SIR FRANCIS HEAD'S NARRATIVE.

'Pita: attempt of the Whig Ministers to obstruct the publication of Loyd Duiteisses Report, not only failed in its immediate object,— driving him to right himself by distributing copies,—but has already produced bitter fruit, and is likely to produce more, both for them and their successors. Sir FRANCIS Hese has

already improved upon the precedent, by publishing Despanhes,

which are not no clearly " copyright" as a Report ; and he inti- mates (page 164) that another ill-used Governor has also thoughts of publication. Sir FRANCIS, indeed, declares that he should have disregarded the appearance of Lord Duanam's remarks so far as he was concerned, had they been confined to the " newspapers"— it is the presentation to the Houses which has provoked him to take the law into his own hands. But this may he doubted. How- ever, the " unprecedented course" is unprecedented no longer; and if it continue running, there will be sport for the world at large, and probably death to the Colonial Office. Waiving, for the present, any remarks upon the facts and prin. ciples connected with Sir FRANCIS Hems's government, or Canadian policy, we will here confine ourselves to the contents and literary character of his book and to his general capacity as displayed by himself. And this last, we are bound to say, is not of the soberest or gravest kind—with little of the dignity we should expect in a Governor, with much of the fussiness and harum-scarum off-hand manner we should not. lle seems to line been fond of bandying arguments and phrases with an.% body and everybody ; a good deal too

sensitive (as it seems to us in England) about insults from private people, or people in their private capacity ; rather too incautious in thrilling opinions, as well as in prophesying, and acting upon his prophecies ; whilst in his correspondence with the Colonial Office, he scents to have given the reins to a likely style, and to have un- necessarily badgered poor Lord Ghtseci.o. But in conduct, he acted as a man of industry, courage, and firmness : he took a line— and mark the result. Throwing himself upon one • party, he stuck to them, and they in return "rallied round him to a man." Right or wrong, he beat his opponents in the elections ; he beat them in the municipalities; and he beat them in the field.

As regards the contents of the volume, it commences with a brief sketch of' the political state of Upper Canada previous to the author's arrival ; and a ludicrous account of the manner in which he

seems to have been forced into its government. A sort of history of his administration follows, (brined by connecting selections from his

various despatches by a link of narrative and notes, which is

wound up by a chapter of Observations on Lord Dunnsst's Report. The whole is Written to 111CIAICNOC the opinion that Sir FR Nuis is,

as Acres says, "a very ill-used gentleman ; " having often been di warted, often tricked, and never properly supported, by the Colonial Office,—chiefly owing, he affirms, to a " secret and irresponsible influence" which guides the nominal minister as a puppet. All this may very probably be trite, but all of it is not proved in the work before us. We hear, indeed, that delegates of doubtful cha- racter with grievances meet a ready welcome at the Colonial Office, and are believed against all the constituted authorities of the settle- ment, whilst the loyal arc rebuffiel ; we are told, as a filet, that a de- legate was allowed to read a despatch about to be sent, which it was optional with the Governor to publish in whole or in part, and there arc many symptoms of playing titst and loose between the loyal

and the disaffbeted ; we also see enough to infer that if' Sir Fessris had failed in his elections the Ministry would have left him in the lurch. But he has not succeeded in clearly making out his whole ease : on the contrary, we think the necessities of the Government made them long suffbring and slow to anger.

Apart from its state paper and political value, as to which we reserve judgment, the interest of the volume consists in the light it throws upon the long-standing weakness of the M iiiistry, as appa- rent in the difficulty of finding men to take vacant offices, and the utter carelessness as to qualification with which they set about filling them up; the inconceivable meanness they display when they have tricked men into place ; and the censures, haffings, and lecturings their position compels them to bear from a self-willed, head-strong Governor. here is Sir FRANCIS Iliosn's graphic account of the manlier in which the appointment wag offered to him.

" It had blown ulmost a hurricane from the S.S.W.; the sheep in Romney Marsh Lai huddled together in groups ; the cattle, afraid to feed, were still

standing with their tails to the storm ; I had been all day immured in New

Romney with the Board of Guardians of the Marsh 'Union ; and though seversh times my horse had been nearly blown off the road, I had managed to return to my lodging at Cranbrook; and with my head full of the Unions, Parishes, Magistrates, Guardians, Relieving-officers, and paupers of the county of Kent, Ile Abou hussar, I had retired to rest, and for several hours had been fast asleep, when about midnight I was suddenly awakened by the servant of my lodging, who, with a letter in one hand and in the other a tallow candle, illumining an honest countenance, not altogether free from alarm, hurriedly informed me, ' that a King's officer had come after me!' • What could possibly be the matter in the workhouse of this busy world, I could not clearly conceive : however, sitting up in my bed, I opened the letter ; which, to my utter astonishment, was from the Secretary of State for the Co- lonies, expressing a wish that I should accept the government of Upper Canada ; sud that, if possible, I would call upon him with my answer at half-past eight the following morning, as at nine o'clock he was to set out for Brighton to see

the King.

