CURRENTS AND COUNTER-CURRENTS

“The Clergy Reserve question was one on which it was notorious that the public mind, in Upper Canada more especially, was much divided, and the Imperial statute on the subject had been repealed for the express purpose of facilitating a settlement which would be final, and in accordance with the deliberate views and convictions of the people of the Province. To attempt, therefore, to settle such a question in a Parliament which had been already declared by its own vote to be an imperfect representation of the people, and by the exercise of what might be deemed the influence of the Government, was a course of proceeding obviously open to serious objection.”—LorD ELGIN’s Despatch to the Duke of Newcustle, June 22nd, 1854.

4 HILE the ministerial adjustments referred to at the close of the last chapter were in progress, Lord Elgin committed the functions of government to the hands of Lieutenant-General Rowan, Commander-in-Chief of the Forces, and set out for England, partly to enjoy a muchneeded holiday, and partly to impress upon the Imperial

authorities the desirableness of obtaining a treaty of reciprocity with the United States. The latter project was one to the develooment whereof he had devoted much time, and which he was very desirous of seeing brought to a successful conclusion. Although he was merely absent on leave, there was a general impression throughout the Province that his Excellency would not return to Canada.

As the autumn passed by, several cireumstances occurred which tended to the still further embarrassment of the Ministry. A new Commission of the Peace was issued, which gave rise to much hostile criticism with reference to some of ‘he persons included in it, Messieurs Hincks and Drummond were fie:cely taken to task by the

Currents and Counter-Currents. 281

Protestant population for alleged attempts on their part to rehabilitate the reputation of the mayor of Montreal, which had suffered grievously among Protestants in consequence of the Gavazzi episode, The Roman Catholic hierarchy in Lower Canada not unnaturally espoused the side of Mr. Wilson, which was in itself an additional reason for his unpopularity with Protestants, as the odiwm theologicum was even more heated than ordinarily during that disturbed time. Mr. Drummond was now Attorney-General for Lower Canada, and he was accused of being unnecessarily dilatory in bringing the rioters to justice. Mr. Hincks also became involved in some unpleasant personal complications. At the trial of a case of Paterson et ul. vs. Bowes, in the Court of Chancery for Upper Canada, at Toronto, in September, certain facts were elicited which went to show that the Inspector-General, while holding office as First Minister of the Crown, had joined the mayor of Toronto in the purchase of municipal debentures of that city at a discount of twenty per cent. It also appeared that a Bill had afterwards been passed through Parliament whereby the value of the debentures had been raised to par. As thus tersely stated, the transaction certainly had a suspicious and unpleasant aspect. À little amplification gave it a somewhat less questionable complexion. The facts, briefly stated, were as follow. The city of Toronto had agreed to take stock in the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Raïlway Company to the extent of $200,000. The company had made a contract for the building of the road, and the contractor had agreed to take the debentures in payment.* The debentures were for sale on the Toronto stock market for months, the current price being about eighty cents on the dollar. Mr. Bowes, mayor of Toronto, proposed to Mr. Hincks to join him in buying up the debentures. Mr. Hincks responded favourably, and the proposal was carried out, The Act of Parliament after-

* The County of Simcoe took a similar amount of stock, and paid for it in the same way.