he nonce, consisted of only three persons,
namely, Peter Robinson, Commissioner of Crown Lands; George Herchmer
Markland, Inspector-General; and Joseph Wells, Bursar of King's
College. The presence of all three of these persons was necessary to the
formation of a quorum, and in case of the illness or unavoidable absence
of any one of them the public business would have been interrupted and
delayed. Mr. Robinson, moreover, was not only an Executive Councillor,
but, as just mentioned, was also Commissioner of Crown Lands. In the
former capacity the duty was imposed upon him of taking part in the
auditing of his own accounts. This invidious necessity would no longer
exist if additional members were appointed, as a quorum could easily be
obtained without Mr. Robinson's presence being required at the Council
Board. These facts were indisputable, and the argument to be deduced
therefrom was unanswerable. Additional Councillors must be appointed.
But from what class of the community should they be selected? Sir
Francis, the "Tried Reformer," had begun to conceive a distaste for the
Reformers of Upper Canada. There seemed to be a natural antagonism
between him and them. The reason is not far to seek. Persons of the
social grade of Mackenzie were inconceivably odious to this "diner-out
of the first water;" while men like Bidwell and Baldwin made him
painfully conscious of his own littleness and insufficiency for the task
which he had undertaken. Yet he could not venture to call to his Council
any of the remnant of the Tory Compact, and thereby utterly ignore the
Liberal principles which were presumed to have dictated his appointment.
The Tories, moreover, had seen fit to petition the King against his very
first administrative act--the appointment of a Surveyor-General. As for
the Conservatives, as distinct from the Tories, they had not yet
formulated a distinct policy, and none of their leaders had come very
conspicuously to the front.

It seemed clear, then, that the choice must be made from the Reform
ranks. After much deliberation and inquiry,[222] the Lieutenant-Governor
came to the conclusion that approaches should be made to Robert Baldwin,
a gentleman to whom he refers as "highly respected for his moral
character, being moderate in his politics, and possessing the esteem and
confidence of all parties."[223] His Excellency's resolve on this
subject was approved of by the Speakers of the two Houses, as well as
by the three