Humours of '37, Grave, Gay and Grim: Rebellion Times in the CanadasLizars, Robina
History
Humours of '37, Grave, Gay and Grim: Rebellion Times in the Canadas
Lizars, Robina
Canada -- History -- Rebellion, 1837-1838
He contended that his conduct on the Canadian question had been
“impudently, falsely and foully aspersed.” So far from being a
juggling fiend who did not warn until the event was o’er, instead of
standing by and not giving a timely warning, he had, not less than ten
months before, standing in that place, denounced the policy of the
Government. More, he had entered his protests on the journals, warning,
distinctly warning, the Government that their proceedings would lead
to insurrection; and to mark the falseness of the quotation, more
marvellous still, he had never twitted them when the event was o’er by
saying he had warned them.
There were, however, occasions and combinations which dismayed even
Brougham. He, Ellis, Hume, Papineau and Bedard, happened to meet in
Paris. Much to the satirical disgust of some Canadian papers, Lord
Brougham declined a dinner invitation and remained in bed in order to
be quite incapacitated, as he had good reason to fear that his seat at
table would be opposite Papineau.
But there is a grave in the Benchers’ Plot at Lincoln’s Inn which tells
the tale of the one vulnerable spot, the wound which would not heal,
in this extraordinary, audacious, eloquent man, this free lance, the
critic of administrations, so prone to wound others. There he laid his
only remaining child, a girl of seventeen, his application to have her
so buried listened to by the Benchers because he too wished to be laid
there in the same grave with her.
The third in this trio who faithfully laboured to abolish or mitigate
“toil, taxes, tears and blood,”--who all for their pains were burned
in effigy in Quebec and other places--was Lord Glenelg. The following
is a travesty on what were supposed to be the instructions given by
him, when debates as to what would prevent rebellion were followed
by debates on what would cure it, Lord Durham chosen the Physician
Extraordinary for colonial ills. The document was intended to regulate
the Canadian Government, and showed the zeal and watchfulness of Lord
Glenelg:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account