d with all the dignity of manhood, and
introduced into a system which, despite the combativeness of certain
ardent spirits from the South, every American believes and maintains
to be immortal. But how does the case stand with us? No matter how
great the advance of a British colony in wealth and civilisation; no
matter how absolute the powers of self-government conceded to it, it
is still taught to believe that it is in a condition of pupilage from
which it must pass before it can attain maturity. For one I have never
been able to comprehend why, elastic as our constitutional system is,
we should not be able, now more especially when we have ceased to
control the trade of our colonies, to render the links which bind them
to the British Crown at least as lasting as those which unite the
component parts of the Union.... One thing is, however, indispensable
to the success of this or any other system of Colonial Government. You
must renounce the habit of telling the Colonies that the Colonial is a
provisional existence. You must allow them to believe that, without
severing the bonds which unite them to Great Britain, they may attain
the degree of perfection, and of social and political development, to
which organised communities of free men have a right to aspire.

Since I began this letter I have, I regret to say, confirmatory
evidence of the justice of the anticipations I had formed of the
probable effect of Lord John's declaration. I enclose extracts from
two newspapers, an annexationist, the _Herald_ of Montreal, and a
_quasi_ annexationist, the _Mirror_ of Toronto. You will
note the use they make of it. I was more annoyed however, I confess,
by what occurred yesterday in council. We had to determine whether or
not to dismiss from his offices a gentleman who is both M.P.P., Q.C.,
and J.P., and who has issued a flaming manifesto in favour, not of
annexation, but of an immediate declaration of independence as a step
to it. I will not say anything of my own opinion on the case, but it
was generally contended by the members of the Board, that it would be
impossible to maintain that persons who had declared their intention
to throw off their allegiance to the Queen, with a view to annexation,
were unfit to retain offices granted during pleasure, if persons who
made a similar declaration with a