h
had taken place between the years 1829 and 1837. Another source of evil
pointed out by Lord Durham in his report was the lack of education in
the colonies. According to returns laid before parliament in 1835, there
were in Lower Canada, besides several Roman Catholic colleges, and a
number of private seminaries for the higher branches of education, two
grammar-schools, one at Quebec and the other at Montreal, and in the
three districts of Quebec, Montreal, and Three Rivers, thirty-seven
free-schools, with nearly two thousand scholars. In addition to these
there were established, under a provincial act of parliament,
one thousand one hundred and seventy-one elementary schools, with
thirty-seven thousand six hundred and fifty-eight scholars, distributed
through the colonies, and placed under the superintendence of trustees
annually elected by the inhabitants. The utility of these schools,
however, may be estimated by this passage from Lord Durham's
report:--"It came to my knowledge that out of a great number of boys and
girls assembled at the school-house door of St. Thomas, all but three
were admitted upon inquiry to be unable to read; yet the children of
this large parish attend school regularly, and make use of books. They
hold the catechism-book in their hands as if they were reading, while
they only repeat its contents, which they know by rote." The only
exception to this state of things made by Lord Durham was in favour of
the Catholic clergy, who were represented by him as a respectable and
well-conducted class of men, and well-disposed towards the government.
The report further stated that there was no combination between the
two races for public objects. All public meetings, no matter for what
purpose they were called, were attended exclusively by one or the other
of the races. They could not harmonize even in associations of charity;
and the only public occasion on which they met was in the jury-box, and
then they met only to obstruct justice. With such feelings existing
in the colony, there could be no wonder that insurrections and tumults
abounded.

No discussion arose on the presentation of Lord Durham's report to the
lords. On the 15th of February the Duke of Wellington moved an address
to her majesty for copies of the correspondence of Sir F. Head with her
majesty's government on the affairs of Upper Canada; and also for copies
of the correspondence of Sir J. Colborne and her majesty's government
relativ