78 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



consequence thereof to prorogue and dissolve tlicni you will take care t» 

 use such temperate and chosen language as luay not leave it in the power 

 of the Legislative Assembly, which may afterwards be chosen to question 

 the propriety' of your statements as affecting their privileges or the 

 Constitution." ^ 



In a private, letter of the same date, ho added tliis furthci- warning 

 for his guidance in the future: — 



" Notliing appears to me more difficult or delicate to manage than 

 a Provincial Assembly constituted like that of Lower Canada, wherein 

 all the privileges of the House of Commons of Great Britain are claimed 

 or exceeded, where there exist little means of influencing and inducing 

 them to coalesce with the Government, and wherein from the example of 

 the American States and the very nature of a popular Assembly, active 

 and turbulent minds have great materials and opportiiniities to raise 

 themselves into imaginary or real importance by opposing the adminis- 

 tration, and the difficulty becomes thus great from an)other peculiar cir- 

 cumstance that there is no means whatever of punishing an Assembly 

 but by dissolution, and this method when the conduct of the Assembly 

 is popular is sure to fail of success and to increase the evil it is intended 

 to cure. 



" It is therefore of the utmost consequence to take care that in any 

 difference which ,may arise between a Governor and a Provincial As- 

 sembly, he should not advert to any particular proceeding of the As- 

 sembly that is not clearly unconstitutional and illegal, and that when 

 the improper opposition of the Assembly arises from discussion of a 

 mixed nature when they can plausibly plead their privileges and rights 

 in favour of their conduct, however, improper, no particular allusion to 

 such conduct should be made by the Governor on which the Assembly 

 might fasten a complaint. 



" Xeither of the grounds on which the Assembly was dissolved ap- 

 ])ear to have been unconstitutional. 



" In regard to the measure of excluding the judges from a seat in 

 the I^egislature, there is no repugnance felt to the measure should vou 

 at any time see it right to acquiesce in it." - 



This unmistakable rebuke produced an almost immediate alteration 

 in the Govemor-Genoral's bearing, and it was soon surmised by the 

 leaders of the opposition that his conduct had in some way incurred the 

 disapproval of the ministry'', but of this they wore unable to secure any 

 confirination to strengthen their position. 



* Craig to Castlereagh, 7th Sept., 1809, Canadian Archives, Q., 109, p. 217. 



* Canadian Archives, Q., 109, p. 219. 



