the canadian dominion-第4节

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sively　aloof。　Even　when　France　joined　the　warring　colonies　and　Admiral　d'Estaing　appealed　to　the　Canadians　to　rise；　they　did　not　heed；　though　it　is　difficult　to　say　what　the　result　would　have　been　if　Washington　had　agreed　to　Lafayette's　plan　of　a　joint　French　and　American　invasion　in　1778。

Nova　Scotia　also　held　aloof；　in　spite　of　the　fact　that　many　of　the　men　who　had　come　from　New　England　and　from　Ulster　were　eager　to　join　the　colonies　to　the　south。　In　Nova　Scotia　democracy　was　a　less　hardy　plant　than　in　Massachusetts。　The　town　and　township　institutions；　which　had　been　the　nurseries　of　resistance　in　New　England；　had　not　been　allowed　to　take　root　there。　The　circumstances　of　the　founding　of　Halifax　had　given　ripe　to　a　greater　tendency；　which　lasted　long；　to　lean　upon　the　mother　country。　The　Maine　wilderness　made　intercourse　between　Nova　Scotia　and　New　England　difficult　by　land；　and　the　British　fleet　was　in　control　of　the　sea　until　near　the　close　of　the　war。　Nova　Scotia　stood　by　Great　Britain；　and　was　reserved　to　become　part　of　a　northern　nation　still　in　the　making。

That　nation　was　to　owe　its　separate　existence　to　the　success　of　the　American　Revolution。　But　for　that　event；　coming　when　it　did；　the　struggling　colonies　of　Quebec　and　Nova　Scotia　would　in　time　have　become　merged　with　the　colonies　to　the　youth　and　would　have　followed　them；　whether　they　remained　within　the　British　Empire　or　not。　Thus　it　was　due　to　the　quarrel　between　the　thirteen　colonies　and　the　motherland　that　Canada　did　not　become　merely　a　fourteenth　colony　or　state。　Nor　was　this　the　only　bearing　of　the　Revolution　on　Canada's　destiny。　Thanks　to　the　coming　of　the　Loyalists；　those　exiles　of　the　Revolution　who　settled　in　Canada　in　large　numbers；　Canada　was　after　all　to　be　dominantly　a　land　of　English　speech　and　of　English　sympathies。　By　one　of　the　many　paradoxes　which　mark　the　history　of　Canada；　the　very　success　of　the　plan　which　aimed　to　save　British　power　by　confirming　French…Canadian　nationality　and　the　loyalty　of　the　French　led　in　the　end　to　making　a　large　part　of　Canada　English。　The　Revolution　meant　also　that　for　many　a　year　those　in　authority　in　England　and　in　Canada　itself　were　to　stand　in　fear　of　the　principles　and　institutions　which　had　led　the　old　colonies　to　rebellion　and　separation；　and　were　to　try　to　build　up　in　Canada　buttresses　against　the　advance　of　democracy。

The　British　statesmen　who　helped　to　frame　the　Peace　of　1783　were　men　with　broad　and　generous　views　as　to　the　future　of　the　seceding　colonies　and　their　relations　with　the　mother　country。　It　was　perhaps　inevitable　that　they　should　have　given　less　thought　to　the　future　of　the　colonies　in　America　which　remained　under　the　British　flag。　Few　men　could　realize　at　the　moment　that　out　of　these　scattered　fragments　a　new　nation　and　a　second　empire　would　arise。　Not　only　were　the　seceding　colonies　given　a　share　in　the　fishing　grounds　of　Newfoundland　and　Nova　Scotia；　which　was　unfortunately　to　prove　a　constant　source　of　friction；　but　the　boundary　line　was　drawn　with　no　thought　of　the　need　of　broad　and　easy　communication　between　Nova　Scotia　and　Canada；　much　less　between　Canada　and　the　far　West。　Vague　definitions　of　the　boundaries；　naturally　incident　to　the　prevailing　lack　of　geographical　knowledge　of　the　vast　continent；　held　further　seeds　of　trouble。　These　contentions；　however；　were　far　in　the　future。　At　the　moment　another　defect　of　the　treaty　proved　to　be　Canada's　gain。　The　failure　of　Lord　Shelburne's　Ministry　to　insist　upon　effective　safeguards　for　the　fair　treatment　of　those　who　had　taken　the　King's　side　in　the　old　colonies；　condemned　as　it　was　not　only　by　North　and　the　Tories　but　by　Fox　and　Sheridan　and　Burke；　led　to　that　Loyalist　migration　which　changed　the　racial　complexion　of　Canada。

The　Treaty　of　1783　provided　that　Congress　would　〃earnestly　recommend〃　to　the　various　States　that　the　Loyalists　be　granted　amnesty　and　restitution。　This　pious　resolution　proved　not　worth　the　paper　on　which　it　was　written。　In　State　after　State　the　property　of　the　Loyalists　was　withheld　or　confiscated　anew。　Yet　this　ungenerous　treatment　of　the　defeated　by　the　victors　is　not　hard　to　understand。　The　struggle　had　been　waged　with　all　the　bitterness　of　civil　war。　The　smallness　of　the　field　of　combat　had　intensified　personal　ill…will。　Both　sides　had　practiced　cruelties　in　guerrilla　warfare；　but　the　Patriots　forgot　Marion's　raids；　Simsbury　mines；　and　the　drumhead　hangings；　and　remembered　only　Hessian　brutalities；　Indian　scalpings；　Tarleton's　harryings；　and　the　infamous　prison　ships　of　New　York。　The　war　had　been　a　long　one。　The　tide　of　battle　had　ebbed　and　flowed。　A　district　that　was　Patriot　one　year　was　frequently　Loyalist　the　next。　These　circumstances　engendered　fear　and　suspicion　and　led　to　nervous　reprisals。