As I was totally unconnected with every member of the Government, and bad never had the honour even of seeing Lord Glenelg in my life, I was alto- gether at a loss to conceive why this appointment should have been offered to me. However, as it appeared there was no time to be lost, 1 immediately got up, and, returning to London in the chaise of the Tsin: messenger who had brought me the communication, I reached my own house at Kensington at six o'clock; and having consulted with my family, whose opinions on the sithject of the appointment I found completely coincided with iliv own, 1 waited upon Lord Glenclg at his residence at the hour appointed, (half-past eight,) when I most respectfully mid very gratefully declined the a pp dotnient."

To this Lord GLENELO replied by requesting Major Him) to reconsider his opinion, and " to go and converse with Mr. STE- PHEN" upon the subject : and in passing along the streets, thoughts, such as the following is the pith of; passed through his mind.

"If the Poor-law Commissioners hail expressed the slightest wish to re- move me from Kent to any station of greater difficulty, or even of danger, it would of course have been my especial duty not to have declined; hut, as the Colonial Office bad not the slightest claim upon me, and as I was really grossly ignorant of every thi»g that in any way related to the government of our Colo- nies, I continued, so far as my own wishes and even interests were concerned, to adhere to my opinion."

However, after some talk with Mr. STEPHEN, and a feeling of unwillingness in " refusing his services to the King's Government,"

the Major, in evil hour, consented. But difficulties arose about a " baronetcy," " official expenses," and an " aide-de-camp ;" the expenses reduced, the aide-dc-camp to be abolished on account of

" economy." The passages respecting the first two, Mr. STEPHEN has contradicted : we therefbre presume he admits saying that Major BEAD "ought to have an aide-de-camp :" King WitLiAm said, " You really ought not to go without one ;" Lord GLENELG agreed with the Major's " theory" about expenses, baronet, and "aide." " At last," continues the Narrative, " Mr. Stephen took me to Lord Howick ; and after considerable trouble, I was autho- rized to appoint Lieut. Makin as my aide-de-camp." Now see what follows—.

" With my suite I immediately set off for Liverpool; and I was on hoard the New York packet, which was actually moving out of the harbour, when an official letter was delivered to me by post cancelling the appointment of my aide-de-camp " Is there any one who would have jockied a footman into a place on the promise of a perquisite, and withdrawn it as soon as he was fitirly afloat and incapable of helping himself? Why, a crimp would have shrunk from the action, unless in his professional capacity. Yet conduct which would be disbelieved of a gentleman towards a shoe-black, is credible and of a piece when told of " the best Ministry the country has ever had,' towards a man about to represent their Sovereign in the government of a dis- tant and distracted country. We have alluded to the peculiar style of Governor II an's de- spatches,—or, as the Government people have called it, his " gait in writing" (page 487.) Sometimes this is merely a rapid, vigo- rous, un-office-like manner • sometimes it resembles that of a heated or a visionary pamphleteer; but it is almost always striking, from its innate force, or its odd contrast to the received style of official correspondence. One can fancy the astonishment of regu- larly-trained Red-Tapists at passages such as these. The Italics are the Governor's.

PLAIN SPEARING.

It is out of my power to describe to your Lordship, without the appearance of exaggeration, the joy and gladness expressed to me by all parties at the con- stitutional resistance 1 have made ; but I will not conceal from your Lordship that there is one question in almost everybody's mouth, namely, " Will the Lieutenant-Gorernor he supported by the Thane Government?" " liic NETER WILL! " say the Radicals. " ire this he will nut " say the Constitutionists. Your Lordship has to settle this question ; and in any humble opinion, upon your decision rests our possession of the Camohts.

PERSONAL CRITICISM.

I am aware that the answer may be cavilled at. in Downing Street, for I know it is not exactly according to Hoyle. 3-lids, mon seigneur, emyez-cons done 90111 paw des ri'volutions arse de ]'eau de rose Y It is impossible to put down Republicanism by soft words.

A REPLY TO A REMONSTRANCE.

From the foregoing statement it is clear—Ist, That the Legislative Council could not have returned the bill in question early,becauge it came to them late. 2dly, That the bill, when it did come, was passed through all its stages without delay.

