full grant to the colonies of
Responsible Government lay safety; he deemed it 'inconsistent with a due
adherence to the essential distinctions between a Metropolitan and a
Colonial Government.[1] But he was a kindly soul, who was honestly
shocked at the predominance in the Council of the Church of England and
the bankers, and he went as far as he dared. In August 1837 dispatches
from him arrived, directing {55} the lieutenant-governor to separate the
Legislative and the Executive Councils. Of the wisdom of this step he
was by no means sure, but he yielded to the wish of the Assembly,
'convinced that their advice will be dictated by more exact and abundant
knowledge of the wants and wishes of their constituents than any other
persons possess or could venture to claim.' In the new Executive Council
the chief justice was not to sit, and the banking and Church of England
influences were to be lessened. The Council of Twelve thus became an
Executive merely, while a new Legislative Council, or Upper House, of
nineteen members, came into being. Though no responsibility to the
Commons was acknowledged, and though 'the Queen can give no pledge that
the Executive Council will always comprise some members of the Assembly,'
four members of the new Executive did actually sit in the Lower House and
three in the Upper. Already the fortress was giving way. Instead of
finding out the policy of the Executive by an elaborate interchange of
written communications, the Assembly could now, whenever it so desired,
interrogate such members of the Executive as were chosen from its own
body.

{56}

Towards the end of this year broke out the rebellion headed in Lower
Canada by Papineau and in Upper Canada by William Lyon Mackenzie. Its
ignominious failure threatened for a time to overwhelm Howe with charges
of similar disloyalty. Luckily he had in 1835 written to Mr H. S.
Chapman, a prominent Upper Canadian Reformer, a long letter in which,
while sympathizing with the grievances of the Reformers, he had
indignantly denounced any attempt to use force, and had vindicated the
loyalty of Nova Scotia. This letter he now published, and triumphantly
cleared his character.

The rebellion had at least the merit of awakening the British government.
When houses went up in smoke, when Canadians with fixed bayonets chased
other Canadians through burning streets and slew them as they cried for
mercy, the most fat-hearted place-man could not say