182 RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. 



conversation, among all persons and all classes gene 

 rally in these provinces, also struck me. This appeared 

 the more peculiar, as, after my visit to New England, I 

 was sensible that in these respects the same classes in 

 the provinces went greatly beyond the mass of their 

 neighbours in the older States. Along with it there 

 was also, in New Brunswick and elsewhere, especially in 

 the towns, evidences of discontent in fact, a tendency 

 to it, and, as I thought, to unreasonable and unfounded 

 complaints against the mother country. The reduction 

 of salaries effected by the Provincial Legislature had 

 created great dissatisfaction among the older officials, 

 brought out or appointed from home, but paid out of 

 the provincial purse. These gentlemen thought the 

 Home Government should have protected them from 

 such reduction, and at all risks. The opponents of 

 responsible government, as it is called, which had lately 

 been conceded to the colonies, were dissatisfied, maintain 

 ing that a large majority of the people did not wish or care 

 for it, and therefore the Home Government ought not to 

 have conceded it. But these men did not consider that 

 it is the public voice of a colony only, expressed espe 

 cially by its Legislature, which the Home Government 

 can judge by, and that the silent and indifferent utter 

 no voice. If ten thousand of the New Bruns wickers 

 demanded repeatedly and loudly a certain change, and 

 the mass of the people make no effort, and express no 

 opinion on the other side, the Home Government would 

 feel called upon to do something to quiet these men and 

 the more especially if the thing demanded, as in the case of 

 this responsible government, was in consonance with 

 was, in fact, only an extension to the colonies of the prin 

 ciples of the British constitution enjoyed by us at home. 

 It is strange, though not unaccountable, how every 

 party in these colonies makes the mother country the 

 scape-goat in all their quarrels and mutual defeats, and 



