" It is easy to talk about the Government of
this country having invaded the
right of self•taxation and control over the "public revenue" possessed by the Canadian People. What says Lord Stanley on that specific question? Why, that any control by the Legislature over the revenues of the Crown in Lower Canada was matter of express compact between the Crown and the Assembly, stipulating that on the surrender of its own domains or the proceeds of them by tae Sovereign, the Assembly should be bound to vote supplies for the main- tenance of the Civil Government. And what has since happened ? Why, that the Assembly broke its faith, and, after the engagement of the Crown had been honourably executed, the said Assembly stopped the supplies ; thus achiev- ing what in it lay towards a dissolution ot the whole machinery of govern- ment"— Times of Monday.
"The Papineatifaction got the revenue of the royal domains into their clutches on the explicit unaerstanding with Lords Ripon and Howick, that the supplies should not be stopped, but that the wants of the Civil Government should be regularly and punctually provided for. As we stated yesterday, the French faction broke its faith ; and this first stage in rebellion is to be bolstered up as "just," that the subsequent and more sanguinary proceedings may be lauded as its moral and virtuous consequences "—Times of Tuesday.
The Times repeats a fabricated and refuted slander on the Canadian House of Assembly. Lord Stanley, who is quoted as authority for the charge of breach of faith against the Canadians, did advance it, but he afterwards withdrew it. The facts were stated by Mr. Roebuck during one of the debates on the Canadian resolutions, and no contra- diction was attempted. Official documents laid berore Parliament— the despatches of Lord Goderich and Lord Aylmer—put the truth of Mr. Roebuck's statement beyond dispute.
"On the 24th of December 1830, (said Mr. Roebuck,) Lord Goderich sent a despatch to Lord Aylmer, offering conditions to the Assembly of Lower Canada for the purpose of rendering the revenue permanent. On the 13th of March 1831, Lord Aylmer wrote to Lord Goilerich, informing him that the proposals made by him had been rejected. On the 13th of May, Lord Godetich returned for answer, that he hoped the people would see that there was a desire to serve them, and that the rejection of his proposals should not prevent that desire being fulfilled, consistently with the interests of the colony and the dignity of the King. Subsequently to this, to the rejection alluded to, in September 1831, Lord Goderich passed the bill. This was his (Mr. Roebuck's) answer to what had been said, in gross ignorance, by Lord Stanley. and reiterated by the press: it proved that there had been no breach of faith committed by Canada."
If it is said that there was an understanding that the Canadians were to grant a permanent Civil List in return for the Crown revenues re. linquished by Lord Goderich, the reply is, that the understanding, if any, was only on one side—that of Lord Goderich : but after the absolute refusal of the terms offered, nobody, blessed with ordinary sense, could expect that the Canadians would yield; they had gained the control of nearly all the revenue without yielding. The fact is, tint in default of real grounds of accusation against the Canadians, false ones are alleged.
The City correspondent of the Times of Monday, supplied a con- tradiction of the assertion in the leading article of the same paper, that the Canadians had broken faith. The worthy folks on 'Change knew well enough how the matter stood-
" Even Mr. Edward Ellice himself has declared to Ids friends in the City, that the present troubles of Canada are principally attributable to his nephew, Lord Hmvick ; who, when Under Secretary for the Colonies, granted all the &wands of the agitators without stipulation, in the expectation that they would then vote the Civil List and the Supplies; and they having thus obtained their wishes, refused the votes expected. Mr. Ellice has large pos- sessions himself in Canada, and can judge with sagacity where his own interests ale concerned."
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