13 



SdtiU and Cbute of Blundeau, in the Ottawa river: It is 

 fqnul in luagnitude to that of La Cliine, and the expense 

 -was defrayed hy the British Government. 



DIVISION AND UK-UNION OF THE PROVINCES. 



For a coiisiJerable period the French were masters of 

 Canada, but the invasion of the country by the English, in 

 1759, ended by France (in 1703) ceding" the whole of 

 (vanadd, Nova iScofia, New Brunswick, Cape Breton, and 

 Newfoundland to Great Britain. Much dissension r.nd 

 many political difficulties subsequently arose out of the 

 jarring interests and opposite views of the inhabitants of 

 Canada, the Cpper Province haviijoru British and Protestant 

 population, and the Lower a IVench and Uonian Catholic. 

 Mr. Pitt thought tbtt this evil might he remedied by 

 dividing the country into 2 Proviuccs to be called the 

 Upper and the Lower, each haviii<; a separMe Legislature. 

 This division took place in 1791, by what was called Lord 

 Granville's Act. The measure appeared to answer the 

 desired end for some years, but in the autumn of 1837 a 

 rebellion burst forth headed by M, Papineau in Lower 

 Canada, and by Mr. Mackenzie in the Upper Province. 

 A host of fabricated grievances were assigned as the cause 

 of the outbreak, but the conduct and declarations of the 

 rebels showed that tlieir real object was, with the assistance 

 of the United States, to throw off the sovereignty of 

 England. Much bloodshed was the result of this revolt, 

 but it was suppressed. Sir Uobert Peel stated in the 

 House of Commons in May 1843, that the expense of sup- 

 pressing the rebellion had beon little less than £3,500,000. 

 The Canadian constitution was suspended, and the Legisla- 

 latures dissolved; and Lord Durham was sent out, as 

 Governor General, if possible, to restore tranquillity. The 

 principal recommendations of his Lordship were— the re- 

 union of the two Provinces into one, the assembling of the 

 English and French races in one Parliament, and mingling 

 thcni in other bodies for the transaction of public business. 

 These recommendations were ndopted, nnd on the 23rd 

 July, 1840, the " Act for the union of the Canadas" was 

 passed. The Act provides, that for the United Provincef 

 there shall be one Legislative Council and one Assembly, to 

 be called the Legislative Council and Assembly of Canada; 

 and that all laws passed by those bodies, and assented to 

 by her Majesty, the Queen of England, shall be binding 

 within the Province. The Members of the Legislatira 

 Council, (not fewer than 20 in number) are nominated by 

 th9 Crown; and each member is entitled to hold his seat 



