Lord Brougham,seeing his noble Friend, the Secretary for the Colonies, in his place, begged leave to ask him a question with respect to any information which might have been received by her Majesty's Government relative to late events which were said to have occurred in the province of Lower Canada. Reports of a very unpleasant nature had been received this morning from Liverpool, and as it appeared probable that those reports were not without foundation, he wished to know from his noble Friend whether the Government was in possession of any authentic account from that quarter?
§ Lord GlenelgIn answer to the question of my noble and learned Friend, I have to state that Government is not in possession of any authentic account from that quarter.
§ Viscount Melbournesaid, now that the subject had been named, he thought it proper to state, that he intended moving to-morrow that the House, at its rising, should adjourn to the l6th of January, instead of to the more distant day which was originally proposed, in consequence of the information which had been received, and the reports which had been published, and which, he feared, established this fact, that there was an open insurrection and rebellion in Lower Canada. That fact being established, it would be most inconvenient if Parliament at this moment were to separate for a period so long as had been originally intended. To-morrow he should lay before the House all the information which Government possessed on the subject; and when Parliament again met, her Majesty's Government would distinctly bring the subject before both Houses, in order to obtain their support for the measures which Ministers might deem it necessary to propose, not at all doubting as to the answer which they would receive.
Lord BroughamAs to his noble Friend's anticipation of the answer which, was likely to be received by his noble Friend when he appealed to Parliament on this subject, that was a point on which he 1423 would not at present enter. But this much he would say, that he most heartily approved of his noble Friend's proposition for substituting the day he had mentioned as that to which the adjournment should extend, for that which had been at first contemplated. He thought with his noble Friend, that in the present state of the colony of Lower Canada—and with reference to that intelligence which had been received (which he agreed with his noble Friend there was much reason to consider well-founded)—it would be extremely unwise, and indeed wholly unjustifiable, if Parliament were to adjourn beyond the earliest period that suited the public convenience.
§ Subject dropped.