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this country; he was to act generally upon the advice of his Executive Council, and to receive as members of that body those persons who might be pointed out to him as entitled to be so by their possessing the confidence of the Assembly. But he was not in any way to identify himself with the party from the ranks of which the actual Council was drawn, but was to make it generally under- stood that if public opinion required it he was equally ready to accept their opponents as his advisers; and that with a complete oblivion of all past contentions he would act with perfect impar- tiality towards the various individuals who took an active share in public affairs, without regard to their national origin or party, uninfluenced by any personal preferences or objections.

This policy Lord Elgin has acted upon with the greatest ability and success. For the first session after he assumed the Government, the Administration which he found power, belonging to what is termed the “Conser- vative" party, were enabled to maintain (though with much difficulty) their majority in the Assembly, and consequently remained in office, Lord Elgin affording to them all the constitutional support they could ask for and every facility for the attempts they thought it right to make to strengthen their position by a junction with some of the leaders of other parties, while at the same time he assumed his own independent position.

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At the close of 1847 the then Canadian Adminis- tration finding that they could no longer reckon upon even the bare majority they had previously had in the Assembly, and having failed in all their endeavours to form a new and stronger combination of parties, applied to Lord Elgin for power to dis- solve the Parliament, and thus call upon the people of the province to decide between the two nicely- balanced parties which divided the Assembly. No objection was made to this by Lord Elgin. A dis- solution took place, and the result of the general election was a complete triumph to the party previously in opposition.

As soon as this was ascertained, Lord Elgin gave to the members of his Conncil the option of imme- diately retiring or of at once calling the Parliament

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

INC.O.

885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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