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 
