THE HISTOEY OF CANADA. 11 



1822, when the reunion of the two provinces was first broached, but violently opposed by 

 the French. Then discontent began to prevail, and for the next fifteen years the political 

 agitation grew very lively indeed. The fiftieth anniversary of the rebellion of ISST-SS is 

 just going on, and the whole history has been raked up, especially in one of the Montreal 

 papers. There was romance enough in the events of those two years to furnish material 

 for an abundant literature, which indeed has been the case, the most notable of the French 

 works being by M. De Boucherville, whose description of the battle of St. Denis, in " Une 

 de Perdue," is quite entertaining. The revolt, however, was uot without its good result, 

 although that was not foreseen by its leaders. Lord Durham having been sent out to 

 report on the situation, the home authorities determined, on the strength of his represen- 

 tations, to unite the two provinces and embody in their constitution the principle of 

 responsible goAn^rnment. This Act took efiect on February 6th, 1841. In June of the 

 same year, the first united parliament met at Kingston ; in 1844, the seat of government 

 was carried to Montreal and, after the burning of the parliament building, in 1849, by 

 a mob that resented the signing of the Rebellion Losses Bill, by the Governor-General, 

 the Earl of Elgin, it was transported to Toronto and thence to Quebec. Finally, Ottawa 

 was chosen, as a compromise, for the capital, and when Lower Canada resisted the prin- 

 ciple of representation by population to the point of forcing a crisis, the broad scheme of 

 confederation of all the provinces of British North America was broached, and one of the 

 most romantic and beautiful dreams that ever played before the fancy of a statesman was 

 carried out, as if by enchantment. And we are now making history, under that union or 

 confederation, which will supply valuable chapters to Dr. Henry Miles's second volume, 

 when it is published, and to the next edition of our respected colleague Dr. Withrow's, 

 excellent handbook. And this reminds me that our historical literature deserves a word. 

 Besides the names already mentioned, we have in our own time Garueau, Bibaud, 

 Ferland, Faillon, Verreau, Chauveau, Desmazures, Daniel, Tanguay, Casgraiu, Faucher de 

 St. Maurice, Eousseau, Suite, Christie, Haliburton, Scaddiug, Dent, Harvey, Kingsford, 

 Brymner (in his Archives), Bryce and others, whose works are valuable. The full history 

 of Canada has yet to be written, however. As Canada is a specially hard country to 

 govern, so its history is particularly difficult to write. But it is bound to come from a pen 

 that understands the French period, with its mystical and medieval agencies, and that 

 understands the English spirit as well, and that whole scheme of fair play which has made 

 the French, under British rule, the freest and happiest people under the sun. Meanwhile 

 we should all strive to study the history of Canada in the spirit of those who were the 

 prime movers therein; discarding modern standards of fault-finding and sneering; divest- 

 ing ovirselves, so far as may be, of the warping prejudices of race, creed and tongue, and 

 deriving from even its romantic aspects, not spectacular enjoyment merely, but those 

 lessons of necessary cause and effect ; those interventions of providence, and those 

 mysteries of the chapter of accidents which they appreciate who understand what is 

 meant by the philosophy of history. 



