Lord Elgin | Page 5

Indian colonies to endure with comparative fortitude,
apprehensions and difficulties which otherwise might have depressed
them beyond measure."
It was not, however, until the spring of 1846 that Lord Elgin was able
to return on leave of absence to England, where the seals of office were
now held by a Liberal administration, in which Lord Grey was colonial
secretary. Although his political opinions differed from those of the
party in power, he was offered the governor-generalship of Canada
when he declined to go back to Jamaica. No doubt at this juncture the
British ministry recognized the absolute necessity that existed for
removing all political grievances that arose from the tardy concession
of responsible government since the death of Lord Sydenham, and for
allaying as far as possible the discontent that generally prevailed
against the new fiscal policy of the parent state, which had so seriously
paralyzed Canadian industries. It was a happy day for Canada when
Lord Elgin accepted this gracious offer of his political opponents, who
undoubtedly recognized in him the possession of qualities which would
enable him successfully, in all probability, to grapple with the
perplexing problems which embarrassed public affairs in the province.
He felt (to quote his own language at a public dinner given to him just
before his departure for Canada) that he undertook no slight
responsibilities when he promised "to watch over the interests of those
great offshoots of the British race which plant themselves in distant
lands, to aid them in their efforts to extend the domain of civilization,
and to fulfill the first behest of a benevolent Creator to His intelligent
creatures--'subdue the earth'; to abet the generous endeavour to impart
to these rising communities the full advantages of British laws, British
institutions, and British freedom; to assist them in maintaining
unimpaired--it may be in strengthening and confirming--those bonds of
mutual affection which unite the parent and dependent states."

Before his departure for the scene of his labours in America, he married
Lady Mary Louisa Lambton, daughter of the Earl of Durham, whose
short career in Canada as governor-general and high commissioner
after the rebellion of 1837 had such a remarkable influence on the
political conditions of the country. Whilst we cannot attach too much
importance to the sage advice embodied in that great state paper on
Canadian affairs which was the result of his mission to Canada, we
cannot fail at the same time to see that the full vindication of the sound
principles laid down in that admirable report is to be found in the
complete success of their application by Lord Elgin. The minds of both
these statesmen ran in the same direction. They desired to give
adequate play to the legitimate aspirations of the Canadian people for
that measure of self-government which must stimulate an independence
of thought and action among colonial public men, and at the same time
strengthen the ties between the parent state and the dependency by
creating that harmony and confidence which otherwise could not exist
in the relations between them. But while there is little doubt that Lord
Elgin would under any circumstances have been animated by a deep
desire to establish the principles of responsible government in Canada,
this desire must have been more or less stimulated by the tender ties
which bound him to the daughter of a statesman whose opinions where
so entirely in harmony with his own. In Lord Elgin's temperament there
was always a mingling of sentiment and reason, as may be seen by
reference to his finest exhibitions of eloquence. We can well believe
that a deep reverence for the memory of a great man, too soon removed
from the public life of Great Britain, combined with the natural desire
to please his daughter when he wrote these words to her:--
"I still adhere to my opinion that the real and effectual vindication of
Lord Durham's memory and proceedings will be the success of a
governor-general of Canada who works out his views of government
fairly. Depend upon it, if this country is governed for a few years
satisfactorily, Lord Durham's reputation as a statesman will be raised
beyond the reach of cavil."
Now, more than half a century after he penned these words and
expressed this hope, we all perceive that Lord Elgin was the instrument
to carry out this work.
Here it is necessary to close this very brief sketch of Lord Elgin's early

career, that I may give an account of the political and economic
conditions of the dependency at the end of January, 1847, when he
arrived in the city of Montreal to assume the responsibilities of his
office. This review will show the difficulties of the political situation
with which he was called upon to cope, and will enable us to obtain an
insight