O O In 0 N I A. I. . 
     
     Colonial fiddre’sses.-—- Colonial Oflice. — 
     
    
   
   
    
     We have often wondered at the etl'ects ofthat 
     
     state of society in the mother country, which 
     
     induces men endowed with all the gills otlor- 
     
     tune, and the advantages of afmishcd educa. 
     
     tion and cultivated socmty, to abandon the en- 
     
     joyments which they bestow, and throw them- 
     
     selves into the arena of public life, and uncens- 
     
     ing contention. Be it a sense ct duty, patri- 
     
     otism, a love ofdistinction. or ambition, it is 
     
     still admirable, as a denial of self, or that pas- 
     
     sion by which providence often etl'ccts bcneti. 
     
     cent ends, through means which to us are in- 
     
     comprehensible. 
     
    

    
     We think that there must be few public situ- 
     
     ations more exposed to the vexations of office 
     
     than that ofllis Majesty's Principal Secretary 
     
     of State for the Colonies; no one in which a 
     
     mild, well-educated.sensible, and benevolent 
     
     English Gentleman. can be more shocked in 
     
     his feelings and counteracted in his views. 
     
    

    
     We think that the address of the Legislative 
     
     Councilof Upper Canada is as good a thing in 
     
     the way of Colonial addresses as any we have 
     
     seen. It is in the right slaveholding spirit,— 
     
     minds corrupted with the long enjoyment of 
     
     unbridled power over their fellow-men, which 
     
     the Colonial Minister has endeavored to biing 
     
     within the limits ofjustice and unconstitution- 
     
     al right. How their dignity is offended at Lord 
     
     Goderich having even listened to any com- 
     
     plaints against them! 
     
    

    
     But we have addresses nearer home. My 
     
     Lord Goderich . if, as it must be supposed, he is 
     
     acquainted with the contents of addresses and 
     
     petitions of record in his office, must rub his 
     
     eyes when he comes to read the last address of 
     
     our Assembly, which was manufactured at the 
     
     close ofa session, out of a Report ofe Commit- 
     
     tee which had kept its labors to itself for two 
     
     months, and then concocted, digested, and fi- 
     
     nally disgored—a new Constitution for Lower 
     
     Canada! which the maiority swallowed with- 
     
     out any extraordinary wry £aces.although they 
     
     had never tasted any thing ofthe kind before. 
     
    

    
     And then we have the counter address ofour 
     
     Legislative Council. Here my Lord Goderich 
     
     will learn that it is all over with the Colony. In 
     
     looking through this glass, he may see some- 
     
     thing as horrible as what the astronomer disco- 
     
     vered in the moon, but which fortunately hap— 
     
     pened to be in the glass. Here his Lordship 
     
     will see the ‘ alarming posture’ of our affairs,— 
     
     the ‘cabals of party,’-—‘ combined faction,’_ 
     
     ‘ wicked intention,’-—a ‘ Crisis,’—-a ‘ violent and 
     
     reckless party,’—-‘ drench the country with 
     
     blood,'—‘and a French Republic.’ 
     
    

    
     His Lordship on reading this address, will no 
     
    

    
     the convinced that the prayrrof the ad- 
     
    

    
     s, for “ such measures as in your wisdom 
     
     will tend to tranquilize the tninds” is well 
     
     founded ; and we dare say will think that the 
     
     operation ought to commence with the minds 
     
     of the addressers. 
     
    

    
     We fancy there is a large library connected 
     
     with the Offices in Downing street: but really 
     
     we are afraid the gentlemen of the Colonial 0f- 
     
     fice have no time to read any thing but address- 
     
     es, petitions, and remonstranccs. There is, 
     
     however, one book, which besides being the 
     
     united labors ofSwift and Pope, has the unusu- 
     
     al merit of being short. It ought to be on 
     
     every desk: a sort of wade met-um, or guide- 
     
     me, (as the French call it) on Colonial atlairs. 
     
