PREFACE

THE present volume, with the exception of the portion dealing with the earlier years of Lord Sydenham's life, is based entirely upon first-hand materials, many of which are still in manuscript in the Canadian Archives. The facts for the earlier portion of Lord Sydenham's career have been taken mainly from the memoir of his life, drawn from family papers compiled by his brother G. Poulett Scrope, and published in 1843. The same volume contains a narrative of Lord Sydenham's administration in Canada, prepared by his civil secretary, Mr. W. T. C. Murdoch, and includes several important private letters to members of his family and to other friends, particularly Lord John Russell. From contemporary newspapers and other periodicals and pamphlets, British and Canadian, has been derived much important information, as also from the British and Canadian blue books of the period. The most important sources, however, as revealing the inner policy of the colonial office and of the Canadian governor, are found in the private and confidential despatches between the colonial secretary, Lord John Russell, and Lord Sydenham, as also in the correspondence with various parties in Canada contained in the letter-books of the Governor and the civil secretary. The manuscript volumes containing these papers have been lately transferred from the office of the governor-general to the Canadian Archives, and are now included in the G Series of the Archives collections.

Owing to the nature of the series in which this volume appears, special references to authorities are not given in foot-notes, but, wherever possible, the most important statements are given in the words of the original documents.

In treating the life of Lord Sydenham as one of the "Makers of Canada" only those events have been dealt with which had a more or less direct bearing upon his training for the important duties which awaited him in Canada, or which were connected with his many-sided activities as governor-general of British North America.

Ottawa, October 19th, 1908.

CONTENTS

Chapter I - Early Years and Foreign Travel
Chapter II - Entry Upon Public Life
Chapter III - Vice-President of the Board of Trade
Chapter IV - A Cabinet Minister
Chapter V - Governor-General of Canada - Origin of the Canadian Problem
Chapter VI - Government Under the Constitutional Act
Chapter VII - Lord Durham's Report
Chapter VIII - A Tangled Problem
Chapter IX  - A New Type of Governor
Chapter X - First Impressions
Chapter XI  - Responsible Government
Chapter XII - Radical Changes Required
Chapter XIII - The Union Problem
Chapter XIV - An Analysis and a Forecast
Chapter XV - The Clergy Reserves
Chapter XVI - A Survey of His Whole Domain
Chapter XVII - Consumating the Union
Chapter XVIII - Election and Opening of the First United Parliament
Chapter XIX - Responsible Government in Practice
Chapter XX - Leading Government Measures
Chapter XXI - The Close of a Session and a Life
Chapter XXII - Summary and Conclusion