the canadian dominion-第6章

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ld　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　formed　the　backbone　of　the　Revolution；　few　came　to　Canada。　The　growth　of　the　Methodists　and　Baptists　in　the　United　States　after　the　Revolution；　however；　made　its　mark　on　the　neighboring　country。　The　first　Methodist　class　meetings　in　Upper　Canada；　held　in　the　United　Empire　Loyalist　settlement　on　the　Bay　of　Quinte　in　1791；　were　organized　by　itinerant　preachers　from　the　United　States；　and　in　the　western　part　of　the　province　pioneer　Baptist　evangelists　from　the　same　country　reached　the　scattered　settlers　neglected　by　the　older　churches。

Nor　was　it　in　religion　alone　that　diversity　grew。　Simcoe　had　set　up　a　generous　land　policy　which　brought　in　many　〃late　Loyalists；〃　American　settlers　whose　devotion　to　monarchical　principles　would　not　always　bear　close　inquiry。　The　fantastic　experiment　of　planting　in　the　heart　of　the　woods　of　Upper　Canada　a　group　of　French　nobles　driven　out　by　the　Revolution　left　no　trace；　but　Mennonites；　Quakers；　and　Scottish　Highlanders　contributed　diverse　and　permanent　factors　to　the　life　of　the　province。　Colonel　Thomas　Talbot　of　Malahide；　〃a　fierce　little　Irishman　who　hated　Scotchmen　and　women；　turned　teetotallers　out　of　his　house；　and　built　the　only　good　road　in　the　province；〃　made　the　beginnings　of　settlement　midway　on　Lake　Erie。　A　shrewd　Massachusetts　merchant；　Philemon　Wright；　with　his　comrades；　their　families；　servants；　horses；　oxen；　and　10；000　pounds；　sledded　from　Boston　to　Montreal　in　the　winter　of　1800；　and　thence　a　hundred　miles　beyond；　to　found　the　town　of　Hull　and　establish　a　great　lumbering　industry　in　the　Ottawa　Valley。

These　differences　of　origin　and　ways　of　thought　had　not　yet　been　reflected　in　political　life。　Party　strife　in　Upper　Canada　began　with　a　factional　fight　which　took　place　in　1805…07　between　a　group　of　Irish　officeholders　and　a　Scotch　clique　who　held　the　reins　of　government。　Weekes；　an　Irish…American　barrister；　Thorpe；　a　puisne　judge；　Wyatt；　the　surveyor　general；　and　Willcocks；　a　United　Irishman　who　had　become　sheriff　of　one　of　the　four　Upper　Canada　districts；　began　to　question　the　right　to　rule　of　〃the　Scotch　pedlars〃　or　〃the　Shopkeeper　Aristocracy；〃　as　Thorpe　called　those　merchants　who；　for　the　lack　of　other　leaders；　had　developed　an　influence　with　the　governors　or　ruled　in　their　frequent　absence。　But　the　insurgents　were　backed　by　only　a　small　minority　in　the　Assembly；　and　when　the　four　leaders　disappeared　from　the　stage；*　this　curtain　raiser　to　the　serious　political　drama　which　was　to　follow　came　quickly　to　its　end。

*　Weekes　was　slain　in　a　duel。　Wyatt　and　Thorpe　were　suspended　by　the　Lieutenant　Governor；　Sir　Francis　Gore；　only　to　win　redress　later　in　England。　Willcocks　was　dismissed　from　office　and　fell　fighting　on　the　American　side　in　the　War　of　1812。


In　Lower　Canada　the　clash　was　more　serious。　The　French　Canadians；　who　had　not　asked　for　representative　government；　eventually　grasped　its　possibilities　and　found　leaders　other　than　those　ordained　for　them。　In　the　first　Assembly　there　were　many　seigneurs　and　aristocrats　who　bore　names　notable　for　six　generations　back　Taschereau；　Duchesnay；　Lotbiniere；　Rouville；　Salaberry。　But　they　soon　found　their　surroundings　uncongenial　or　failed　to　be　reelected。　Writing　in　1810　to　Lord　Liverpool；　Secretary　of　State　for　War　and　the　Colonies；　the　Governor；　Sir　James　Craig；　with　a　fine　patrician　scorn　thus　pictures　the　Assembly　of　his　day。

〃It　really；　my　Lord；　appears　to　me　an　absurdity；　that　the　Interests　of　certainly　not　an　unimportant　Colony；　involving　in　them　those　also　of　no　inconsiderable　portion　of　the　Commercial　concerns　of　the　British　Empire；　should　be　in　the　hands　of　six　petty　shopkeepers；　a　Blacksmith；　a　Miller；　and　15　ignorant　peasants　who　form　part　of　our　present　House；　a　Doctor　or　Apothecary；　twelve　Canadian　Avocats　and　Notaries；　and　four　so　far　respectable　people　that　at　least　they　do　not　keep　shops；　together　with　ten　English　members　compleat　the　List：　there　is　not　one　person　coming　under　the　description　of　a　Canadian　Gentleman　among　them。〃

And　again：

〃A　Governor　cannot　obtain　among　them　even　that　sort　of　influence　that　might　arise　from　personal　intercourse。　I　can　have　none　with　Blacksmiths；　Millers；　and　Shopkeepers；　even　the　Avocats　and　Notaries　who　compose　so　considerable　a　portion　of　the　House；　are；　generally　speaking；　such　as　I　can　nowhere　meet；　except　during　the　actual　sitting　of　Parliament；　when　I　have　a　day　of　the　week　expressly　appropriated　to　the　receiving　a　large　portion　of　them　at　dinner。〃

Leadership　under　these　conditions　fell　to　the　〃unprincipled　Demagogues；〃　half…educated　lawyers；　men　〃with　nothing　to　lose。〃

But　it　was　not　merely　as　an　aristocrat　facing　peasants　and　shopkeepers；　nor　as　a　soldier　faced　by　talkers；　but　as　an　Englishman　on　guard　against　Frenchmen　that　Craig　found　himself　at　odds　with　his　Assembly。　For　nearly　twenty　years　in　this　period　England　was　at　death　grips　with　France；　end　to　hate　and　despise　all　Frenchmen　was　part　of　the　hereditary　and　congenial　duty　of　all　true　Britons。　Craig　and　those　who　counseled　him　were　firmly　convinced　that　the　new　subjects　were　French　at　heart。　Of　the　250；000　inhabitants　of　Lower　Canada；　he　declared；　〃about　20；000　or　25；000　may　be　English　or　Americans；　the　rest　are　French。　I　use　the　term　designedly；　my　Lord；　because　I　mean　to　say　that　they　are　in　Language；　in　religion；　in　manner　and　in　attachment　completely　French。〃　That　there　was　still　some　affection　for　old　France；　stirred　by　war　and　French　victories；　there　is　no　question；　but　that　the　Canadians　wished　to　return　to　French　allegiance　was　untrue；　even　though　Craig　reported　that　such　was　〃the　general　opinion　of　all　ranks　with　whom　it　is　possible　to　converse　on　the　subject。〃　The　French　Revolution　had　created　a　great　gulf　between　Old　France　and　New　France。　The　clergy　did　their　utmost　to　bar　all　intercourse　with　the　land　where　deism　and　revolution　held　sway；　and　when　the　Roman　Catholic　Church　and　the　British　Government　combined　for　years　on　a　single　object；　it　was　little　wonder　they　succeeded。　Nelson's　victory　at　Trafalgar　was　celebrated　by　a　Te　Deum　in　the　Roman　Catholic　Cathedral　at　Quebec。　In　fact；　as　Craig　e