It was true that two years had passed since the previous discussion on the subject in the House of Commons, and that nothing had been done in the meantime; but the hollowness of the debate was shown by the stress laid by the Opposition speakers on the subject of Habeas Corpus. The recently passed ordinance had given to Canadians the right of Habeas Corpus, but it was argued that the grant was temporary only and that the Crown which had given the right and confirmed the ordinance might take it away, whereas no time should be lost in providing that Canadians, like all other British subjects, should enjoy it ‘as a matter of right and not as a grant at the will of the Crown’. There was little evidence among the speakers that they either knew or cared for the wishes of the great majority of Canadians, those of French descent: no suspicion seems to have entered into their minds that institutions which suited Englishmen might not be the best in the world for men who were not of English birth: it was assumed that clever speakers in the House of Commons were better judges of the requirements of a distant British possession than the man on the spot with unrivalled knowledge of local conditions. The debate well illustrated the prejudice and half knowledge with which partisan legislators in England approach colonial problems, and it afforded a good explanation of the grounds on which the common sense of England let the brilliant debaters talk harmlessly in opposition and entrusted the real work of the country to William Pitt. It ended in a motion, agreed to by the Prime Minister, that the House would take the subject into their earnest consideration early next session. [Sidenote: Lord Dorchester’s views opposed to division of the province.] [Sidenote: Outline of the Canada Act.]