29 AUGUST 1840, Page 14

THE LIVING DOG BETFER THAN THE DEAD LION: \VLI IG MISREPRESENTATION.

THE Morning Chronicle Scents to be in a sad perplexity between its professions of regard for Lord DuitilAM NVIlile alive, and the necessity of paying count to Ministers. The latter fueling„ how- ever, predominates ; and it accordingly pounces on au article in the Weekly Chronicle, which, in a manner highly creditable to the good feeling of the author, had noticed the sad contrast suggested by the Peerage of Governor ToomsoN, gazetted on the Sallie day that witnessed the death of Lord Duaimm. This, which the Morning Chronicle calls " sentimentalism in the worst possible taste," is made the pretext for an outpouring of what we may characterize as in worse taste than we had thought possible, though no one can attribute it to sent intent. The mention of' Lord Duatitor is resented as a disparagement of his successor ; and we are told that it is perfectly possible to do justice both to Lord SYDEMIANI and Lord Deurrnm, in 1011,,w articles, which studi- ously throw all that Lord DurinAm did for Canada into the shade, and bring tbrward the present Governor-General and his principal in Downing Street as the authors of all the practical good that has been done tbr that province.

This, however, is a question on which we may leave it to time and the good taste of readers to vindicate Lord DUanAm against the mortifying comparisons of the ilferning Chronicle. We have no wish to disparage Lord SYDENHAM. His Share of the work has been done as well as we had a right to expect of Mn, Pot-LETT Tuomsos; and insignificant and easy as it appears, in comparison with the task perfinmed by his predecessor, by all menu.; let him have, with his Peerage, a just meed of praise. lint the ..1britiag 'Aroniete is not content, or thinks it cannot content its patrons. unless it dis- parage Sonic of Lord DURHAM'S principles of Colonial government. It thstens accordingly on Executive Ilesp:m,ibility ; countenances many of the misrepresentations of' that doctrine by its enemies ; and affects to sneer at it as unintelligili!e and unimportant. NOW this is a matter on which the C'hron%e1-'s talking to and fro may do harm. If it cannot hurt Lord Dr nuan, it may hurt its own patrons. Already the people of Canada are beginning to exhibit strong syniptoms of distrust respecting the intentions of their Go- vernor-t ;eneral and the Colonial Office on this al l- import:int subject. Such indications of the feelings of Government as those thus aftbrded by the Government press, will go far to make the electors of Canada take the defensive attitude with respect to this question, and cause the first Uoited Parliament to consist of persons selected not for their legislative competency, but for their supposed deter- mination to coerce the Government into adopting the principle of Executive Responsibility.

The Chronicle attempts to sneer away Responsible Government by describing it as " a watchword, which has different meanings in different mouths." Now, will the Chronicle have the goodness to specify the atfierent meanings of this phrase, and to speet!y also the different mouths from which they proceed Those who demand Re-

sponsible Government in the sense med by Lord DuatiAm, demand only that the Crown should in the Represt unitive Colon jet, as here, make a practice of composing the bulk of its Executive officers of

persons having the confidence of' the majority of the Asseinbly.s This is the only sense in which Re sputum Government is under- stood by. the Solicitor-Ceneral of Upper Canada, and the Re- formers who follow him—by the .Examiner the Christ:an Guar- dian, the Kingston Herald, and all the other organs of the Re-

forming party in Upper Canada, and by Mr. Howe, Mn'. Youxu, and the other Reformers of Nova Scotia. Theo, will the Chronicle have the goodness to tell us what other meaning is attached to the words ? Will it next specify by whom ? Will it, lastly, specify the speech or writing in which such person has used the words in such meaning ?

The C'hroniele holds out to the people of Canada, the comfort- able assurance that it is still to be in the power of a Tory Govern- ment " to mistrust and harass its Colonial subjects." A Tory Government will be clever if it do either, more effectually than a See Mr. CHARLES BULLER'S little volume on this subject, published by RIDGWAY, and reviewed in the Spectator, 2nd May 1840. Whig Government has done : but suppose it to what are the colonists to do to rid themselves of so bads eo„-„s' ment ? It is plain that they can do very little to effect a eh,' in the Im!lerial Ministry. If for reasons of their own the triL3' people prefer a Tory Government, its misdeeds in a sinol bay will produce but little and slow effect on its stability, a Tory Government should last here, is that any reason that,T mists, who on the Ckrooiele's pOthUSIS Will stalls. under it; ,„;-'

trust and blindness to :hcir intcrestilsi,estioncgtisd e‘11.1(1)igelfrourites,t0:::1, cure to themselves, at least, the

while the :Mother-country is cc deluded as to prefer Teryit' But it' they do, they will he struggling for nothing more or le Responsible GOWEIMINIt.

The Chronicle goes ( el, in language partly adopted from CoverN , Toomsox, and partly front Sir Ron tmT Prim. s maniibstocs in i to sneer at the friends of Respenc.ible Governnteet, in " wino seek to stir up the elements of discoetent, by dwelliasratii,, upon the theoretical perfection of ('olonial Government 01,1%4,4 the practical abuses, which require to he cleared away." This:, Governor Tooxisores bright idea, that the choice of the persotnt, whom practical :those: are to be cleared away is a mattcr of irKi idle th. or' ! Why, it' this be the case in colonies, it must sutel not be very different at home : it' the choice of the men by tyllot the measures are to be curled into eil'eet be so innuaterial:n Canada, how comes it to be so important in Great Britain? 15 Si ort, why all this icother about keeping Whigs in and 'forks,t when, itecordieg to the C'hrouielc, " we ought to think of nothingki thousand devils with their tails ehop(1.2(eie(sl horrible outcry than the Chmidicle the practical abusc_s which require to fie cleared oiant Fifty (Int' I Ike%at 6trheic bare surmise of a Tory Magi, trate, or even a 'fury gauger, beili kept in office while there is a Whig majority of' two or three le one house of Parliament. To prevent so monstrous an evil, it num violate every principle of prudence, of respect kin' established at. tom and precedent, SOME:times even of LW. When next it Niel these outcries, we Lope sonic of its opponents will recollect to ai. vise it not "to seek to stir up the elements of discontent by dill. ing on theoretical perfection," but keep itself inn wind for thc: " practical abuses which require to be cleared away."