eft in a minority, or in a very small
majority, they should feel themselves compelled to resign, and they
added that, if Bagot did not accept their recommendation to admit the
French Canadians, they would insist upon his accepting their
resignation.[19]

{149}

When the Assembly met, events moved very rapidly. On the opening day,
Neilson brought forward the exciting question of amnesty; and the air
was filled with rumours and schemes, of which the most ominous for
government was the project of coalition between Conservatives and
French Canadians. The time had come for action--if anything could
really be done. To understand the boldness of Bagot's tactics, it must
be remembered that they went "in the teeth of an almost universal
feeling at home ... certainly in opposition to Lord Durham's recorded
sentiments, and as certainly to Lord Sydenham's avowed practice"--to
say nothing of Stanley's own wishes. La Fontaine was definitely
approached on the tenth, and, seemingly, Bagot was not quite prepared
for the greatness of his claims--"four places in the Council, with the
admission of Mr. Baldwin into it."[20] But he had no alternative, for
on the 12th he received a plain statement from his cabinet that, if he
failed, they were not prepared to carry on the government.[21] To his
dismay, the surrender, if one may so term it, which he signed next day,
was not accepted, since Baldwin could not {150} countenance the
pensioning of the ministers, Ogden and Davidson, who had been
compulsorily retired, and, although MacNab was at hand with the offer
of sixteen Conservative stalwarts, the plan was useless, and, in view
of MacNab's general conduct at this time, irritating. When Bagot wrote
that night to Stanley it was as a despairing man, for the attack had
begun at 3 o'clock, Baldwin leading off with an address, as usual
pledging the House to responsible government, and there was every
chance that he would defeat the ministry. At this point Bagot took the
strange and daring plan of allowing Draper to read his letter to La
Fontaine in the House, that the Lower Canadians might "learn how
abundantly large an offer their leaders have rejected, and the honest
spirit in which that offer was made."[22] His unconventionality won
the day, by convincing the House that the governor-general was in
earnest. Successive adjournments staved off the debate on the address;
and by September 16th, terms had been settled. La Fontaine, Small,