ance of the local House of Representatives
as the counterpart of the House of Commons, and as guardians of the
rights of the people.

At an early period of Canadian history, the salaries of governors and
judges were determined and paid by the Crown, out of what was called a
casual and territorial revenue, independent of the representatives of
the people, and the judges held their places during pleasure; but after
much agitation, and a determined popular struggle of several years, a
civil list for both the governors and judges was agreed upon and voted
by the Legislature. The tenure of the offices of judges was made that of
good behaviour, instead of pleasure; and executive councillors and heads
of departments were made dependent upon the confidence of the
Legislature, with the control of revenues of every kind raised in the
country; since which time there have been peace, loyalty, and progress
throughout the provinces of the Canadian Dominion.

To turn now to the affairs of the colonies as discussed and decided upon
in the British Parliament, which met the 9th of January, 1770. The King,
in opening Parliament, expressed his regret that his endeavours to
tranquillize America had not been attended with the desired success, and
that combinations had been formed to destroy the commercial connection
between the colonies and the mother country. The opposition in both
Houses of Parliament dwelt strongly on the prevailing discontents, both
in England and in the colonies. Ministers, admitting these discontents,
imputed them to the spirit of faction, the speeches and writings of
agitators, and to petitions got up and circulated by their influence.
Lords Camden and Shelburne resigned, disapproving of the policy of the
Administration, as did soon after, on the 28th of January, 1770, the
Duke of Grafton, First Lord of the Treasury, and was succeeded by Lord
North as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lord Chatham, after an absence of
two years, recovered sufficiently to make his clarion voice once more
heard in the councils of the nation against official corruption, and in
defence of liberty and the rights of the colonies, the affairs of which
now occupied the attention of Parliament. The British manufacturers and
merchants who traded to America had sustained immense losses by the
rejection of their goods, through the non-importing associations in
America, and apprehended ruin from their continuance, and therefore
petitioned Parliament,