     We think it is entitled, “ Memoirs of P. P., 
     
     clerk of this Parish : or, the importance‘of a. 
     
     man to i.imelf.”—Nsiloon’i Gazette. 
     
    
   
   
    
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     THE BRITISH AMERICAN 
     
    
   
   
    
     Legislative Council—Provincial Politic:.-— 
     
     There are few persons, we believe, who are a- 
     
     ware of the change which has taken place in 
     
     the composition of the Legislative ‘ouncil, 
     
     since the Report of the Canada Committee of 
     
     the House ofCommons, in 18°23. 
     
    

    
     In 1827, the majority of the inhabitants of 
     
     [lower Canada complained to the King and 
     
     ParliamenLof the Legislative Council: 
     
    

    
     These complaints were referred by order of 
     
     His Majesty, to the House of Commons, who, 
     
     on motion of the Colonial Minister, appointed 
     
     a Committee to make the enquiry prayed for: 
     
     this Committee diligently pursued the enquiry 
     
     from the 8th May to the 29nd July, 1823, when 
     
     it reported its opinions and observations, after, 
     
     in reality, hearing all parties in the country 
     
     or connected with it, by their agents or repre- 
     
     sentatives. 
     
    

    
     In respect to the Legislative Council; the 
     
     Committee recommended : 
     
    

    
     1. That a more independent character should 
     
     be given it, particularly that the majority 
     
     should not be composed of placemen. 
     
    

    
     2. That it ought to have acloser connexion 
     
     of interest, with the country. 
     
    

    
     3. That the Judges, with the exception of 
     
     the Chief Justice, ought to take no part in the 
     
     political business of the Council. 
     
    

    
     Let us now see what has been done since :— 
     
    

    
     Almost every one of the Bills upon the fail. 
     
     ure ot‘which objections were taken to the com 
     
     position of the Council, have been passed'by it. 
     
    

    
     The Judges have withdrawn altogether, 
     
     from the Legislative Council, excepting the 
     
     ChiefJustice, and all of them from the Execu. 
     
     tive Council. . 
     
    

    
     The following statement which may be de- 
     
     pended upon, shews how far the recommenda- 
     
     tions of the Committee have been complied 
     
     with that there should not be a majority of 
     
     l’lacemen in the Council, and that it should 
     
     have a closer connexion of interest with the 
     
     country. If reterence is had to the native 
     
     country, national origin and religion of mem 
     
     bers, the blame and the shame must fall upon 
     
     those who have raised objections, appealed to 
     
     prejudices, and endeavored to establish politi- 
     
     cal parties. on these most unjustifiable and il- 
     
     Iiberalgrounds, at a time when every pretext 
     
     for such conduct wasfast diminishing. 
     
    

    
     In 1833: the independent members have a 
     
     majority of twenty, while in 1898 they were in 
     
     a minority of six. In respect to natural origin 
     
     and place of birth, those of the British Isles 
     
     are in a minority in 1833, oflwenty-one .- they 
     
     were equal in 1828. In respect to religion, 
     
     the Church of England which had formerly a 
     
     majority of the whole House. is fallen into a 
     
     minority. being only two more than the Catho- 
     
     lics. There being however six Presbyterians 
     
     —as Protestants and Catholics, the Protestants 
     
     have still a majority ofetght. In 18%, it was 
     
     l2. It ought to be observed, however, that 
     
     the Colonial Legislature can pass no enact- 
     
     ment, in any way concerning the frt’e exercise of 
     
     religiom/ and the right: thereunto appertaining, 
     
     without its being first submitted to the Parlia- 
     
     ment of the United Kingdom. 
     
    

    
     It would be curious to compare the composi- 
     
     tion of the assembly, under the same heads, 
     
     with the presont composition ofthe Legislative 
     
     Council, as showing the comparative liberali- 
     
     ty of the recent exercise of the Royal'Preroga- 
     
     tive, and the right of popular election. 
     
