ce' of the Dominion.

During that busy month of July which the governor had spent in the
Maritime Provinces the Act of Union passed by the Imperial parliament
had taken effect. The two provinces were proclaimed to be one province
with one legislature. It was necessary to issue a new commission for
the governor of the new province, and, to mark the importance of his
achievement, Charles Poulett Thomson was created a peer, Baron Sydenham
of Sydenham in Kent and Toronto in Canada. {55} One advantage of a
monarchy is its ability to reward service to the state in a splendid
way. Sydenham's honour was well deserved, but he was not destined to
enjoy it long. His activity in no way relaxed. An essential part of
the scheme of union, as he saw it, was local home rule. The country
was to be divided into small self-governing
units--municipalities--taxing themselves for their own necessary
expenditures and controlling the revenues so raised. This is now such
a familiar idea, an institution which works so well, that it is hard to
conceive of Canada ever lacking it. Even more difficult to conceive is
why the idea should have been opposed by the Imperial parliament so
strongly that an advanced Liberal like Lord John Russell was forced to
exclude it from the Act of Union. But Sydenham was not easily balked.
Being on the ground and seeing the urgent need of such an institution,
he called together his wonderful Special Council for one last session.
Between them they organized the municipal system which, in modified
form, still functions in Quebec. After the Union the system was
extended to Ontario, to the great advantage of that province. So
thoroughly are Canadians {56} accustomed to managing their own affairs,
that they do not realize what a privilege they possess in their
municipal system, and how far Great Britain then lagged behind.

Another important measure passed by the expiring Special Council was
the Registry Act. To the habitant the selling, mortgaging, and
transfer of property was a private affair; he did not see the need for
publicity. So the habit of clandestine transfer of land was almost a
French habit. The same habit prevailed among the Acadians and had to
be dealt with by the English governors. The attempt to put the
transfer of land upon a business basis was regarded as an insidious
attack upon a national custom. Once more the benevolent despot
succeeded in bringing about a much-needed reform. The 'as