18061 "LE CANADIEN." 503 according to its value was an expensive mode of proceeding and one likely to lead to litigation. Moreover, that by the enforcement of this principle the towns would be practically exempt; that the tax on imported articles was more easily levied and more just. To this it was replied that the imported articles were only in a trifling degree consumed in the country parishes, and the expenditure fell entirely upon the towns. The consequence of this diversity of view, which gave rise to much bad feeling, led to efforts on the part of the opponents of the bill to induce the home ministry to advise the king to disallow the act. The knowledge of this determination caused a motion to be made in the house for a committee to draft a petition to the king to assent to the act, and to prepare a memorial explanatory of the causes which led to the course resorted to being preferred. It was met by an amendment that the house should recommend the act be not allowed. In a thin house of nineteen, the motion was carried by thirteen to six. A curious incident took place when the address was placed in the hands of the lieutenant-governor. By an oversight, no previous official notice, as is customary, had been given to the lieutenant-governor; so in receiving it he replied that, not having until that moment had communication with the address and memorial, he could only say that they might depend on their submission to his majesty, "unless on a deliberate perusal thereof, any part should appear to be exceptionable, in which case I shall acquaint you therewith by message on Monday next.” This speech gave rise to some irritation in the house, and a motion was made to take it in consideration. A debate ensued, but it was terminated owing to a want of quorum. The act was allowed. In November, 1806, Le Canadien appeared, written entirely in French. It has been claimed that the publication of this journal constituted an era in the history of journalism. In one sense it may be so considered, for it was the commencement of the effort to create the enmity of race, which ended in the abortive rebellion of 1837. At the date of its appearance there was no such antagonism. The conductors of the journal simply claimed the freedom of a British subject as the right of the Canadian. They likewise undertook that nothing should appear at variance with religion, morality, or the interests of the state.† The paper was started by subscription, a small press having been obtained. One avowed object was the vindication of the French Canadian character from what was considered to be the unfair attacks made against it. motto selected as representative of the principles to be acted upon was "Nos institutions, notre langue, et nos lois." None knew better than its writers the impossibility of living under institutions controlled by the will of the French intendant. The cry, however, had its uses; it was an appeal to the patriotism of the habitant without education or political knowledge, and suggested a wrong suffered or threatened. As this history shews, there had been, as far as possible, full consideration shewn to the ancient laws; the language had received recognition in the house; while the whole French Canadian population in the entire province could not have exceeded 130,000 in a total of 160,000, about threefourths of the present population of Montreal. The writing in the Canadien is not marked by any particular ability; it advocated no policy of change or advancement. In view of the political opinions expressed, its tone was on all occasions in opposition to the policy of the government, and antagonistic to commercial interests, in its advocacy of the pre-eminence of agriculture. What was really offensive on the part of the conductors was their continual readiness to create or to awaken national antipathies. Until the rancour which was introduced in these columns, there was no French Canadian party as such. It was this newspaper * "La liberté d'un Anglais qui est à présent celle d'un Canadien." "Rien de contraire à la religion, aux bonnes moeurs ou à l'intérêt de l'état." 1806] EXTREME OPINIONS. 505 which first paraded an opposition to all it considered as British sentiment. The emigration, so systematically and perseveringly sought in modern times, was decried. The British immigrants who were entering a British province were described as strangers and intruders.* The inimical feeling was extended to every proceeding in any way sustained by British sentiment, and, that nothing should be wanting in the dissemination of this bitterness, we read the appeal to French Canadian jealousy. "In the ministerial dictionary a bad fellow, anti-ministerial, democrat, sans culotte, and damned Canadian mean the same thing."