s in the County of Oxford) came to England, the
bearer of petitions got up by Mr. W. L. Mackenzie and his partizans and
crammed Mr. Hume to make a formidable assault upon the British Canadian
Government. In presenting the Canadian petition Mr. Hume made an
elaborate speech, full of exaggerations and mis-statements from
beginning to end. I was requested to take a seat under the gallery, and,
while Mr. Hume was speaking as the mouth-piece of Dr. C. Duncombe, I
furnished Lord Sandon and Mr. W. E. Gladstone with the materials for
answers to Mr. Hume's mis-statements. Mr. Gladstone's quick perception,
with Lord Sandon's promptings, kept the House in a roar of laughter at
Mr. Hume's expense for more than an hour; the wonder being how Mr.
Gladstone was so thoroughly informed on Canadian affairs. No member of
the House of Commons seemed to be more astonished and confounded than
Mr. Hume himself. He made no reply, and, as far as I know, never after
spoke on Canadian affairs; and Mr. Roebuck soon ceased to be Agent for
the Lower Canada House of Assembly. He has since become an ultra
Conservative!

In a letter from London, dated 1st June, Dr. Ryerson says:--

Before Dr. Duncombe arrived in England, and seeing how much injury was
being done to the reputation and influence of Canada by these
representations, I commenced a series of letters in the London _Times_,
designed to expose the machinations and mis-statements of Messrs. Hume
and Roebuck in England, in regard to matters in Upper Canada, showing
from their own letters to Messrs. Papineau and Mackenzie that they were
the first prompters of the project.[49] To-day I also addressed a letter
to Sir George Grey, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, on the political
crisis in that Province. After discussing several matters relating to
the recent election of a new House of Assembly, I concluded as
follows:--As the affairs of the Province will now be taken into
consideration by His Majesty's Government, there are three subjects on
which I would respectfully request an interview with Lord Glenelg,
yourself, and Mr. [Sir James] Stephen. 1. The Clergy Reserve question--a
plan to meet the circumstances of the Province, and yet not deprive the
clergy of the Church of England of an adequate support. 2. The
Legislative Council--how it may be rendered more influential and
popular, without rendering it elective, or infringing (but rather
strengthening) the prerogatives of the Crown. 3. The Execut