he can frighten us by hinting
to us that he will fight in the ranks of the enemy. All his threats
are futile, and his fears but the creatures of imagination.

Papineau did not yet contemplate an appeal {49} to arms; and of course
he could not foresee that only two years later Conrad Gugy would be one
of the first to enter the village of St Eustache after the defeat of
the _Patriote_ forces.

In spite of the inflamed state of public feeling, Lord Gosford tried to
put into effect his policy of conciliation. He sought to win the
confidence of the French Canadians by presiding at their
entertainments, by attending the distribution of prizes at their
seminaries, and by giving balls on their feast days. He entertained
lavishly, and his manners toward his guests were decidedly convivial.
'_Milord_,' exclaimed one of them on one occasion, tapping him on the
back at a certain stage of the after-dinner conversation, '_milord,
vous etes bien aimable_.' 'Pardonnez,' replied Gosford; '_c'est le
vin_.' Even Papineau was induced to accept the governor's hospitality,
though there were not wanting those who warned Gosford that Papineau
was irreconcilable. 'By a wrong-headed and melancholy alchemy,' wrote
an English officer in Quebec to Gosford, 'he will transmute every
public concession into a demand for more, in a ratio equal to its
extent; and his disordered moral palate, beneath the blandest smile and
the {50} softest language, will turn your Burgundy into vinegar.'

The speech with which Lord Gosford opened the session of the
legislature in the autumn of 1835 was in line with the rest of his
policy. He announced his determination to effect the redress of every
grievance. In some cases the action of the executive government would
be sufficient to supply the remedy. In others the assistance of the
legislature would be necessary. A third class of cases would call for
the sanction of the British parliament. He promised that no
discrimination against French Canadians should be made in appointments
to office. He expressed the opinion that executive councillors should
not sit in the legislature. He announced that the French would be
guaranteed the use of their native tongue. He made an earnest plea for
the settlement of the financial difficulty, and offered some
concessions. The legislature should be given control of the hereditary
revenues of the Crown, if provision were made for the support of the
executive and the j