the canadian dominion-第11章

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；　in　Charles　Buller's　phrase；　were　really　〃Mr。　Mother　Country。〃　The　Governor　was　the　local　agent　of　the　Colonial　Office。　He　acted　on　its　instructions　and　was　responsible　to　it；　and　to　it　alone；　for　the　exercise　of　the　wide　administrative　powers　entrusted　to　him。

But　all　these　powers；　it　was　believed；　would　fail　in　their　purpose　if　democracy　were　allowed　to　grow　unchecked　in　the　colonies　themselves。　It　was　an　essential　part　of　the　colonial　policy　of　the　time　to　build　up　conservative　social　forces　among　the　people　and　to　give　a　controlling　voice　in　the　local　administration　to　a　nominated　and　official　class。　It　has　been　seen　that　the　statesmen　of　1791　looked　to　a　nominated　executive　and　legislative　council；　an　hereditary　aristocracy；　and　an　established　church；　to　keep　the　colony　in　hand。　British　legislation　fostered　and　supported　a　ruling　class　in　the　colonies；　and　in　turn　this　class　was　to　support　British　connection　and　British　control。　How　this　policy；　half　avowed　and　half　unconscious；　worked　out　in　each　of　the　provinces　must　now　be　recorded。


In　Upper　Canada　party　struggles　did　not　take　shape　until　well　after　the　War　of　1812。　At　the　founding　of　the　colony　the　people　had　been　very　much　of　one　temper　and　one　condition。　In　time；　however；　divergences　appeared　and　gradually　hardened　into　political　divisions。　A　governing　class；　or　rather　clique；　was　the　first　to　become　differentiated。　Its　emergence　was　slower　than　in　New　Brunswick；　for　instance；　since　Upper　Canada　had　received　few　of　the　Loyalists　who　were　distinguished　by　social　position　or　political　experience。　In　time　a　group　was　formed　by　the　accident　of　occupation；　early　settlement；　residence　in　the　little　town　of　York；　the　capital　after　1794；　the　holding　of　office；　or　by　some　advantage　in　wealth　or　education　or　capacity　which　in　time　became　cumulative。　The　group　came　to　be　known　as　the　Family　Compact。　There　had　been；　in　fact；　no　intermarriage　among　its　members　beyond　what　was　natural　in　a　small　and　isolated　community；　but　the　phrase　had　a　certain　appositeness。　They　were　closely　linked　by　loyalty　to　Church　and　King；　by　enmity　to　republics　and　republicans；　by　the　memory　of　the　sacrifice　and　peril　they　or　their　fathers　had　shared；　and　by　the　conviction　that　the　province　owed　them　the　best　living　it　could　bestow。　This　living　they　succeeded　in　collecting。　〃The　bench；　the　magistracy；　the　high　officials　of　the　established　church；　and　a　great　part　of　the　legal　profession；〃　declared　Lord　Durham　in　1839；　〃are　filled　by　the　adherents　of　this　party；　by　grant　or　purchase　they　have　acquired　nearly　the　whole　of　the　waste　lands　of　the　province；　they　are　all　powerful　in　the　chartered　banks；　and　till　lately　shared　among　themselves　almost　exclusively　all　offices　of　trust　and　profit。〃　Fortunately　the　last　absurdity　of　creating　Dukes　of　Toronto　and　Barons　of　Niagara　Falls　was　never　carried　through；　or　rather　was　postponed　a　full　century；　but　this　touch　was　scarcely　needed　to　give　the　clique　its　cachet。　The　ten…year　governorship　of　Sir　Peregrine　Maitland　（1818…28）；　a　most　punctilious　person；　gave　the　finishing　touches　to　this　backwoods　aristocracy。

The　great　majority　of　the　group；　men　of　the　Scott　and　Boulton；　Sherwood　and　Hagerman　and　Allan　MacNab　types；　had　nothing　but　their　prejudices　to　distinguish　them；　but　two　of　their　number　were　of　outstanding　capacity。　John　Beverley　Robinson；　Attorney　General　from　1819　to　1829　and　thereafter　for　over　thirty　years　Chief　Justice；　was　a　true　aristocrat；　distrustful　of　the　rabble；　but　as　honest　and　highminded　as　he　was　able；　seeking　his　country's　gain；　as　he　saw　it；　not　his　own。　A　more　rugged　and　domineering　character；　equally　certain　of　his　right　to　rule　and　less　squeamish　about　the　means；　was　John　Strachan；　afterwards　Bishop　of　Toronto。　Educated　a　Presbyterian；　he　had　come　to　Canada　from　Aberdeen　as　a　dominie　but　had　remained　as　an　Anglican　clergyman　in　a　capacity　promising　more　advancement。　His　abounding　vigor　and　persistence　soon　made　him　the　dominant　force　in　the　Church；　and　with　a　convert's　zeal　he　labored　to　give　it　exclusive　place　and　power。　The　opposition　to　the　Family　Compact　was　of　a　more　motley　hue；　as　is　the　way　with　oppositions。　Opposition　became　potential　when　new　settlers　poured　into　the　province　from　the　United　States　or　overseas；　marked　out　from　their　Loyalist　forerunners　not　merely　by　differences　of　political　background　and　experience　but　by　differences　in　religion。　The　Church　of　England　had　been　dominant　among　the　Loyalists；　but　the　newcomers　were　chiefly　Methodist　and　Presbyterian。　Opposition　became　actual　with　the　rise　of　concrete　and　acute　grievances　and　with　the　appearance　of　leaders　who　voiced　the　growing　discontent。

