NEWS OF THE WEEK.

" I assumed the government of the North American Provinces with the predetermination to provide for the future welfare and prospelity of then: all ; never doubting that such a provision would be the hest, nay the only real, secu- rity for their permanent connexion with the British crown. In communica- firma which have taken place between us, and from which have derived equal pleasure and information, you have been fully apprized of my views and inten- tions. These you have appreciated and recognized in a manner for which I can never he sufficiently grateful. I have, indeed, had a difficult and laborious duty to perform. The result of my endeavours, however, is one of which I need not be ashamed. In the short space of little more than three months, I have seen tranquillity restored and confidence reviving. I have caused substantial justice to be administered, tempered by mercy. I have catefully examined, with a view to reformation, all the institutions of the province more immedi- ately committed to my charge; and I was on the point of promulgating such laws as would have afforded protection to all those great British interests which had been too long neglected. I had also, as you well know, devoted the most careful attention to all subjects which could affect the general interests of all the colonies; and had brought nearly to maturity the plan which I intended to submit in the first instance to the consideration of the Provinces, and eventu- ally of the Cabinet and the Imperial Pailiament. In this, I trust, useful course, I have been suddenly arrested by the interference of a branch of the British Legislature, in which the responsible advisers of the Crown have deemed it their duty to acquiesce. Under these circumstances, I have but one step to take-to resign that authority, tilt exercise of which has thus been so weak- ened as to render it totally inadequate to Me grave emergency which alone called for its existence. " Be assured, however, of this, gentlemen, that this unexpected and abrupt termination of the official connexion which united me with the North Ameri- can Piovinces, will not weaken in my mind the feelings of deep interest which I shall ever take in their fate, or render me less anxious to devote every faculty of my mind, every influence I may possess, to the advancement of their inte- rests, and to the iistablishment, on the most lasting foundation, of their welfare and prosperity."

After tile formal delivery of this speech, Lord DURHAM cond versed with the Delegates ; and an account of what passed is sup- plied by the Quebec correspondent of the New York Commercial Advertiser, a paper particularly well-informed on Canadian affairs.

." Lord Durham spoke to them in the most impressive manner for some ten minutes, expressing his sentiments more fully than he had done in his written answer. Ile thanked them for their promptness in complying with his invita- tion to meet him, for the purpose of consulting on the welfare of the several provinces. He was happy to find that but one sentiment prevailed-a deter- mination never to be separated fiom England, the home of' their fathers. His Lordship said, that, amid all the perplexities which had surrounded him, he had found consolation and pleasure, in looking forward to the prospect of a settle- iment of the many difficulties which presented themselves at almost every step. The calling together the Delegates from the Lower Provinces, was a subject on which he had bestowed a good deal of thought; and he had entertained hopes that some plan could be adopted which would benefit each province, and strengthen the bonds of the whole, thereby shedding a lustre on that country which of all others might be considered the glory of the world. His Excellency remarked, that difficulties might have presented themselves in the arran,:'ement of a union, but he assured the Delegates that his great object would have been the good of the whole, and not particularly that of the Canadas; he would have heard with attention every argument which could have been bi ought forward, and would have endeavoured to satisfy all. He declared, that whatever he did should be done openly and fairly. and never would he mike use of deception to gain any point : that was the language he used to the Emperor of Russia, when he was Ambassador to that Court, and that course should guide him in all his pursuits through life. " Lord Durham then alluded to the Canadaa-said they were very imper- fectly known by those at home. He knew very little about them while in Eng- land. lie came out, be said, not to gratify his own !national feeling., but to obey the commands of his Sovereign. His views of this country had greatly changed since lie became acquainted with her resources, and with a portion of her inhabitants; and wherever he might be called, and however employed, he should always cherish an ardent wish for the prosperity of this vast country. " It had been his aim and the dearest object of his wishes, to be 'able to inform her Majesty that her fine possessions in British America might

be considered one of the richest gems of her dominions-that the entire population were in a state of harmony and friendship, and that each party was striving which could most promote the good of the whole. He had not yet

brought into action those measures which were intended for the good of the country. but several of them were nearly completed, awl would almost intim. diately have been made public. " At a moment when be was about to complete those plans which had been maturing, party-spirit hail interposed her withering hand, and blasted all his hopes for the welfare of the Canadas. Ile could not, he dill not, wish to con. ceal from the gentlemen present. that the recent intelligence from England, although not official to him, had made a very deep impression on his mind. Opposition from Lord Brougham, and from those acting with him, was no more than he might expect; but he was compelled to say, Mat he had been put dozen-sacrificed-by his friends ! those whose duty it was to stand forth in his defence, at a period when his political enemies were using their utmost energies to destroy him. [Here his Lot dship Was so overcome that he had to retire to a distant part of the room. Returning, he offered an apology ; but none was needed, for every one present had partaken of the same feeling that had come over his Lordship.] lie continued. It was, he said, the duty of Ler Majesty's Ministers to support him in the hour of persecution, and not to join with his bitter PPS in striking at his head. " Deprived of all ability to do any thing for Canada, it could be of no use for him to remain longer in the country; and be should leave it as soon as he received the official account of the Parliamentary doings. It was his intention to be on his way for England by the Inth of October. fle then took an affec- tionate farewell of the Delegates, tendei ing to them the steam-frigate :Medea to convey them home. That beautiful vessel sails in the morning at seven o'clock, with a portion of them ; and the residue go up to-night in the Canada, and will visit the city of New York, via the Falls."