At　least　a　third；　if　not　a　half；　of　the　people　of　the　old　colonies　had　been　opposed　to　revolution。　New　York　was　strongly　Loyalist；　with　Pennsylvania；　Georgia；　and　the　Carolinas　closely　following。　In　the　end　some　fifty　or　sixty　thousand　Loyalists　abandoned　their　homes　or　suffered　expulsion　rather　than　submit　to　the　new　order。　They　counted　in　their　ranks　many　of　the　men　who　had　held　first　place　in　their　old　communities；　men　of　wealth；　of　education；　and　of　standing；　as　well　as　thousands　who　had　nothing　to　give　but　their　fidelity　to　the　old　order。　Many；　especially　of　the　well…to…do；　went　to　England；　a　few　found　refuge　in　the　West　Indies；　but　the　great　majority；　over　fifty　thousand　in　all；　sought　new　homes　in　the　northern　wilderness。　Over　thirty　thousand；　including　many　of　the　most　influential　of　the　whole　number　（with　about　three　thousand　negro　slaves；　afterwards　freed　and　deported　to　Sierra　Leone）　were　carried　by　ship　to　Nova　Scotia。　They　found　homes　chiefly　in　that　part　of　the　province　which　in　1784　became　New　Brunswick。　Others；　trekking　overland　or　sailing　around　by　the　Gulf　and　up　the　River；　settled　in　the　upper　valley　of　the　St。　Lawrenceon　Lake　St。　Francis；　on　the　Cataraqui　and　the　Bay　of　Quinte；　and　in　the　Niagara　District。

Though　these　pioneers　were　generously　aided　by　the　British　Government　with　grants　of　land　and　supplies；　their　hardships　and　disappointments　during　the　first　years　in　the　wilderness　were　such　as　would　have　daunted　any　but　brave　and　desperate　men　and　women　whom　fate　had　winnowed。　Yet　all　but　a　few；　who　drifted　back　to　their　old　homes；　held　out；　and　the　foundations　of　two　more　provinces　of　the　future　DominionNew　Brunswick　and　Upper　Canadawere　thus　broadly　and　soundly　laid　by　the　men　whom　future　generations　honored　as　〃United　Empire　Loyalists。〃　Through　all　the　later　years；　their　sacrifices　and　sufferings；　their　ideals　and　prejudices；　were　to　make　a　deep　impress　on　the　development　of　the　nation　which　they　helped　to　found　and　were　to　influence　its　relations　with　the　country　which　they　had　left　and　with　the　mother　country　which　had　held　their　allegiance。

Once　the　first　tasks　of　hewing　and　hauling　and　planting　were　done；　the　new　settlers　called　for　the　organization　of　local　governments。　They　were　quite　as　determined　as　their　late　foes　to　have　a　voice　in　their　own　governing；　even　though　they　yielded　ultimate　obedience　to　rulers　overseas。

In　the　provinces　by　the　sea　a　measure　of　self…government　was　at　once　established。　New　Brunswick　received；　without　question；　a　constitution　on　the　Nova　Scotia　model；　with　a　Lieutenant　Governor；　an　Executive　Council　appointed　to　advise　him；　which　served　also　as　the　upper　house　of　the　legislature；　and　an　elective　Assembly。　Of　the　twenty…six　members　of　the　first　Assembly；　twenty…three　were　Loyalists。　With　a　population　so　much　at　one；　and　with　the　tasks　of　road　making　and　school　building　and　tax　collecting　insistent　and　absorbing；　no　party　strife　divided　the　province　for　many　years。　In　Nova　Scotia；　too；　the　Loyalists　were　in　the　majority。　There；　however；　the　earlier　settlers　soon　joined　with　some　of　the　newcomers　to　form　an　opposition。　The　island　of　St。　John；　renamed　Prince　Edward　Island　in　1798；　had　been　made　a　separate　Government　and　had　received　an　Assembly　in　1773。　Its　one　absorbing　question　was　the　tenure　of　land。　On　a　single　day　in　1767　the　British　authorities　had　granted　the　whole　island　by　lottery　to　army　and　navy　officers　and　country　gentlemen；　on　condition　of　the　payment　of　small　quitrents。　The　quitrents　were　rarely　paid；　and　the　tenants　of　the　absentee　landlords　kept　up　an　agitation　for　reform　which　was　unceasing　but　which　was　not　to　be　successful　for　a　hundred　years。　In　all　three　Maritime　Provinces　political　and　party　controversy　was　little　known　for　a　generation　after　the　Revolution。

It　was　more　difficult　to　decide　what　form　of　government　should　be　set　up　in　Canada；　now　that　tens　of　thousands　of　English…speaking　settiers　dwelt　beside　the　old　Canadians。　Carleton；　now　Lord　Dorchester；　had　returned　as　Governor　in　1786；　after　eight　years'　absence。　He　was　still　averse　to　granting　an　Assembly　so　long　as　the　French　subjects　were　in　the　majority：　they　did　not　want　it；　he　insisted；　and　could　not　use　it。　But　the　Loyalist　settlers；　not　to　be　put　off；　joined　with　the　English　merchants　of　Montreal　and　Quebec　in　demanding　an　Assembly　and　relief　from　the　old　French　laws。　Carleton　himself　was　compelled　to　admit　the　force　of　the　conclusion　of　William　Grenville；　Secretary　of　Stat