authorizing the governor to suspend the
_habeas corpus_ act; the alteration of the clause known as Sir William
Follett's, limiting its operation to measures affecting the clergy, on
the tenures of land; and the introduction of a new clause, giving power
to impose rates and taxes not to be paid into the public treasury, but
to be applied to such local purposes as watching and the roads. With
regard to the bill for the union of the provinces, his lordship said,
that he thought it might be necessary to change some of its provisions.
The bill he would ask to introduce provided for the establishment of a
central district at Montreal and its neighbourhood, where the meetings
of the assembly should be held. The other parts of Upper and Lower
Canada he proposed to divide into two districts. There would then be
a central district, and four other districts. Each of these was to be
subdivided into nine other districts, so that supposing each division
to return two members, there would be ninety members for the electoral
divisions. In addition to these, his lordship proposed that the
four largest towns should return two members, making in the whole
ninety-eight. After a brief discussion, leave was given to bring in the
bill, and to amend the act of last session, appointing a provisional
government.

It was not until the 4th of July that Lord John Russell moved the order
of the day for the second reading of this bill. The discussion which
followed was a mere repetition of former debates. The bill was then read
a second time.

Lord John Russell moved the order of the day forgoing into a committee
of the whole house on the 11th of July, when Sir William Molesworth
moved a resolution, the object of which was to declare on the part of
the house, that considerations of humanity, justice, and sound policy
demanded that parliament should apply itself without delay to legislate
for the permanent government of the Canadas.

The debate which followed threw no new light upon Canadian affairs, or
the policy which ought to be pursued towards the people of the Canadian
provinces. The discussions, however, demonstrated the incapacity of the
government to deal with matters of such magnitude, and the desire of
the opposition to sacrifice justice and expediency to party spirit. The
house divided, and the original motion was carried by a majority of two
hundred and twenty-three against twenty-eight.

In the committee Mr. Hume objected to the first