s set at liberty.

This brief term of imprisonment, which in all lasted less than a
fortnight, was the turning point in the reckless young lawyer's career.
Up to that time he had been nobody, and had had no apparent prospect of
ever attaining to any importance. But from this time forward the
official party regarded him in the light of a martyr who had suffered in
the good cause. They feasted and lionized him, and did their utmost to
advance his fortunes. At the elections which took place during the
following year they returned him as one of the representatives of the
County of Wentworth in the Assembly, where, though he lacked sufficient
ballast to display anything like statesmanship, he made considerable
noise, and erelong became a notable personage. He was voluble, and made
many verbose speeches, the matter of which never rose above the veriest
commonplace, but as it was always charged with emphatic High Toryism it
was applauded to the echo by the official party. Eventually, as every
Canadian knows, he obtained high distinction and eminence, and had
abundant reason to bless the discipline which he had received at the
hands of a Parliamentary Committee. But for that discipline he might
have lived and died an obscure country lawyer. To that discipline he was
indebted for all the honours which subsequently descended upon him. By
its aid he successively became a member of the Upper Canadian
Parliament, Speaker of the Assembly, Commander-in-Chief of the Upper
Canadian land forces during the Rebellion, Knight, Queen's Counsel,
member of the United Parliament of Canada, leader of the Tory Party in
the Canadian Legislature, Premier, President of the Council and Minister
of Agriculture, Baronet, honorary Colonel in the British Army,
Aide-de-Camp to the Queen, Speaker of the Legislative Council. He also
became father-in-law to a peer of the realm, and died Sir Allan MacNab
of Dundurn. Certain passages of his life will form the subject of future
consideration. Meanwhile it will be sufficient to remark that each
successive link in the long chain of his triumphs may be distinctly
traced to his supposed martyrdom at the hands of the Reform majority in
the Upper Canadian Assembly in 1829.

Another personage cited to appear before the Assembly's Committee on the
same investigation was the Hon. H. J. Boulton, Solicitor-General. He
displayed the same reticence as young MacNab, and refused to reply to
certain questions put to him by th