Sir FRANCIS occasionally enriched such plain grounds as these by implied attacks upon the policy of Lord GLEsei.o, predictions that he (the Governor) would not long continue in office, and twice or thrice by distinct resignations. The attacks and predictions were left unnoticed, the resignations were not accepted. At last, after a twelvemonth's correspondence, beginning in the autumn of 1836, Sir Plm's flatly " refused" to reinstate a person lie had dis- missed ; he declared he " never would raise to the bench" a man the Colonial Secretary commanded him, in the shape of a " wish," to promote ; and he fhvoured the " " Of the Office With a variety of remarks on what he calls the " HEART." Here they are, " rich and rare."

"It has for many years been generally believed, that, however loyal may be the HEAD of the Colonial department, it HEART is in favour, not only of Re- publican institutions, but of the expediency of assisting rather than of retard-

ing the launching our North American Colonies into that vast ocean of Democracy upon which the United States, the cable of their public credit hay- ing snapped, are at this moment driving without rudder or compass. • •

"From that moment, [the moment that the Colonial Governors offend the HEART,] they may immediately find themselves unaccountably afflicted with a sweating sickiwss, which is a sure precursor of their removal. The language of praise ceases to cheer them; they may receive slight rebukes ; objections may be raised to the appointments which they make ; people who oppose them in the colony may be raised to distinction ; any trifling disputes in which they may be involved may invariably be decided against them ; their tiny authority in the colony may continually he shaken; until, by a repetition of petty circumstances, which mortify rather than offend, they may become disgusted with their duty, they may intemperately proffer their resignation, a new man may be appointed, and the same process may be renewed. " The whole of these circumstances may occur ; the Democratic power may gradually be increased ; time influence of the Executive may gradually be dimi- nished : the whole loyal population may become indignant at observing their in- evitable declination towards Democracy ; and yet there may be no particular moment, or no one particular circumstance sufficiently strong to arouse the Colonial Minister to a knowledge of the dreadful fact, that the tendency of his own office is Republican, and that, while all on its surface is seen flowing to- wards the Throne. a strong under-current is aboiutely carrying every thing

away from it. • • *

"Whatever may be the opinion of her Majesty's Government on this subject, I do declare to your Lordship, that I join the loyal British population of the Canadas in believing that such obstructions have been intentional; and that any Governor who acts as I have done, although lie may receive honours from his Sovereign and thanks from the Colonial Minister, will experience, as I have done, an intangible power which, though it never looks him in the face, will un- equivocally decree- • I will drain him dry as bay, Sleep shall neither night nor day Hang upon his pelA•liouse lid; He shall liven man forbid; Weary seven nights, nine times nine,

Shall he dwindle, peak, and pine.' "

With these complimentary sketches-, the Governor tendered his

resignation. Lord GLENELG could not accept it " without con- sultive his colleagues collectively ;" sonic of them " were from Lon- don ;" and a whole month elapsed before the matter was settled. Meantime, Sir FRANCIS relieved the toils of fighting " rebels" and " sympathizers," by amusing himself and edifying the " Office" in this wise.

" My Lord, it has long been notorious to every British subject in the Ca- malaOhat your Lordship's Under Secretary, the author of our Colonial de- spatches, is a rank Republican. Ills sentiments, his conduct, and his political character, are here alike detested; and I enclose to your Lordship Mr. M'Ken- zie's last newspaper, (before the revolt,) which, traitorous as it is, contains no- thing more conducive to treason than the extracts which as its text it exult- ingly votes from the published opinions of her Majesty's Under Secretary of

State tor the. Colonies. * * *

" Your Lordship's late communication having coupled the acceptation of my resignation with certain remarks, I fi,e1 it due to the station I yet hold to re- cord the requisite explanation, particularly because it is evident to me, from the ingenuity of the extracts quoted in your despatch, that they have been selected, dovetailed, and then brought before your Lordship's consideration by some per- son of considerable ability and experience in what is commonly called 'special plead, ng.' "* EX-SOL/CITOR-GENERAL DRAPER ON KING STEPHEN.

I have only to inform your Lordship, that Mr. Draper, whose mild inoffensive

character and sound constitutional principles are highly admired here, on his return to Toronto ti.otn England confessed to me, rather than complained, that in the course of his lifetime he had never had so much difficulty in suppressing his feelings as on his first interview with your Lordship's Under Secretary, Mr. Stephen. whose whole manner towards him was not only repulsive but highly offensive.

ARRAY or WITNESSES AGAINST RING STEPHEN. , Should I be called upon either by her Majesty's Government or by either 'House of the Imperial Parliament, to substantiate the allegations I have avowed, I shall at once give the following list of the witnesses to whom I refer : Sir Peregrine Maitland, Sir John Colborne, Sir Archibald Campbell, the Crown

Officers of Upper Canada, Chief Justice Robinson, the Legislatures of our North American Colonies, the British merchants in England connected with our North American Provinces, the \Vest India and other merchants connected with our Colonies.

• Mr. STEPHEN (or his brother?) is the author of a very able 11.001/11(1 011 Special