Political Development. 351 



influence. Indeed, in 1774, by the so-called Quebec 

 Act, the first permanent system of self government 

 was established much on the lines of the French feudal 

 system, and the French civil law was retained. 



At first, under English rule, the territory, then 

 including the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michi- 

 gan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, formed one colony, 

 but after the war of the Revolution, in 1791, it was 

 divided into two separately governed provinces. 

 Upper and Lower, or West and East Canada. They 

 were re-united in 1840, and continued so until 1867 

 when the so-called Union Act effected the present 

 organization of the Dominion of Canada, a federal 

 union, comprising only the provinces of Ontario, 

 Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. After 

 various combinations and subdivisions all of the 

 British Possessions in North America, except New- 

 foundland and its dependencies in Labrador, came in, 

 and in 1882 the union was completed with the then 

 seven provinces (those mentioned with Prince Ed- 

 wards Island, Manitoba and British Columbia) and all 

 the organized and unorganized territory. In the same 

 year four territories, Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Alberta 

 and Athabasca, in 1895 the territory of Ungava in 

 Labrador, and in 1898 that of Yukon were organized, 

 with a view of their eventual elevation into provinces, 

 the relationships of the federation being quite similar 

 to that of the states and territories in the United States. 



The government, although practically much like a 

 republic and largely independent of the home country, 

 is theoretically a limited monarchy, the king being 

 represented by a Governor-General, appointed by the 



