320 POLITICAL CONDUCT OF THE BRrnSH-BOrvN. 



scarcely condemn a governor for preferring to attain Ills 

 ends by peaceful means, rather than by force of blood- 

 shed. So far as I have had the materials for forming a 

 judgment, it appears to me to have been not less wise 

 and prudent than humane to quit the city altogether, 

 and to leave it to make up its own intra-mural differences. 

 A punishment which must aifect their pockets will be 

 far more felt than one which might have robbed the city 

 of a few of its most worthless lives, and will sooner work 

 its way to the understandings of its inhabitants. 



There was one point, however, in regard to the Cana- 

 dian differences, which, from my previous ignorance of 

 the province, was incomprehensible to me, and upon 

 which I anxiously sought to be enlightened. When the 

 rebellion broke out among the French Canadians, the 

 Upper Canadians, and generally those of British blood, 

 took part against them. But in the division in the 

 House of Assembly upon the Lower Canada Rebellion 

 Losses Bill — the cause of all the disturbance — a majority 

 of the Upper Canadian members, of British blood, and 

 many of them British-born, voted with the French mem- 

 bers of Lower Canada in favour of the measure. It was 

 not, therefore, a war of races, as it had been represented 

 at home. But how came those who were unanimous in 

 opposing the rebellion to be found voting with those who 

 had favoured, or actually supported and participated in 

 it? I put this question to a friend of mine, one of the 

 Upper Canada members, himself British-born, wlio had 

 voted for the obnoxious measure, and his explanation 

 was to the following effect : — 



" For a long series of years, Upper Canada was under 

 the dominating rule of what was called the Family Com- 

 pact. Home-born Canadians, and a certain number of 

 high, officials, divided all offices and patronage among 

 themselves, and did everything in their power to keep 

 the British-born from participating in the exercise of 



