the canadian dominion-第7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！


Trafalgar　was　celebrated　by　a　Te　Deum　in　the　Roman　Catholic　Cathedral　at　Quebec。　In　fact；　as　Craig　elsewhere　noted；　the　habitants　were　becoming　rather　a　new　and　distinct　nationality；　a　nation　canadienne。　They　ceased　to　be　French；　they　declined　to　become　English；　and　sheltered　under　their　〃Sacred　Charter〃*　they　became　Canadians　first　and　last。

*　〃It　cannot　be　sufficiently　inculcated　ON　THE　PART　OF　GOVERNMENT　that　the　Quebec　Act　is　a　Sacred　Charter；　granted　by　the　King　in　Parliament　to　the　Canadians　as　a　Security　for　their　Religion；　Laws；　and　Property。〃　Governor　Sir　Frederick　Haldimand　to　Lord　George　Germaine；　Oct。　25；　1780。


The　governors　were　not　alone　in　this　hostility　to　the　mass　of　the　people。　There　had　grown　up　in　the　colony　a　little　clique　of　officeholders；　of　whom　Jonathan　Sewell；　the　Loyalist　Attorney　General；　and　later　Chief　Justice；　was　the　chief；　full　of　racial　and　class　prejudice；　and　in　some　cases　greedy　for　personal　gain。　Sewell　declared　it　〃indispensably　necessary　to　overwhelm　and　sink　the　Canadian　population　by　English　Protestants；〃　and　was　even　ready　to　run　the　risk　of　bringing　in　Americans　to　effect　this　end。　Of　the　non…official　English；　some　were　strongly　opposed　to　the　pretensions　of　the　〃Chateau　Clique〃；　but　others；　and　especially　the　merchants；　with　their　organ　the　Quebec　〃Mercury〃；　were　loud　in　their　denunciations　of　the　French　who　were　unprogressive　and　who　as　landowners　were　incidentally　trying　to　throw　the　burden　of　taxation　chiefly　on　the　traders。

The　first　open　sign　of　the　racial　division　which　was　to　bedevil　the　life　of　the　province　came　in　1806　when；　in　order　to　meet　the　attacks　of　the　Anglicizing　party；　the　newspaper　〃Le　Canadien〃　was　established　at　Quebec。　Its　motto　was　significant：　〃Notre　langue；　nos　institutions；　et　nos　lois。〃　Craig　and　his　counselors　took　up　the　challenge。　In　1808　he　dismissed　five　militia　officers；　because　of　their　connection　with　the　irritating　journal；　and　in　1810　he　went　so　far　as　to　suppress　it　and　to　throw　into　prison　four　of　those　responsible　for　its　management。　The　Assembly；　which　was　proving　hard　to　control；　was　twice　dissolved　in　three　years。　Naturally　the　Governor's　arbitrary　course　only　stiffened　resistance；　and　passions　were　rising　fast　and　high　when　illness　led　to　his　recall　and　the　shadow　of　a　common　danger　from　the　south；　the　imminence　of　war　with　the　United　States；　for　a　time　drew　all　men　together。


While　the　foundations　of　the　eastern　provinces　of　Canada　were　being　laid；　the　wildernesses　which　one　day　were　to　become　the　western　provinces　were　just　rising　above　the　horizon　of　discovery。　In　the　plains　and　prairies　between　the　Great　Lakes　and　the　Rockies；　fur　traders　warred　for　the　privilege　of　exchanging　with　the　Indians　bad　whiskey　for　good　furs。　Scottish　traders　from　Montreal；　following　in　the　footsteps　of　La　Verendrye　and　Niverville；　pushed　far　into　the　northern　wilds。*　In　1788　the　leading　traders　joined　forces　in　organizing　the　North…West　Company。　Their　great　canoes；　manned　by　French…Canadian　voyageurs；　penetrated　the　network　of　waters　from　the　Ottawa　to　the　Saskatchewan；　and　poured　wealth　into　the　pockets　of　the　lordly　partners　in　Montreal。　Their　rivalry　wakened　the　sleepy　Hudson's　Bay　Company；　which　was　now　forced　to　leave　the　shores　of　the　inland　sea　and　build　posts　in　the　interior。

*　It　is　interesting　to　note　the　dominant　share　taken　in　the　trade　and　exploration　of　the　North　and　West　by　men　of　Highland　Scotch　and　French　extraction。　For　an　account　of　La　Verendrye　see　〃The　Conquest　of　New　France〃　and　for　the　Scotch　fur　traders　of　Montreal　see　〃Adventurers　of　Oregon〃　（in　〃The　Chronicles　of　America〃）。


