1891-92. ] CORRESPONDENCE OF LIEUT.-COL. COFFIN. 285 
is that of springing mines, let him beware that the present does not explode beneath 
his own feet. Sir Charles Grey is the éeau-¢deal of a Leadenhall butcher. We are 
told that he is a very good man, but he looks like a very vulgar one. They go here by 
the name of the three G’s—gander, goose and gosling.” 
It was just a month after this letter was written, when the Parliament 
of Lower Canada assembled. Jord Gosford, in a very conciliatory 
speech, assured the House that all real grievances would be attended 
to. “The Home Government” he said “was prepared to surrender the 
control of all public revenue arising |lrom any Canadian source, on con- 
dition of a moderate provision being made for the Civil list. Plurality 
of offices should be abolished, and intelligent French Canadians have the 
paths to positions of honor and profit open to them, equally with the 
English-speaking races ; in future the fullest information with regard to 
the public accounts would be given the House; no bills would be re- 
served for the royal assent where it was possible to avoid it, and all 
complaints should receive due consideration.” 
But no concessions could please Mr. Papineau and his followers. They 
ignored the Royal Commission and appointed Mr. Roebuck their agent 
in England to press their grievances before Parliament. The Legislative 
Council throwing out this bill, Mr. Papineau indulged in some violent 
language. “The time has gone by” he said “when Europe could give 
monarchies to America ; on the contrary, an epoch is approaching when 
America will give republics to Europe.” 
A supply bill for only six months was voted by the Assembly, but 
rejected by the Council, and the Governor in proroguing Parliament had 
to acknowledge his failure and consequent disappointment. “Itis to me 
matter of sincere regret that the offers of peace and conciliation, of 
which I was the bearer to this Country have not led to the result which 
I had hoped for. The consequences of this rejection, and of the demands 
which have been made to his Majesty, I will not venture to predict.” 
Meanwhile Sir Francis Bond Head had assumed office as Governor of 
Upper Canada. He arrived in Toronto at the end of Jannary 1836, 
while the house was in session, and though announced in advance as 
“a tried Reformer,’ he soon showed that he had little sympathy with such 
Reformers as Mackenzie and Bidwell, who not content with airing their 
just grievances, resorted to veiled threats of secession and leagued them- 
selves with Papineau and the Lower Canadian “ Patriots,” who were 
already preparing to resort to arms. 
Finding that the new Governor would not become their tool, the As- 
sembly cut off the supplies, but Sir Francis after refusing his assent to any 
money bills whatever, so that the members had no sessional allowance to 
