　customs；　and　eight　citizens　to　be　named　by　the　Governor　from　〃the　most　considerable　of　the　persons　of　property〃　in　the　province。

The　new　Governor　was　a　blunt；　soldierly　man；　upright　and　just　according　to　his　lights；　but　deeply　influenced　by　his　military　and　aristocratic　leanings。　Statesmen　thousands　of　miles　away　might　plan　to　encourage　English　settlers　and　English　political　ways　and　to　put　down　all　that　was　French。　To　the　man　on　the　spot　English　settlers　meant　〃the　four　hundred　and　fifty　contemptible　sutlers　and　traders〃　who　had　come　in　the　wake　of　the　army　from　New　England　and　New　York；　with　no　proper　respect　for　their　betters；　and　vulgarly　and　annoyingly　insistent　upon　what　they　claimed　to　be　their　rights。　The　French　might　be　alien　in　speech　and　creed；　but　at　least　the　seigneurs　and　the　higher　clergy　were　gentlemen；　with　a　due　respect　for　authority；　the　King's　and　their　own；　and　the　habitants　were　docile；　the　best　of　soldier　stuff。　〃Little；　very　little；〃　Murray　wrote　in　1764　to　the　Lords　of　Trade；　〃will　content　the　New　Subjects；　but　nothing　will　satisfy　the　Licentious　Fanaticks　Trading　here；　but　the　expulsion　of　the　Canadians；　who　are　perhaps　the　bravest　and　best　race　upon　the　Globe；　a　Race；　who　cou'd　they　be　indulged　with　a　few　priviledges　wch　the　Laws　of　England　deny　to　Roman　Catholicks　at　home；　wou'd　soon　get　the　better　of　every　National　Antipathy　to　their　Conquerors　and　become　the　most　faithful　and　most　useful　set　of　Men　in　this　American　Empire。〃*

*　This　quotation　and　those　following　in　this　chapter　are　from　official　documents　most　conveniently　assembled　in　Shorn　and　Doughty；　〃Documents　relating　to　the　Constitutional　History　of　Canada；　1759…1791〃；　and　Doughty　and　McArthur；　〃Documents　relating　to　the　Constitutional　History　of　Canada；　1791…1818〃。


Certainly　there　was　much　in　the　immediate　situation　to　justify　Murray's　attitude。　It　was　preposterous　to　set　up　a　legislature　in　which　only　the　four　hundred　Protestants　might　sit　and　from　which　the　seventy　thousand　Catholics　would　be　barred。　It　would　have　been　difficult　in　any　case　to　change　suddenly　the　system　of　laws　governing　the　most　intimate　transactions　of　everyday　life。　But　when；　as　happe