It would occupy too large a space of the present arti cle to attempt a detailed account of even the principal expeditions and occurrences, in the course of this contest for existence, between the rival colonies; but it may be remarked in general, as a very unaccountable circum stance, that the province of Canada, which was so thinly inhabited and so poorly provided, should have been able to withstand, for such a length of time, the whole power of the English settlements ; which, in addition to their decided superiority by sea, were able to bring five times the number of fighting men into the field. The frequent discomfiture and tardy progress of the British forces. may be ascribed chiefly to the inexperience of their com manders in the American mode of warfare, to the endless dissensions between the provinces and their governors, and to the prevalence of personal animosities and of pri vate interests among those who should have united in the service of their country. About the year 1758, however, the arms of Great Britain began to be attended with bet ter success in North America ; and it ought to be re corded, that Sir William Johnson, by his good conduct as a commander, as well as by his extraordinary influ ence with the Indians as a negotiator, was eminently in strumental in giving this favourable turn to the state of affairs, and in preparing the way for the final subjuga tion of Canada. The operations of the campaign, for this purpose, were directed in three different quarters, so as gradually to approach each other, and at length to unite in one point. General Wolfe, with 8000 men, was appointed to undertake the siege of Quebec. General Amherst, at that time commander in chief of the forces in America, was directed, with 12,000 men, to reduce Ticonderoga and Crown-point, and then crossing Lake Champlain, to co-operate with General Wolfe. Briga dier General Prideaux, assisted by Sir William John son's abilities and advice, was commissioned to attack fort Niagara, and thence to proceed to form a junction with the other commanders, for the siege of Montreal. These three different divisions, by a wonderful concurrence of favourable circumstances, accomplished their respective objects ; and actually met at the walls of Montreal, with in twenty-four hours of each other. A more particular account of their progress and exploits has already been given in the article AMERICA ; and we have only to men tion the general result in this place. By the capitulation of Montreal on the 7th of September, 1760, the reduc tion of Canada was completed; and it was finally ceded to Great Britain, by the definitive treaty of peace in 1763. The province was found by the conquerors in a very im poverished condition ; and the inhabitants, in many places, were supplied with provisions from the stores of the army. For several years after the conquest, the country conti nued in a very unsettled state; and presented innumera ble obstacles to the British traders. The Indian tribes, either not considering the French government as suffi ciently authorised to transfer their allegiance to Great Britain, or excited against their new masters by the Popish missionaries, who resided among them, carried on, for some time, a desultory and destructive warfare ; rendered all intercourse with the interior extremely ha zardous ; and prevented the extension of settlements, either for the purposes of trade or cultivation. The most formidable confederacy of the natives was directed by a celebrated Indian warrior named Pontiac, who had always been strongly attached to the French interest. In the year 1763 he took by surprise fort Michillimackinae, which is situated between the lakes Huron and Michi gan ; but treated the garrison with considerable humani ty. in the following year, he made a similar attempt against fort Detroit, between lake Eric and lake St Clair ; but having been thwarted in his designs, and the garrison liar ing received a considerable reinforcement, he propos ed an accommodation, concluded a peace, and received a pension from the British government, as the purchase of his friendship. The confederate Indians soon after re turned to their different pros inces, and gradually became reconciled to the conquerors of the country.
Previous to the year 1664, the supreme authority in Canada was entirely military ; and the will of the go vernor was the sole fountain of justice. At that period, a code of laws, founded upon the practice in Paris, was given to the colony, and a council of state was esta blished in the capital. This council consisted of the governor, the bishop, the intendant, four counsellors chosen by these three, a procurator general, and a chief secretary. 'Phis constitution afterwards underwent vari ous alterations. The number of counsellors was gradu ally increased to twelve, and the subaltern judges to so great a multitude, that a litigious spirit began to prevail among the colonists, from the influence of which they have continued to suffer even to the present day. Dur ing the first four years after the conquest of Canada by the British, it was divided into three military govern ments, and the officers of the army acted in the double capacity of commanders and judges. The laws of Eng land, however, were soon established in the province ; and its criminal code particularly, was speedily experi enced to be an inestimable benefit, in comparison with the tyrannical and summary proceedings of the French sys tem. But the English civil laws were not received with equal approbation by the old colonists ; and, in 1774, an act of the British legislature restored in their place the old couture de Paris. A council was at the same time appointed, consisting of the lieutenant-governor, the chief justice, the secretary of the province, and 20 other mem bers, chosen indifferently from the French and British residents, invested both with a legislative and executive authority, and possessing power to perform every act of government, except that of imposing taxes. This plan, however, was not greatly relished, either by the British emigrants, who thus found themselves deprived of some of the most valuable privileges which they had enjoyed in their own country, or by the Canadian inhabitants, who had begun to relish the advantages of a free government. Hence, in 1791-2, all the benefits of the British constitu tion were extended to this part of the empire. The co lony was divided into two distinct provinces, called the Upper and Lower. A legislative council and an assem bly were constituted in each, having power, with the con sent of the governor, to make laws, which should not be contrary to the acts of the British parliament; but the king has a right to declare his dissent at any time within two years after receiving the bill. The legislative coun cil of the upper province must consist of at least seven members, and that of the lower of 15 ; which numbers, however, may be augmented at the king's pleasure, and has been recently increased to twenty-one. These are summoned by the governor under the royal authority, and are nominated for life, unless they forfeit their scats by an absence of foul' years, or by paying allegiance to a foreign power. The house of assembly in Lower Cana da consists of 50 members, and in Upper Canada of 16, who are chosen by the freeholders in the towns and coun ties. In the counties, the electors must be possessed of landed property to the clear yearly value of 40 shillings or upwards; and, in the towns. must possess a dwelling house and lot of ground to the yearly value of 51. ster ling ; or must have paid, for one year at least, a rent of lot. per annum. These councils must be assembled once, at least, every twelve months ; and the houses of assembly continue four years at most, but are subject to be dissolved before the termination of the full period, The govcroor, together with such of the executive (.outi cil as may be appointed by the king, for the affairs of each province, are to act as a court of civil jurisdiction for hearing and determining appeals; subject, however, to such appeals from their sentence as extsted previous to the passing of the art appointing this constitution. The whole is superintended by an officer styled CONTI'. nor General of the four British Provinces in North Ame rica ; but each of them has a lieutenant-governor, who, in the absence of the governor-general, has :ill the pow ers of a chief magistrate.