The Morning Chronicle pretends tbat Lord DURHAM had not absolutely resigned, and probably might be induced to continue in Canada. It is said that laudatory and soothing letters from Lord MEhnonaxx, Lord GLENEGG, and the Queen herself, were sent to him. That such an attempt was made to coax and delude him still further, we can well believe ; but the fact stated in his reply to the Delegates—that his authority had been so weakened as to render it " totally inadequate to the grave emergency which called for its existence "—could not be shaken by Royal com- pliments or Ministerial fawning. And the state of Lower Ca- nada, according to the latest accounts, could not induce him to rely on " weakened" authority. Lord DURHAM may be allowed to boast of " tranquillity restored and confidence reviving ;'. but numerous private letters, confirmed by the Canadian newspapers, convince us that in Lower Canada, the great majority of the popu- lation, namely the inhabitants of French descent and their leaders, regard the Government with sullen suspicion. A correspondent of the Morning Chronicle, writing from Montreal on the 30th Sep- tember, says- " It cannot he denied that the Canadians are a snore discontented shte than they were even at this time last gear; and 30 officer high in command told me a few days ago, that it was well a-certailled, that an attempt had been intended to surprise Isle au Noix, with the view of making it the rallying- point of all the rebels, murderers, thieves, arcl vagabonds on the continent. The fort has been put into good condition -has aow plenty of guns mounted, with artillerymen to work them, and a garrison of picked men chosen from the different regiments in this command : there is, .herefore, little chance of their succeeding, let them try it when they like. ;tut it is pretty evident that we shall again be subject to a great deal of duty this winter ; and, taking into view the paralization of trade produced by the events of last winter, the uneasy feeling amongst the people, the feebleness awl inefficiency of the Ministry at home, and the unsettled state of our local administration, it must be admitted that oar prospects are very gloomy." Another correspondent of the same paper describes the dis- affected party as rejoicing in Lord DURIsAM'S resignation. "The manner in which the news has been -eceiveil by them—their

sneers and tones of triumph—show "ley at least believe that Lord Brougham, in conjunction with • Tories, has struck a fatal

blow." There are constant rumovi. - of midnight meetings. drillings of the peasantry, introduction of arms from the United States ; and two pieces of cannon, concealed in a waggon. have actually been taken by officers of the Government. The Morning Chronicle of yesterday, in a leading article on the Canadian news, describes another outbreak as imminent- " It is hardly possible to describe the effect produced in Canada by the wicked and factious proceedings in the House of Lords. Alarm, an zer, and some- thing approaching almost to despair, instantly took possession of every mind. We have received several accounts from sources on which we place the must per- fect reliance; and they concur in stating, that the authority of the mother country, and the kindly feelings entertained toward, her; have suffered an, awful abatement by the proceedings in question. The people think that they betray on the part of the inhabitants of England andthe home Legisla. ture an indille.rence towards their welfare, which they did not deserve, and which they conceive it heinous on the part of England to feel towards them. There are symptonas of another outbreak which cannot be rids. taken, and gloom hangs over all parties in consequence. The French Canadians feared Lord Durham, and were unwilling to incur his resent- ment ; believing that they might gain something from him by submissive conduct, while by another course they could gain nothing. The British, on the other hand, bad the utmost reliance on his Lordship, that if put on his mettle he would not be wanting to the exigencies of the crisis, and that if the French should rebel or affront him, he would crush them. Just as rebellion was venturing to look up, and all the loyal and welbaffected were preparing for the fray, full of confidence, a wicked faction sought to disarm them by de- priving them of their leader."

The accounts, then, which from time to time were published in the Ministerial journals respecting Canada, were downright false- hoods. Instead of satisfaction, there was alarm—not comfort and security, but preparations for a" fray."

