8 OCTOBER 1842, Page 9

The Caledonia, which left Halifax on the 19th of September,

arrived at Liverpool on Saturday, with papers and letters from Montreal and Kingston to the 13th.

Sir Charles Bagot opened the second session of the Parliament of United Canada on Friday the 8th; proceeding to the Chamber of the Legislative Council in state. There were present about sixty members of the Assembly, and thirteen or fourteen of the Legislative Council. Next day, the Legislative Council unanimously adopted an address which was a mere echo of the speech ; and the Council resolved itself Into a Committee to wait upon the Governor-General with it. The address of the House of Assembly in reply to the Governor-General's speech was taken into consideration on Monday the 13th. Neither the Governor's speech nor the papers give any insight into the actual state of political affairs. The defect, however, is supplied by the correspondent of the Colonial Gazette

" Kingston, 13th September 1842.

"The House of Assembly is now engaged in discussing a motion of want of confidence, submitted to them as an amendment upon the address in answer to the Governor's speech. It is generally supposed that the motion will be carried ; and hardly anybody doubts that whatever may be the vote on this question, the Government will be wholly unable to carry on business in the Legislature.

'A bold attempt has been made to avert the confusion which must ensue if the present advisers of the Governor-General shall be forced to resign their offices. It was made in the form of an offer from the Governor-General of a share in the Government for that large section of the Opposition which is led by Messrs. Lafontaine and Baldwin. I put the name of Mr. Lafontaine first, because he is the leader of the great French Canadian party, while Mr. Baldwin leads only a section of the Upper Canada Reformers represented in the Rouse by not more than five members. But Mr. Baldwin's influence is equal, not to say superior, to that of Mr. Lafontaine, inasmuch as Mr. Lafontaine's party in the Assembly hold themselves to be absolutely bound in honour to repay the sacrifices which Mr. Baldwin made for them last year, by declining to take any part in the Government without his consent, and even without his participation, on his own terms, in any new Administration which may be formed. It follows, that the Governor-General's offer, though addressed to Mr. Lafontaine, and chiefly directed to French Canadian objects, was in reality submitted to Mr. Baldwin's decision. It was peremptorily declined. Without entering into particulars, for which there is not time at present, I may say, that a Governor of Canada has proposed to admit the French Canadians to areal and large share in the Government of their country. One part of the proposal, moreover, virtually proclaims that the Representative of the Crown is sincerely prepared to bury the late rebellion in oblivion. When I add that the whole proposal really and largely conceded all the points upon which Mr. Baldwin resigned his place in Lord Sydenham'a Government last year, and would have admitted him to a higher office than that which he formerly held, with a conspicuous triumph for his policy, you will be surprised that this immense concession should have been rejected. So far as I can judge from the explanations which have taken place, it was rejected, not as being an insufficient measure of justice to the French Canadians, nor as falling short of Mr. Baldwin's utmost desires last year, but because it did not amount to a reconstruction of the Government, and involved a junction by Mr. Baldwin with men to whose principles he has no objection, but from whom he has been hostilely separated ever since they refused to accompany him in opposition to Lord Sydenham. This at least appears to be the main cause of the failure of Sir Charles Bagot's attempt to form a Government consisting of French Canadians and Upper Canada Reformers and able to command a large majority in the Assembly. But other circumstances have, doubtless, tended to produce this unhappy result. These are, first, the postponement of the attempt until the very last moment, when there was scarcely any time for reflection, and none for ascertaining the opinion of the constituencies; secondly, the want of sufficient tenderness towards wounded pride and exasperated feelings, for which again the hurry of the action mnst be blamed; and lastly, the absence of that most healing measure a general amnesty, which I have before described as being indispensably requisite to the pacification and good government of this country, and which would have been all-powerful in promoting the present object, by striking the imagination of the whole population of the colony, and disposing their hearts to sentiments of forbearance and reconciliation.

"Every body who understands the subject must be grieved at the position in which Sir Charles Begot is placed. It would appear to be almost out of his power now to form a strong Administration on the representative principle. For one inevitable effect of the acrimonious debates at this moment going on between the Baldwin section of the Upper Canada Reformers and that larger section of them which supported Lord Sydenham, will be to split what is called the Liberal party in Upper Canada into two hostile parties; and when that shall be done, there will not be any party in the Assembly so large as to con stitute a working majority when joined with the French Canadian party. It seems probable that, for a time at least, the French Canadians will have lost their power of the casting-vote. Whom, then, can Sir Charles Begot take to counsel him when his present advisers sha 1 have retired from office? Neither the Upper Canada Tory party, nor the Lower Canada British party, nor both of them combined, are strong enough in the Assembly, or in the country sup posing a dissolution, to carry on the Government for a weekConfusion worse confounded is the only prospect. In this state of things, one imagines a desertion of the Assembly by many to whom its floor will have become an uncomfortable place, when the French Canadian and Baldwin party, flushed with victory, might constitute an actual majority, and might be easily prompted by lovers of mischief for mischief's sake to take steps which would compel a prorogation and a reference of the Governor. General's difficulty to the Imperial authority. Nor is it to be deemed improbable that the excitement of the Assembly in such a state of things would be communicated to the people in Lower Canada, when the French Canadians might tumultuously agitate a Repeal of the Union, and their British fellow-subjects fall upon them as if they were rebels.

"Nevertheless, if such grave circumstances can be averted, and if Sir Charles Begot should but remain as firm in the conviction of the propriety of the course which he has pursued as he has shown himself to be brave in giving effect to his conscientious sense of justice and sound policy,[ do believe that he will have no occasion to regret the attempt in which he has failed for the present. In the angry discussions which have succeeded his large proposal of concessions everybody has taken pains to speak of him with marked respect. His intentions have obviously been so excellent, that I feel quite sure of his having sown a seed which, barring the deplorable course of events last noticed, will gain for him the affections, not only of the more intelligent, moderate and well-disposed of the superior classes, but of the great bulk of the people in both divisions of the Province. This consideration should sustain him under the abuse that he is sure to receive from the Tory party in Upper Canada and the more violent of the British party in Lower Canada. Unfortunately, these are the parties in this country which, really weak as they are here, have the most communication with England, and the readiest means of spreading their doctrines there. So far as your influence extends, he will surely be defended from their aspersions."

It is stated in some of the papers that Sir Charles Bagot has authority to announce to the Provincial Parliament, that, if they will withdraw the duties from British manufactures and impose them on foreign importations, Canadian produce will be permitted to enter the ports of Great Britain duty-free.