ery often
legislates unadvisedly.

That the two provinces cannot remain in their present state is
acknowledged by all. The question therefore is, can we rationally
expect any improvement from their union? Perhaps it may appear
presumptuous in me to venture to differ from Lord Durham, who is a
statesman born and bred--for this is not a party question in which a
difference of politics may bias one: it is a question as to the
well-governing of a most important colony, and no one will for a moment
doubt that his lordship is as anxious as the Duke of Wellington, and
every other well-wisher to his country, to decide upon that which he
considers honestly and honourably to be the best. It is really,
therefore, with great deference that I submit to him, whether another
arrangement should not be well considered, before the union of the two
provinces is finally decided upon.

His lordship has very truly observed, that in legislating, we are to
legislate for futurity; if not, we must be prepared for change. Acting
upon this sound principle, we are to legislate upon the supposition that
the whole country of Upper and Lower Canada _is_ well peopled. We are
not to legislate for the present population, but for the future. And
how is this to be done in the present condition of the provinces? Most
assuredly by legislating for territory--for the amount of square acres
which will eventually be filled up by emigration. I perfectly agree
with his lordship in the remark that, "if the Canadians are to be
deprived of their representative government, it would be better to do it
in a straightforward way;" but I submit that it would be done in a
straightforward way by the plan I am about to submit to him, and I
consider it more advisable than that of convulsing the two provinces by
bringing together two races so inveterate against each other. Instead
of a union of the two provinces, I should think it more advisable to
separate the Canadas into three: Upper, Lower, and Middle Canada,--the
line of demarcation, and the capitals of each Province appearing already
to be marked out. The Lower province would have Quebec, and be
separated from the Middle province by the Ottawa river. The Middle
province would have Montreal, and would extend to a line drawn from Lake
Simcoe to Lake Ontario, throwing into it _all the townships on the
American side of the St Lawrence_, which would do away with the great
objection of the Upper province being depe