the canadian dominion-第3章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


nly　the　system　of　laws　governing　the　most　intimate　transactions　of　everyday　life。　But　when；　as　happened；　the　Administration　was　entrusted　in　large　part　to　newly　created　justices　of　the　peace；　men　with　〃little　French　and　less　honour；〃　〃to　whom　it　is　only　possible　to　speak　with　guineas　in　one's　hand；〃　the　change　became　flatly　impossible。　Such　an　alteration；　if　still　insisted　upon；　must　come　more　slowly　than　the　impatient　traders　in　Montreal　and　Quebec　desired。

The　British　Government；　however；　was　not　yet　ready　to　abandon　its　policy。　The　Quebec　traders　petitioned　for　Murray's　recall；　alleging　that　the　measures　required　to　encourage　settlement　had　not　been　adopted；　that　the　Governor　was　encouraging　factions　by　his　partiality　to　the　French；　that　he　treated　the　traders　with　〃a　Rage　and　Rudeness　of　Language　and　Demeanor〃　anda　fair　thrust　in　return　for　his　reference　to　them　as　〃the　most　immoral　collection　of　men　I　ever　knew〃as　〃discountenancing　the　Protestant　Religion　by　almost　a　Total　Neglect　of　Attendance　upon　the　Service　of　the　Church。〃　When　the　London　business　correspondents　of　the　traders　backed　up　this　petition；　the　Government　gave　heed。　In　1766　Murray　was　recalled　to　England　and；　though　he　was　acquitted　of　the　charges　against　him；　he　did　not　return　to　his　post　in　Canada。

The　triumph　of　the　English　merchants　was　short。　They　had　jumped　from　the　frying　pan　into　the　fire。　General　Guy　Carleton；　Murray's　successor　and　brother　officer　under　Wolfe；　was　an　even　abler　man；　and　he　was　still　less　in　sympathy　with　democracy　of　the　New　England　pattern。　Moreover；　a　new　factor　had　come　in　to　reenforce　the　soldier's　instinctive　preference　for　gentlemen　over　shopkeepers。　The　first　rumblings　of　the　American　Revolution　had　reached　Quebec。　It　was　no　time；　in　Carleton's　view；　to　set　up　another　sucking　republic。　Rather；　he　believed；　the　utmost　should　be　made　of　the　opportunity　Canada　afforded　as　a　barrier　against　the　advance　of　democracy；　a　curb　upon　colonial　insolence。　The　need　of　cultivating　the　new　subjects　was　the　greater；　Carleton　contended；　because　the　plan　of　settlement　by　Englishmen　gave　no　sign　of　succeeding：　〃barring　a　Catastrophe　shocking　to　think　of；　this　Country　must；　to　the　end　of　Time；　be　peopled　by　the　Canadian　race。〃

To　bind　the　Canadians　firmly　to　England；　Carleton　proposed　to　work　chiefly　through　their　old　leaders；　the　seigneurs　and　the　clergy。　He　would　restore　to　the　people　their　old　system　of　laws；　both　civil　and　criminal。　He　would　confirm　the　seigneurs　in　their　feudal　dues　and　fines；　which　the　habitants　were　growing　slack　in　paying　now　that　the　old　penalties　were　not　enforced；　and　he　would　give　them　honors　and　emoluments　such　as　they　had　before　enjoyed　as　officers　in　regular　or　militia　regiments。　The　Roman　Catholic　clergy　were　already；　in　fact；　confirmed　in　their　right　to　tithe　and　toll；　and；　without　objection　from　the　Governor；　Bishop　Briand；　elected　by　the　chapter　in　Quebec　and　consecrated　in　Paris；　once　more　assumed　control　over　the　flock。

Carleton's　proposals　did　not　pass　unquestioned。　His　own　chief　legal　adviser；　Francis　Maseres；　was　a　sturdy　adherent　of　the　older　policy；　though　he　agreed　that　the　time　was　not　yet　ripe　for　setting　up　an　Assembly　and　suggested　some　well…considered　compromise　between　the　old　laws　and　the　new。　The　Advocate　General　of　England；　James　Marriott；　urged　the　same　course。　The　policy　of　1768；　he　contended　eleven　years　later；　had　already　succeeded　in　great　measure。　The　assimilation　of　government　had　been　effected；　an　assimilation　of　manners　would　follow。　The　excessive　military　spirit　of　the　inhabitants　had　begun　to　dwindle；　as　England's　interest　required。　The　back　settlements　of　New　York　and　Canada　were　fast　being　joined。　Two　or　three　thousand　men　of　British　stock；　many　of　them　men　of　substance；　had　gone　to　the　new　colony；　warehouses　and　foundries　were　being　built；　and　many　of　the　principal　seigneuries　had　passed　into　English　hands。　All　that　was　needed；　he　concluded；　was　persistence　along　the　old　path。　The　same　view　was　of　course　strenuously　urged　by　the　English　merchants　in　the　colony；　who　continued　to　demand；　down　to　the　very　eve　of　the　Revolution；　an　elective　Assembly　and　other　rights　of　freeborn　Britons。

Carleton　carried　the　day。　His　advice；　tendered　at　close　range　during　four　years'　absentee　residence　in　London；　from　1770　to　1774；　fell　in　with　the　mood　of　Lord　North's　Government。　The　measure　in　which　the　new　policy　was　embodied；　the　famous　Quebec　Act　of　1774；　was　essentially　a　part　of　the　ministerial　programme　for　strengthening　British　power　to　cope　with　the　resistance　then　rising　to　rebellious　heights　in　the　old　colonies。　Though　not；　as　was　long　believed；　designed　in　retaliation　for　the　Boston　disturbances；　it　is　clear　that　its　framers　had　Massachusetts　in　mind　when　deciding　on　their　policy　for　Quebec。　The　main　purpose　of　the　Act；　the　motive　which　turned　the　scale　against　the　old　Anglicizing　policy；　was　to　attach　the　leaders　of　French…Canadian　opinion　firmly　to　the　British　Crown；　and　thus　not　only　to　prevent　Canada　itself　from　becoming　infected　with　democratic　contagion　or　turning　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　Revoluti