and in 1842 the province was actually
in debt. Many ignorant electors were made to believe that this result
was due to the Reformers who had been the means of obtaining this money,
which the legislature had squandered; and this feeling was so strong in
the county of York, that Messrs. Wilmot and Fisher stood lower on the
poll than the two anti-Reformers who were elected with them.

CHAPTER VI

THE READE APPOINTMENT

Although elected in opposition to responsible government, the
legislature of 1843 at its first session took one important step in
favour of Reform. The arrangement by which the executive and legislative
councils were separated, which had come into force ten years before,
although a decided improvement on the old state of affairs, did not
produce universal satisfaction.[3] The constitution of the legislative
council was complained of, and it was described as an obstructive body
which disregarded the wishes of the people. Bills of the utmost
importance, which had been passed by large majorities in the House of
Assembly, and which were demanded by the people, were frequently
rejected by the council without being even discussed. Most of its
members were opposed to any change in the constitution of the province,
and everything which seemed to be in the direction of giving power to
the people was denounced as an innovation and condemned as an
infringement of the vested rights of the council. One of the chief
causes of complaint against the council was their rejection of every
bill for the amendment of the charter of King's College. Wilmot had so
frequently had his efforts in this direction nullified by the council
that he introduced a resolution in the assembly condemning the conduct
of that body for rejecting the college bill, and the council retaliated
by unanimously voting this a breach of privilege.[4] The complaints of
the House of Assembly against the legislative council were now embodied
in an address to the queen. In this address it was stated that in the
opinion of the House the legislative council should be composed of
persons not only representing all the leading interests of the province,
but so independent in respect to property and so free from official
control as to form a constitutional check on the executive. Although, by
the laws that existed then, members of the assembly were required to be
possessed of real estate to the value of two hundred pounds, over and
above all encumbrances, t