the British had encamped. The Sikhs
know it as the battle of Russool, the more appropriate name to give it,
as it was in its vicinity the chief strength of the Sikh position was
found.

Leaving the movements of the two armies confronting one another to
the narrative of another chapter, it is now necessary to turn to other
scenes of interest.

CANADA.

This fine colony continued prosperous and powerful, yet the
dissatisfaction of previous years with the imperial administration
was not removed. On the 28th of February the first session of the new
parliament was opened by the governor-general, who delivered a speech
which was intended to be concilatory, but which did not accomplish its
purpose. An amendment was proposed to the address, which was carried
against the government by a majority of fifty-four to twenty. In this
amendment the legislature plainly declared its want of confidence in the
governor's advisers; the ministry therefore resigned.

THE WEST INDIES.

During this year the West India colonists were discontented, and
complained of distress, while at home they were regarded with suspicion
by the religious and antislavery public, as designing, if possible, to
restore slavery.

The immigration of hill Coolies from India into several of the colonies,
which was promoted by the West India legislative bodies at the public
expense, increased this jealousy towards the planters. The taxes to meet
the expenses incidental to the immigration were levied in such a manner
as to fall especially upon the emancipated negro, to compete with whose
labour the Coolie was imported. This irritated the classes in England
whose dispositions were unfavourable to the planter. The press, the
pulpit, and missionary meetings denounced the Coolie trade and traders,
and, in terms of eloquent indignation, represented the negro inhabitants
of the West Indies as still subjected to the plunder and persecution
of a tyrant race. The Coolie immigration was depicted as rivaling the
slave-trade in atrocity, and its failure was boldly predicted on every
religious platform. These predictions certainly were fulfilled--the
Coolie speculation was a failure. A writer of that date, well acquainted
with the facts of the case, thus noticed them:--"One of the most recent
efforts made to substitute free for slave labour in the West Indies, it
will be recollected, was the bringing of a number of hill Coolies
from India for this purpose. The ex