On　the　Pacific　coast　rivalry　was　still　keener。　The　sea　otter　and　the　seal　were　a　lure　to　the　men　of　many　nations。　Canada　took　its　part　in　this　rivalry。　In　1792；　when　the　Russians　were　pressing　down　from　their　Alaskan　posts；　when　the　Spaniards；　claiming　the　Pacific　for　their　own；　were　exploring　the　mouth　of　the　Fraser；　when　Captain　Robert　Gray　of　Boston　was　sailing　up　the　mighty　Columbia；　and　Captain　Vancouver　was　charting　the　northern　coasts　for　the　British　Government；　a　young　North…West　Company　factor；　Alexander　Mackenzie；　in　his　lonely　post　on　Lake　Athabaska；　was　planning　to　cross　the　wilderness　of　mountains　to　the　coast。　With　a　fellow　trader；　Mackay；　and　six　Canadian　voyageurs；　he　pushed　up　the　Peace　and　the　Parsnip；　passed　by　way　of　the　Fraser　and　the　Blackwater　to　the　Bella　Coola；　and　thence　to　the　Pacific；　the　first　white　man　to　cross　the　northern　continent。　Paddling　for　life　through　swirling　rapids　on　rivers　which　rushed　madly　through　sheer　rock…bound　canyons；　swimming　for　shore　when　rock　or　sand　bar　had　wrecked　the　precious　bark　canoe；　struggling　over　heartbreaking　portages；　clinging　to　the　sides　of　precipices；　contending　against　hostile　Indians　and　fear…stricken　followers；　and　at　last　winning　through；　Mackenzie　summed　up　what　will　ever　remain　one　of　the　great　achievements　of　exploration　in　the　simple　record；　painted　in　vermilion　on　a　rock　in　Burke　Channel：　Alexander　Mackenzie；　from　Canada；　by　land；　the　twenty…second　of　July；　one　thousand　seven　hundred　and　ninety…three。　The　first　bond

had　been　woven　in　the　union　of　East　and　West。　Between　the　eastern　provinces　a　stronger　link　was　soon　to　be　forged。　The　War　of　1812　gave　the　scattered　British　colonies　in　America　for　the　first　time　a　living　sense　of　unity　that　transcended　all　differences；　a　memory　of　perils　and　of　victories　which　nourished　a　common　patriotism。

The　War　of　1812　was　no　quarrel　of　Canada's。　It　was　merely　an　incident　in　the　struggle　between　England　and　Napoleon。　At　desperate　grips；　both　contestants　used　whatever　weapons　lay　ready　to　their　hands。　Sea　power　was　England's　weapon；　and　in　her　claim　to　forbid　all　neutral　traffic　with　her　enemies　and　to　exercise　the　galling　right　of　search；　she　pressed　it　far。　France　trampled　still　more　ruthlessly　on　American　and　neutral　rights；　but；　with　memories　of　1776　still　fresh；　the　dominant　party　in　the　United　States　was　disposed　to　forgive　France　and　to　hold　England　to　strict　account。

England　had　struck　at　France；　regardless　of　how　the　blow　might　injure　neutrals。　Now　the　United　States　sought　to　strike　at　England　through　the　colonies；　regardless　of　their　lack　of　any　responsibility　for　English　policy。　The　〃war　hawks〃　of　the　South　and　West　called　loudly　for　the　speedy　invasion　and　capture　of　Canada　as　a　means　of　punishing　England。　In　so　far　as　the　British　North　American　colonies　were　but　possessions　of　Great　Britain；　overseas　plantations；　the　course　of　the　United　States　could　be　justified。　But　potentially　these　colonies　were　more　than　mere　possessions。　They　were　a　nation　in　the　making；　with　a　right　to　their　own　development；　they　were　not　simply　a　pawn　in　the　game　of　Britain　and　the　United　States。　Quite　aside　from　the　original　rights　or　wrongs　of　the　war；　the　invasion　of　Canada　was　from　this　standpoint　an　act　of　aggression。　〃Agrarian　cupidity；　not　maritime　right；　wages　this　war；〃　insisted　John　Randolph　of　Roanoke；　the　chief　opponent　of　the　〃war　hawks〃　in　Congress。　〃Ever　since　the　report　of　the　Committee　on　Foreign　Relations　came　into　the　House；　we　have　heard　but　one　wordlike　the　whippoorwill；　but　one　eternal　monotonous　toneCanada；　Canada；　Canada！〃

At　the　outset　there　appeared　no　question　that　the　conquest　of　Canada　could　be；　as　Jefferson　forecast；　other　than　〃a　mere　matter　of　marching。〃　Eustis；　the　Secretary　of　War；　prophesied　that　〃we　can　take　Canada　without　soldiers。〃　Clay　insisted　that　the　Canadas　were　〃as　much　under　our　command　as　the　Ocean　is　under　Great　Britain's。〃　The　provinces　had　barely　half　a　million　people；　two…thirds　of　them　allied　by　ties　of　blood　to　Britain's　chief　enemy；　to　set　against　the　eight　millions　of　the　Republic。　There　were　fewer　than　ten　thousand　regular　troops　in　all　the　colonies；　half　of　them　down　by　the　sea；　far　away　from　the　danger　zone；　and　less　than　fifteen　hundred　west　of　Montreal。　Little　help　could　come　from　England；　herself　at　war　with　Napoleon；　the　master　of　half　of　Europe。

But　there　was　another　side。　The　United　States　was　not　a　unit　in　the　war；　New　England　was　apathetic　or　hostile　to　the　war　throughout；　and　as　late　as　1814　two…thirds　of　the　army　of　Canada　were　eating　beef　supplied　by　Vermont　and　New　Y