t concern the persons in England who appointed him. In
those days, fitness or ability had very little to do with colonial
appointments. Carleton continued to fill the office of governor and
lieutenant-governor until his death in 1817; but for the last fourteen
years of his term he resided in England, and the duties of his office
were performed by a succession of administrators under the name of
presidents. To assist him in his deliberations, Carleton had a council
of twelve members, who were appointed by the Crown and were therefore
wholly under the influence of the governor and the authorities in
England. In 1809, its number had been reduced to ten, and it was
composed of the four judges of the supreme court, the provincial
secretary and the surveyor-general, who held their offices for life, and
four other persons. This council, in addition to its executive
functions, also sat as the upper branch of the legislature, and, besides
being wholly irresponsible except to the governor, it sat with closed
doors, so that the public had no opportunity of knowing what was being
done. It was not until the year 1833 that any portion of the journals of
the legislative council was published.

The House of Assembly consisted of members chosen by the freeholders of
the several counties and the freeholders and freemen of the city of St.
John. This House was able to exert but a limited influence on the
government of the country, for all authority was vested in the
lieutenant-governor and he was able to act in a manner quite independent
of the legislature. All the appointments to office were in his hands,
and they were made in many cases even without the knowledge of his
council. In England, even under the most despotic kings, parliament was
always able to curb the power of the Crown by refusing to grant
supplies; but this check did not exist in New Brunswick, or in the other
colonies of British North America at that time, because the governor had
sources of revenue quite independent of the legislature. The British
government maintained a customs establishment in the colonies, which
levied duties on all merchandise imported, and over which the
legislature had no control. The British government also retained the
revenues arising from the Crown lands of the province, and these
revenues the governor expended as he pleased. The House of Assembly,
therefore, might refuse to vote supplies; but the governor could go on
without them, and the only