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trade, the right of liberty of conscience, freedom of 

 speech and of thought, and improvements in agriculture, 

 the mechanic arts and architecture : so that, in short, 

 the issues which had excited the warmest controversies, 

 and had drawn general attention in colonial times, were 

 nearly forgotten in the new and more practical differences 

 respecting matters of social and political economy, culmi- 

 nating finally in the one great issue of independence of 

 the British Crown. 



Whoever supposes that the idea of American indepen- 

 dence, and the steps for securing that end were first de- 

 vised by the patriots of the revolutionary period, makes 

 a great mistake. The steps towards independence were 

 many, and can be traced thr6ughout our provincial his- 

 tory back into colonial times ; but, during the existence 

 of the Province charter they were firmly and openly 

 made long before most of the heroes of the. Revolution 

 were born. 



The organization of the legislature under the Province 

 charter, which uovy consisted of two distinct bodies in- 

 stead of one general assembly, as formerly, led, natu- 

 rally, to the adoptioffof our present "legislative system : 

 the governor having the power by that instrument to neg- 

 ative any bill which had passed the house and council in 

 concurrence. 



The rights and functions of these several "branches, 

 under the charter, were fruitful topics of discussion in 

 the assembly and among the people, and many important 

 points of our present constitutional law were developed 

 by these discussions, which led, also, to the elucidation of 

 and familiarity with parliamentary law and practice. 



Some of these points were then explained, including 

 the controversy respecting the right of the governor to 

 negative the choice of a speaker of the House, and the 



