268 THE GROWTH OF CANADA 



cial interests. Some kind of consolidation was 

 obviously desirable for the security of the half 

 dozen all but independent political organisms 

 that made up British North America. 



It so happened that just at this time the 

 legislative union by which Upper Canada and 

 Lower Canada had been brought into harmony 

 in 1841 reached the end of its usefulness. Party 

 conflict, turning upon the antipathy between 

 the French and the English races, brought 

 paralysis upon the administration. A way out 

 could not be found till a coalition of the dead 

 locked parties was effected for the purpose of 

 instituting a new constitutional system through 

 federation. The specific requirement in the 

 internal politics of Canada was some readjust 

 ment that should satisfy the demands of the 

 English element in the upper province for power 

 proportioned to their now superior numbers as 

 compared with the French of the lower prov 

 ince. Failure to satisfy these demands was 

 likely at any moment to cause a revival of the 

 sentiment in favor of annexation to the United 

 States. The Americans were manifestly re 

 solved upon abrogating the Treaty of Reci 

 procity, in order to renew the commercial pres 

 sure upon the Canadians, at the same time that 