The　political　exclusiveness　of　the　Family　Compact　did　not　rouse　resentment　half　as　deep　as　did。　their　religious；　or　at　least　denominational；　pretensions。　The　refusal　of　the　Compact　to　permit　Methodist　ministers　to　perform　the　marriage　ceremony　was　not　soon　forgotten。　There　were　scores　of　settlements　where　no　clergyman　of　the　Established　Church　of　England　or　of　Scotland　resided；　and　marriages　here　had　been　of　necessity　performed　by　other　ministers。　A　bill　passed　the　Assembly　in　1824　legalizing　such　marriages　in　the　past　and　giving　the　required　authority　for　the　future；　and　when　it　was　rejected　by　the　Legislative　Council；　resentment　flamed　high。　An　attempt　of　Strachan　to　indict　the　loyalty　of　practically　all　but　the　Anglican　clergy　intensified　this　feeling；　and　the　critics　went　on　to　call　in　question　the　claims　of　his　Church　to　establishment　and　landed　endowment。

The　land　question　was　the　most　serious　that　faced　the　province。　The　administration　of　those　in　power　was　condemned　on　three　distinct　counts。　The　granting　of　land　to　individuals　had　been　lavish；　it　had　been　lax；　and　it　had　been　marked　by　gross　favoritism。　By　1824；　when　the　population　was　only　150；000；　some　11；000；000　acres　had　been　granted；　ninety　years　later；　when　the　population　was　2；700；000；　the　total　amount　of　improved　land　was　only　13；000；000　acres。　Moreover　the　attempt　to　use　vast　areas　of　the　Crown　Lands　to　endow　solely　the　Anglican　Church　roused　bitter　jealousies。　Yet　even　these　grievances　paled　in　actual　hardship　beside　the　results　of　holding　the　vast　waste　areas　unimproved。　What　with　Crown　Reserves；　Clergy　Reserves；　grants　to　those　who　had　served　the　state；　and　holdings　picked　up　by　speculators　from　soldiers　or　poorer　Loyalists　for　a　few　pounds　or　a　few　gallons　of　whisky；　millions　of　acres　were　held　untenanted　and　unimproved；　waiting　for　a　rise　in　value　as　a　consequence　of　the　toil　of　settlers　on　neighboring　farms。　Not　one…tenth　of　the　lands　granted　were　occupied　by　the　persons　to　whom　they　had　been　assigned。　The　province　had　given　away　almost　all　its　vast　heritage；　and　more　than　nine…tenths　of　it　was　still　in　wilderness。　These　speculative　holdings　made　immensely　more　difficult　every　common　neighborhood　task。　At　best　the　machinery　and　the　money　for　building　roads；　bridges；　and　schools　were　scanty；　but　with　these　unimproved　reserves　thrust　in　between　the　scattered　shacks；　the　task　was　disheartening。　〃The　reserve　of　two…sevenths　of　the　land　for　the　Crown　and　clergy；〃　declared　the　township　of　Sandwich　in　1817；　〃must　for　a　long　time　keep　the　country　a　wilderness；　a　harbour　for　wolves；　a　hindrance　to　a　compact　and　good　neighborhood。〃

A　further　source　of　discontent　developed　in　the　disabilities　affecting　recent　American　settlers。　A　court　decision　in　1824　held　that　no　one　who　had　resided　in　the　United　States　after　1783　could　possess　or　transmit　British　citizenship；　with　which　went　the　right　to　inherit　real　estate。　This　decision　bore　heavily　upon　thousands　of　〃late　Loyalists〃　and　more　recent　incomers。　Under　the　instructions　of　the　Colonial　Office；　a　remedial　bill　was　introduced　in　the　Legislative　Council　in　1827；　but　it　was　a　grudging；　halfway　measure　which　the　Assembly　refused　to　accept。　After　several　sessions　of　quarreling；　the　Assembly　had　its　way；　but　in　the　meantime　the　men　affected　had　been　driven　into　permanent　and　active　opposition。

The　leaders　of　the　movement　of　resistance　which　now　began　to　gather　force　included　all　sorts　and　conditions　of　men。　The　fiercest　and　most　aggressive　were　two　Scotchmen；　Robert　Gourlay　and　William　Lyon　Mackenzie。　Go