The great uncertainty of law in the courts, holds out encouragement to undertake or defend any and every thing, in hopes that chance may incline the court to favour the caufe*. It is become extremely neceffary that Government should interpose and stop the progress of these alarming evils; for a people once freed from the obligations of moral principles, will never be good or loyal fubjects.

It is those principles alone that render fociety defirable or happy; there are no other ties among men; and all wife states

* Among all civilized nations, it has been the conftant endeavour to remove every thing arbitrary or partial from the decifion of property, and to fix the sentence of judges by fuch general views and confiderations as may be equal to every member of the fociety; for, besides, that nothing could be more dangerous than to accustom the bench, even in the smallest instance, to regard private friendship or enmity, 'tis certain that men, when they imagine that there was no other reafon for the preference of their adversary but personal favour, are apt to entertain the strongest jealousy, and ill will against the judges and magistrates.— Hume's Enquiry.

and legiflatures have accordingly, with anxious care, watched over them; and strongly cherished and inculcated them.

The province being in this unfortunate fituation, will any one prefume now to say, that the complaints the people have sent forth, are the offspring of faction? Have not all their petitions been conceived in decent and respectful, though, from the urgency of their fituation, in nervous language; and conftantly pointing to one thing, ---a reform of the constitution? And have they not, by waiting under the preffure of fuch accumulated diftrefs for the conveniency of Government to bring forward that reform, fhewn a degree of patience that befpeaks them a dutiful and loyal people? The fyftem of civil government, or conftitution, established by the Quebec Act, has had a fair trial of fourteen years; and the foregoing pages will fhew, that the affairs of the province are now in a much

more

more confused fituation than they were at the time that Act was paffed. Dr. Marriot forefaw and predicted, in his report to his Majefty in 1773, the consequences that would arise from hasty measures in fettling the constitution of that country *.

For the first ten years after the Quebec Act was paffed, the members who compofed the legislative body confidered themfelves bound by their oath of office, not to disclose or make public any matter brought before, or agitated in, the legislature†. All hopes of wisdom in the acts or ordinances by them enacted, were by this strange opinion completely deftroyed; for how could they make good and wholesome laws with

* This latitude (alluding to his Majesty's reference to the law officers being general) is the more neceffary, because, if hasty and ill digested regulations should be adopted upon any mistaken notions of men and things, the evils already felt by your Majefty's Government will encrease beyond the power of remedy. Page 47.

+ See Appendix, No. VII.

out

out information? and how was it poffible for them to procure the neceffary and full information, if they dared not disclose the objects on which they wished to be informed?

The Chamber of the Legislative Council of Quebec was as close and impervious as the Divan at Conftantinople*. And though the members do not now confider themfelves obliged to conceal what passes in the Legiflature; yet the public, as the door of the Council Chamber is ftill fhut against them, can only learn through the imperfect medium of common rumour, what laws or acts are at any time agitated in the Legiflature.

Motion

Legislative Council, February 14, 1780. by Mr. Grant—" Whether a Member of Council, acting "in his legislative capacity, may not take a copy of such

papers as are laid before the Board by his Excellency the "Governor, or any other perfon, in order deliberately, in "his cabinet, to inftruct his mind, and form his opinion of "the matter committed to him." Voted, and refolved in the negative.

From

1

From the establishment of civil government until last year, the province was divided into two great diftricts, or counties, namely, the district of Quebec, and the diftrict of Montreal. The fettlement of a great number of loyalifts, at the extremities of the province, fince the year 1784, rendered thefe diftricts too extended and unwieldy. To remedy the inconvenience occafioned by the great distance of some of these new settlers from the feats of justice, and on purpose to encourage these settlements, his Excellency Lord Dorchefter, in confequence of an ordinance of the Legiflative Council of the goth of April 1787, authorifing him to that effect, did, by proclamation, bearing date the 24th of July 1788, constitute and erect, from and out of the two districts of Quebec and Montreal, five new diftricts, viz.

The district of Gafpé, in the Gulph of St. Laurence, taken off the district of Quebec. The