the canadian dominion-第6节

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　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　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　colon