THROUGH THREEFOLD TENSION 175 



attended by the ill feeling natural under the 

 circumstances. Fear of approaching French as 

 cendancy was widely proclaimed, and in a less 

 degree actually felt. The disquiet was aggra 

 vated by one of the early acts of the Liberal 

 legislature. This was a law giving compensa 

 tion to loyal subjects in Lower Canada whose 

 property had been destroyed in the military 

 operations against the rebels in the late insur 

 rection. A similar measure applying to Upper 

 Canada had been passed by the Tories before 

 their fall; their view in reference to the lower 

 province was, however, that disaffection had 

 been practically universal, and that compensa 

 tion for losses would, therefore, be a premium 

 on rebellion. The Liberals pushed their bill 

 through in spite of the bitterest hostility, and 

 Lord Elgin, with the assent of the home gov 

 ernment, gave it his approval. One immediate 

 result was that his Lordship was stoned by a 

 mob, and the Parliament House was burned to 

 the ground. 



This riotous outbreak occurred in April, 

 1849, at Montreal. Other causes co-operated 

 with the compensation bill to inflame the pop 

 ular wrath. All Canada was suffering from a 

 serious industrial depression. Montreal was 



