Dissensions of this class place in strong relief the passions and
tendencies which render the endurance of the political system which we
have established here, and of the connection with the mother-country,
uncertain and precarious. They elicit a manifestation of antipathy
between races and of jealousy between the recently united provinces,
which is much to be regretted. This measure of indemnity to Lower
Canada is, however, the last of the kind, and if it be once settled
satisfactorily, a formidable stumblingblock will have been removed
from my path.

A fortnight later he adds:--

The Tory party are doing what they can by menace, intimidation, and
appeals to passion to drive me to a _coup d'État_. And yet the
very measure which is at this moment the occasion of so loud an
outcry, is nothing more than a strict logical following out of their
own acts. It is difficult to conceive what the address on the subject
of rebellion losses in Lower Canada, unanimously voted by the House of
Assembly while Lord Metcalfe was governor and Mr. Draper minister, and
the proceedings of the Administration upon that address could have
been meant to lead to, if not to such a measure as the present
Government have introduced.

I enclose a letter which has been published in the newspapers by A. M.
Masson, one of the Bermuda exiles,[1] who was appointed to an office
by the late Government. This person will be excluded from compensation
by the Bill of the present Government, and he positively asserts that
Lord Metcalfe and some of his Ministers assured him that he would be
included by them.