voluntary offer given to the King in 1810." His
Grace had recommended by special message the consideration of the
Judicature Act so that it might be amended, and the Assembly had not
even proceeded with it so far as to enable the Governor-in-Chief to
transmit the result of the parliamentary proceedings to the King's
ministers, with the view of obtaining the opinions and assistance of
the law officers of the Crown in England. He did trust, therefore, that
at an early day in the next session the matter would be proceeded with.
He had assented to the militia bill with reluctance. It was not
necessary that the officers should be natives of the province. There
were many half-pay officers of the army who were much better fitted for
holding commissions in the militia than wealthy _habitants_ were;
and there were clerks, and other enterprising young men about cities
and towns, who, on any emergency, were equally as well adapted for
officers of militia as any _seigneur_ whatever. The population of
the province afforded excellent materials for a defensive army, but a
general and proper selection of officers was necessary to make it
formidable to an active and enterprising enemy. The selection of
officers must only belong to the executive power. This speech did not
raise the Duke of Richmond in the estimation of the Commons of Canada.
Some were inclined to laugh at His Excellency, while not a few were
offended. His Grace had been evidently tampered with. He was not looked
upon as a free agent. While perfectly willing to defray the expenses of
the civil administration, the Commons felt no disposition to build up a
pension list or to be in any way burthened with life annuities to
officers of the imperial army, for whom the imperial government was
bound to provide. All the officers required in the civil government of
the country, the Commons were prepared amply to remunerate, but they
were not at all prepared to award salaries for the perpetuation of
sinecure offices, the holders of which had never set a foot in the
country. The Commons, in a word, desired to have some control over the
government itself, as, in a free country all power should proceed from
the people. This was denied to them. They were required to do whatever
the government desired, and refusing obedience, they were castigated,
castigated by the representative of the sovereign of a free country, of
which Canada formed a part. In spite of this rugged mode of governing,