The British party are alarmed and angry. On the whole, they had no reason to be dissatisfied with Lord DURHAM'S con-

duct towards them : indeed they were patronized and petted

by the Government. They gave vent to their feelings by burn- ing Lord BROUGHAM in effigy. According to the Chronicle,

three thousand persons "were at the burning, and the pro- cession about seven or eight hundred, mostly all English. The likeness was, we are told, excellent, and the affair was cleverly

managed." Let not the reader, however, laugh at this futile dis- play of spite ; for it is also said that "some of the Deputies from Nova Scotia and other colonies actually shed tears, and tit is the Chronicle which states the fact with evident gusto, in a leading article.' they were seen clenching their hands and looking quite savage, as they talked to each other about the Lords and Lord Brougham." It is a pity that no account is given of the burning of Lord Melbourne's effigy, which the correspondent of the Morn- ing Herald mentions as about to follow the BROUGHAM bonfire— and truth to say, with more propriety and poetical justice. Meetings in honour of Lord DURHAM were to be held at Quebec and Montreal, in the beginning of October. In Upper Canada, similar meetings were convened. When the "disastrous news" from England reached Quebec, 395 persons went "to write their names at the chateau, for Lord Durham." It appears to be quite true, though the Morning Chronicle says it, that "the Con- stitutionalists, who were peevish, and inclined to quarrel with Lord DURHAM on small points," are row "as one man in his favour." They are frightened ; as the Quebec Gazette fully ad- mits— " The blow has fallen upon us with a force that appears for the moment to have paralyzed all feeling: men hardly dare to ask what is now to be dune: the most gloomy apprehensions are entertained, but, we will yet hope, needlessly. Our prospect, which, Heaven knows, was dark enough before, has been ren. dered more gloomy by the conduct of the Ministers in denying their support to the local government, whose measures, conceived in a knowledge of the actual State of the colony, were framed to meet the exigencies of the dangerous position in which it was placed. It is clear that had the leaders of the rebellion, sent to Bermuda, been brought to trial, the Jury would have acquitted them in the face of any evidence, no matter how direct andstrong, as did the Jury that ac- quitted the murderers of Chartrand."

Notwithstanding the impotent burst of fury against Lord BROUGHAM, Lord MELBOURNE and his colleagues are regarded as mainly responsible for the mischief that has occurred. The Montreal Gazette, for instance, places the blame on those who ought to bear it— We cannot conceive how any man of high spirit could submit to the utter degradation of serving a Goverument, who have neither the power to support him in the exercise ot his public functions, nor the courage to defend either hint or themselves from the factious assaults of party politicians, or the more infa- mous inroads of personal and jealous enemies. A Ministry so utterly weak and incapable, as a Government—so grossly ignorant of the duties of their station— of their obligations to their Sovereign—and of their responsibility to their country—are totally unworthy of being favoured with the services ol any man of honour, who values his own reputation. It is, therefore, no wonder if the Earl of Durham has resolved upon abandoning the future administration of the affairs of these provinces."

In this passage may be found the origin of the difficulty in which Lord DURHAM became involved. He suffered himself to be deluded by khe treacherous arts of one who, having no hold on office except through Court favour, passes his days and nights in lazy neglect of his public duties, careless of every thing save • ■vhat may aid his influence over an inexperienced girl, on whom the sovereignty of this great empire has fallen for a space. Ima- gine the chuckle of such an adventurer in statesmanship, when be saw a possible rival at Court, and a man of influence in the country, falling into the snare ! The opportunity of inflicting a deep wound on the feelings and reputation of the dreaded Cord DURHAM soon came; and was not lost. It is of no use to rail at Lord BROUGHAM and the Tory Lords: their opposition, as Lord DURHAM said, was to be expected ; but the Ministers, who ought to have protected him, "joined with his bitter foes% striking at his head.' At the commencement of the attacks on Lord DUR- RAM'S appointments, they ought to have made a stand, and de- clared their resolution to support his rightful authority. But they encouraged and invited the Tory assailants, by treacherous ad- missions and faint defences ; and thwarted their Governor-General by vexatious interference with the choice of persons for whose fitness he was responsible. They might have thrown out the In- demnity Bill in the House of Commons; or, lacking that power, it was incumbent on them as statesmen and gentlemen, to with- draw koise the responsibility of' a policy which they were not per- snittett't6 1tpars of. It is not Lord DURHAM who should bt3Tp.SiltatItg MCAV, 'Lord MELBOURNE who ought to have re- . signed (if not sooner) in August last. A Premier, possessed not of very chivalrous, but of common manly feeling, would have de- fended his absent Governor-General as earnestly as he clung to office. On the contrary, it must seem that Lord MELBOURNE was hardly displeased at his own degradation, inasmuch as it was ac- companied with insult and injury to Lord DURHAM. It is plain that Lord DURHAM saw the matter in this light, when he dis- tinctly charged Ministers with the infamy of having combined with his bitter foes to strike an absent man, their colleague, and— their noble friend ! Well—Lord DURHAM, we may assume, has abandoned the government of Canada. What is to follow ? Simply a military sway. The " Reform" Ministry have now no other resource. A large force must be maintained to secure the predominance of the British party over the bulk of the population in Lower Canada That army will need numerous recruits ; for this very week a Go- vernment paper admitted that desertions are frequent. The cost of passing Lord Jott:s RUSSELL'S Resolutions will be annually ex- hibited in the Army Estimates, and felt to the amount of millions in the taxation of the country.