+ It is not possible to say that the French Canadians received no provocation to lead to this incitement to angry feelings. The mistake they made was that they considered they were alone the sufferers, whereas British Canadians had equal cause of discontent. The French Canadians, however, from difference of language and of religion, kept themselves aloof from the English-speaking inhabitants. At this early date there was but little recognition of the Irish catholic as an English-speaking co-religionist. English was spoken but by few in the cities. In the parishes it was never heard but from a stranger. The higher ranks of French Canadians have always taken a leading place in general society; as a class they knew English well, and their manners, mode of life and habits were English. Naturally, they sought companionship where their own agreeable address, and the charm of manner of French Canadian womanhood always received a welcome, independently of that which they might claim by birth and status. These families were but few and have now their representatives. The Duchesnays, the de Lérys, Taschereaus, de Lotbinières, de Salaberys, the de Bouchervilles, with some others, were found in the first social rank. There is, however, a current belief that after all that has been said on the subject, they preferred the gay, dégagé, more unrestrained "étrangers et intrus." "Dans le dictionnaire ministériel, mauvais sujet, anti-ministeriel democrat, sans culotte, damné Canadien, veulent dire la même chose." manners of their own set, to the grim pomposity of the British officials at the head of political life. It is to these functionaries, assured of their social status, that much of the mischief was due. Appointed by the home government, they were settled in their positions for life, irresponsible to the legislative assembly and to Canadian public opinion; thus, they looked only to the approbation of the colonial office. Most of them had arrived in the province as office holders, and landed with a sense of conscious superiority and of official importance which they never lost. Their theory was that Canada was to be ruled from London, and that the view there of what was politically expedient should alone prevail. All office and emolument was retained in their own hands, or in those of their relatives and protégés. Neither French nor British Canadian out of their set could obtain recognition. There was likewise the unwelcome contingency that those holding subordinate offices were liable to arbitrary dismissal, on any unfavourable view of their conduct by government house; and appointments were being constantly given in London to men whose first appearance in Canada was to assume office. Socially, they visited only among themselves, reciprocating patronage and admitting into their charmed circle the superior officers of the garrison. The superciliousness of the women belonging to this official clique has come down to modern times as a tradition to be wondered at. This pretentiousness was as offensive to the British as to the French Canadian. But the new subjects could not, or would not, make common cause with the old. The grievance that was a trouble to the French Canadians pressed upon them in a different way, and they resented it unwisely. The anger felt against the arrogant official class, that in modern times can find no defenders, was directed against British institutions and sentiment, indeed, against the whole British race. I will hazard the remark that at this early time the French Canadian was more English than he knew, perhaps more than he cared to admit. To this hour he has no deep sympathy with a 1806] POLITICS AT QUEBEC. 507 Frenchman. His tone of thought, his mode of life, his social theories, his likes and dislikes, are in no way in accord with the sentiment of modern France. The Frenchman has always been, and will always remain, a foreigner to the French Canadian. The Briton, with all his doggedness, his prejudices, and often his rudeness, even when to this is added an ignorance of French, may meet a French Canadian, with his special theories of life and speaking only his own language; but in a certain way the two are able to come together as comrades and friends. There is so much in which they are in accord. Had the French Canadian leaders of that time approached the British population, without this assumption of French Canadian nationality, then commencing to take form, a powerful party would have been created to obtain the changes of the constitution which have since been recognised to have been essential, and concerning which many of the English-speaking inhabitants were at one with them. The injudicious conduct of the writers of the Canadien rejected this element of possible strength. The fact is that they did not know what they themselves required, and their dissatisfaction took the form of abusing everything English. With the exception of the higher class I have named, they kept to themselves, forming a distinct society, avoiding intercourse with the British population, or reducing it to the narrowest limit, and constituting a community apart. The English-speaking members of the province were thus thrown into political sympathy with the office holders, for whom socially they had scant love, and whose habitual selfassertion they would willingly have seen curbed. Lord Durham destroyed this sorry condition of things, but it lasted for upwards of a quarter of a century, leading to great mistakes on both sides; with none more than with the French Canadians. Year by year, they alienated still more those who were their natural allies, while they themselves were impotent to obtain the better condition of things they desired. Finally, they plunged into excesses which no one of ability can fail to regret and wish had never happened. |