The Canadian Crisis and British Colonial Policy, 1828–1841 by Peter Burroughs (review)

REVIEWS 189 pressant de conservation ,, (Dorchester 5.Sydney,13juin I787, DC,e : 853-4). Cette politiqueh courtevue a pr•par• la funestedivisionde la vall•e du SaintLaurenten I79I, dontlesconsdquences sefont sentitjusqu'hnosjours.L'ennui c'estque la plupart deshistoriens n'osentpasdire quela survivance desvaincus de I76O,encouragde par l'Actede Quebecet queviendraconsolider l'Acte constitutionnel ,rut un accidenthistoriquequi aurait pu et dfi &re dvit& Je reproche & Mme Neatbyd'avoiroubli•le tdmoignage de Carletonen 1787,de ne pasavoirfait le lien entre i774 et i79i et d'ignorerla position quej'ai prise au sujetdel'Actede Quebec. N•anmoins,il faut reconnaltreque l'auteur a cherch• h tenir comptede l'•volutionde l'historiographie canadienne. En analysant lestdmoignages rapportds , ellefait de nombreuses mises au pointet rappelleh Fordrecertains historiensqui prennentleursprdjugaspour desv•ritas scientifiques. Pourquoi, remarque-t-elle, continuerh utiliserle qualificatif(>, ellecontinue h refuser d'admettre qu'il y a euuneconqu&e. Se demande-t-on ce que voulaientlesFranqaissousl'occupation allemande? Les Canadiens de i774, tout commelesFranqaisde I94I , souhaitaient le d•part de leursconqu&ants. Mais pouvaient-ils le clamer? Voilh le fait brutal. Elle croitencoreque Durham a contribu•h la survivance desCanadiensfranqais ! Quandcettegaldjade prendra-t-elle fin ?Jepuisassurer Mme Neatbyque quandlesCanadiens de i784 envisagent leur incorporation h la nationbritannique , ils ne songentnullementh leur assimilation. En r•sum(.: livre utile et bien conququi seraitmieuxaccueillisi la prdsentation &air tooinssav•reet la tabledesmati•res,pluscompl&e. MICHEL BRUNET Universitd de Montrdal The Canadian Crisisand British Colonial Policy, I828--I84I. PETERBURROUGHS . Foundations of Modern History.Toronto,Macmillan, i97e. Pp. vi, i i8, map.$5.95cloth,$e.95paper. Thisrecentadditionto Macmillan's Foundations of ModernHistoryseries isa good,brief surveyof Britishcolonialpolicyduringa crucialperiodin the historyof BritishNorth America.To a largeextentthe interpretation isbased uponthe perceptive thesis presented in i95e by Helen Taft Manningin the CanadianHistoricalReview (XXXIII,eo3-36 , 341-68) and expandedin her Revolt o[ French Canada.A convincing argumentis developed to refute the old, conventional interpretation that,priorto theCanadianrebellions, Britain's 190 THE CANADIAN HISTORICAL REVIEW North Americancolonial policywasconsistently rigid,uninformed andnarrowminded .The inquiryand reportof the parliamentary committee on the Canadasin x828isseen asa significant watershed whichwasfollowed, in the I83OS , by concerted efforts on thepartof theWhigsto appease colonial dissatisfaction in orderto retainthe colonies andalsoto promoteandprotectBritishinterests. Professor Burroughs extends hissurvey beyond thepointat whichMrs. Manning terminatedher studyto includean examination of the rebellions, Lord Durham'smission and hisreport,and the failureof the attemptto assimilate FrenchCanadabymeans of theUnionof 184 I. In doingsohemakes thevery interesting suggestion that greater insight intotherebellions mightbeattained if historians were to considerthem 'like the AmericanRevolution,as a dual conflict:a crisis in imperialrelations and an internal,socialstruggle.' He also shows that the anti-Frenchsentiments and policies of Britishauthorities with regardto the crisis in LowerCanadawasthe productof 'culturalchauvinism' rather than 'racism,'as somerecentwritershave claimed. One factual error should be noted. Charles Buller's account of the Durham missionindicatesthat beforeLord Durham arrived in Canada (not beforehe left asstated onpageIO 4) 'hehadmadeup hismindthatnoquartershould beshewn to theabsurd pretensions of race,andthathemustaim ... at making Canadathoroughly British.'The timingisimportant whenoneattempts to decidewhetheror not to acceptat facevalueDurham'soft quotedexpression of surprise at finding'twonations warringin thebosom of a single state.' Thoughonemightpointto instances of omission andover-simplification in thiswork,it wouldbeunjustto doso.It isanextremely difficulttaskto compress sucha complex subject into I It3smallpages. Professor Burroughs hasproduced a survey thatwill beveryuseful to those making theirfirstacquaintance with thesubject andthatwasobviously hisprimarypurpose. If those withsome detailedknowledge find the booklesssatisfying, theywill, nonetheless, hope that it portends a full lengthmonograph in the near future. WILLIAM ORM SBY • BrockUniversity Orangeism:The CanadianPhase.•ER•.WARD SENIOR. Toronto, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, I972. Pp.xii, IO7.$3.5 øpaper. Professor Seniorhasbeenimmersed in the studyof Orangeismfor manyyears. His superbmonograph on Orangeism in Ireland and Britain,and threearticles on aspects of CanadianOrangeism havepreparedusfor the forthcoming study. This slim volumeprovidesa usefuland provocativepreviewof the themes Professor Seniorsees asmostsignificant. The authorviewsOrangeism asa socialmovement, well suitedto the Canadian soil,drawn into politicsto achievesocialends.'Because Orangeism was basedon religionand monarchy, ratherthan raceand geography, it provided a patriotismeminentlysuitedto the needsof a colonialsociety'(p. 92). The OrangeOrder was,at root, a benevolent fraternalorganization cateringto the ...