622 Mrs. Wright's Travels in the United Stales. 
and in (he other by the influence of the 
priests. 
In ignorance and infatuated supersti¬ 
tion, the Canadian remains in statu quo, 
as when he first migrated from his native 
France. Guarded from the earthquake 
by British protection, the shock of the 
revolution was in no degree, however 
small, felt here; the priest continues 
to hood-wink and fleece the people, and 
the people to pamper and worship the 
priest, just as in the good old times. 
You may learn some curious particu¬ 
lars here concerning the policy of the 
London cabinet, as connected with that 
of Rome. Among other things, a re¬ 
quest has lately been preferred to the 
Pope, that he will raise tile bishopric 
of Quebec into an arch-bishopric; and 
the prelate of this Canadian diocese is 
now about to embark for Italy to re¬ 
ceive from the hands of his Holiuess 
this addition to his honours. The peo¬ 
ple, meanwhile, are exhorted to re¬ 
member, in their prayers, the pious 
prince who, though ruling in a land of 
heretics, bears thus in remembrance 
the servants of the most High. The 
Priests have in their hands some of the 
best lands in the country, and claim, 
of course, some fruit offerings from 
their spiritual children. Conceiving 
the security of the tenure to lie in the 
ignorance of the people, they enforce 
every prohibition calculated to preserve 
it entire; such as marrying with here¬ 
tics, reading any book without the 
permission of the confessor, and learn¬ 
ing the English language. Tlie proxi¬ 
mity of the States and their growing 
power, and, worse than all, their in¬ 
stitutions civil and religious, are na¬ 
turally looked upon by these shepherds 
of the flock with suspicion and terror. 
As the union of Canada to the 
republic would of necessity pave the 
way to their downfall, interest binds 
fast their loyalty to the ruling powers ; 
these again, equally jealous of the 
States, and aware of the precariousness 
of the tenure by which they hold these 
colonies, pay much deference to the 
men who hold the keys of the people’s 
minds. Thus goes the world ! and yet 
with the Canadian peasant it would seem 
to go very happily ; he eats his crust, or 
shares it with the passenger right 
cheerily ; his loyalty, transferred from 
KingLouis to King George, sits equally 
light on his light spirits. As to the 
government, if he shares it not, as little 
does he feel it. Too poor to be op¬ 
pressed, too ignorant to be discon¬ 
tented, he invokes his saint, obeys his 
priest, smokes his pipe, and sings an 
old ballad ; while shrewder heads and 
duller spirits enact laws which he never 
hears of, and foil after gains which he 
contrives to do without^ 
There is said generally to be no very 
friendly understanding between the old 
Freuch and the new English popula¬ 
tion ; the latter being given to laugh at 
the superstition of the former, and re¬ 
senting the supremacy of Catholic over 
Lutheran episcopacy. The govern¬ 
ment, however, leaves “ protestant as¬ 
cendancy” to make its way here as it 
can, which, unbacked by law, makes 
its way very slowly. These national 
and religious jealousies have occasion¬ 
ally produced bickerings, and even po¬ 
litical disturbances. 
The government of the Canadas con¬ 
sists of a Governor appointed by the 
crown ; a Legislative Council, com¬ 
posed in Upper Canada of seven mem¬ 
bers, and in the Lower or French Ca¬ 
nada of fifteen ; these are appointed by 
the Governor, and nominated for life: 
a Lower House of Assembly, whose 
members are chosen by the freeholders 
in either province, the elections oc¬ 
curring every four years. In Lower 
Canada the French forming the ma¬ 
jority of the population, are able to 
combat, in the House of Assembly, the 
power of the English Executive and 
Legislative Council, which virtually 
forms a part of the former. It is easy 
to see with what candour this House 
will be judged of by the party it op¬ 
poses. It is doubtful whether it would 
be more praised were it more en¬ 
lightened. 
BURLINGTON. 
Ascending the watersof Lake Champ¬ 
lain, the shores assume a wild and 
mountainous character. The scite of 
the flourishing town of Burlington is 
one of singular beauty; the neatness 
and elegance of the white houses as¬ 
cending rapidly from the shore, inters¬ 
persed with trees, and arranged with 
that symmetry which characterizes the 
young villages of these states; the 
sweet bajr, and, beyond, the open wa¬ 
ters of the lake, bounded by a range 
of mountains, behind which, when our 
eyes first rested on them, the sun was 
sinking in golden splendour ;—it was a 
fairy scene, when his flaming disk, 
which might have dazzled eagles, dropt 
behind the purple screen, blazing on 
the still broad lake, on the windows 
and the white walls of the lovely vil- 
' lagc. 