    

    
     At present we can state for certain, that of 
     
     cightywight members ofthe Assembly, [‘2 vac.] 
     
     there are twenty of all the Protestant denomi~ 
     
     nations, giving the Catholics a majority of 68 
     
     in that body. 
     
    

    
     Only seven members of the Assembly are na- 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     120 43 
     
    
   
   
    
     lives of the United Kin dom m 
     
     and Ireland, all of theta, persons rgisiilirrim'n 
     
     the country from 10 to 40 years. There i553: 
     
     one person who receive: a salary out of the pub 
     
     lic money. There are 65 members of Frencl. 
     
     extraction, and 71 natives ofCanada. l 
     
     The population may be estimated as follow 
     
     on the Census of 1831, viz :-—natives of Prone}: 
     
     extraction, about 490 000 
     
     Natives ofall other extractions {30,000 
     
     Natives ofall other Countries, 50:000 
     
     '0 
     
     Catholics, 430,000——ali other denominbaatidoti:0 
     
     100,0oo.— lb. 1 
     
    
   
   
    
     Captain Back—This gentleman was en. 
     
     tertained at a public dinner at the British 
     
     American Hotel, on the 023rd inst. which 
     
     was attended by lfO of the most respecta- 
     
     ble citizens. On the 25th inst. he took his 
     
     departure from this city on his hazardous 
     
    
   
   
    
     expedition, and carries with him the earn. 
     
    
   
   
    
     est wishes of all for ultimate success.-_. 
     
     .Montrcal Courant. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Rise oflmkc Erie—For the last several 
     
     years, says the \ hi0 Atlas, the rise of wa- 
     
     ter in the Lake, has made serious encroach- 
     
     ments On its southern shores. For a con. 
     
     siderable distance above the mouth of 
     
     Black River, the bank of the Lake is low, 
     
     without rocks. Twelve years ago, the bank 
     
     was generally sloping, with a wide breach. 
     
     Now the waves beat against a perpendicu- 
     
     lar bank, which, from continual abrasion, 
     
     is frequently falling off. From one to three 
     
     rods in width are worn away annually. The 
     
     phenomenan of this rise of water remain 
     
     unexplained. 
     
    

    
     From the St. flndrews’ Couranl. Jlfay 6. 
     
    

    
     Tan wxnnenmo Puma—The streets of 
     
     our small town were enlivened during two 
     
     days of the last week by the perambulations 
     
     of this eccentric character, of whom and 
     
     of his extraordinary wager, several notices 
     
     have oflate been copied from English pa- 
     
     pers. 
     
    

    
     On his arrival here from St. John last 
     
     Tuesday evening, he applied, [as is his 
     
     custom] to the senior resident Magistrate 
     
     for a written permission to follow his men- 
     
     dicant avocation on the two succeeding 
     
     days, which was readily granted, and lie 
     
     was each day accompanied in his walk, by 
     
     a crowd of children of all sizes and ages, for 
     
     whom be exerted his musical talents to the 
     
     utmost, (and he certainly plays well,) to 
     
     win, not golden opinions, but silver and cop- 
     
     per coins, for which be tendered histhanks 
     
     in the most humble and characteristic style; 
     
     intimating frequently. less by words than 
     
     action, “ that the smallest favors would be 
     
     gratefully received and thankfully acknow— 
     
     ledged.” We cannot state exactly the a- 
     
     mount of his receipts, but know that be 
     
     disbursed as follows : To a widow in very 
     
     indigent and distressed circumstances, Qt. ; 
     
     to the Sunday School Fund, ll ; Lending 
     
     Library, 103.; Roman Catholic Chapelts 
     
     poor box,” ll. ; and to four other poor Wt- 
     
     tlows, 2L;—making in all 6!. 105. Ant 
     
    
   
   
    
           
     
             
     
    
   
   
    
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