THE ROARING FORTIES 89 



neither of the two provinces bearing this name 

 had the development of political and economic 

 life since 1815 been calm and satisfactory. 

 Party strife was keen on lines that strongly 

 suggested the history of the United States just 

 before it broke away from Great Britain. The 

 chief organs of government in each province were 

 a governor appointed by the crown, a legislative 

 council likewise appointed, and an assembly 

 elected by the people. In both the Canadas the 

 central point of constitutional strife was the ten 

 ure and powers of the legislative council. When 

 in 1791 the existing province of Quebec was di 

 vided into the two provinces of Lower Canada 

 and Upper Canada, it was expected that the 

 one should be distinctively the centre of a policy 

 adapted to the character and feelings of the 

 French population, and the other the particular 

 home of the English. In the course of time, 

 however, the English element in Lower Canada 

 gained largely on the French through immigra 

 tion. In the thirties the ratio of English to 

 French was possibly as high as one to three. 

 Compared with the conservative, easy-going 

 French element the newcomers were radical 

 and aggressive and they aroused strong misgivings 

 in their compatriots. Political parties tended 



