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 1980 
 
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 THE FEDKRAL AM) PROVINCIAL 
 
 CONSTITUTIONS, 
 
 COLONIAL CHARTERS, 
 
 ORCAXIC LAWS, IMPEIUAL DESPATCHES 
 
 AXU OTHER DOCUMENTS, 
 
 1I.I-IISTR<VTIVE OF I HE 
 
 CONSTITUTIONAL IIISTOUY OF CANADA, 
 
 FKOM 1540 TO 1888. 
 
 -_>- 
 
 ( )TT A"WA. : 
 
 PBINTEU UV MaoLEAN, KoaEB A Co., WKI.I-lNUToy HTREET. 
 
 188ti. 
 
TT 
 
I 
 
 Dkar Mr. Speaker, — 
 
 I prupdsr ill ihisidiiuiinuiciiliini uskiuu' your kind at ion I ion to ;i mall it 
 svliiili I wisli litiMtuhi liororc llir uoliic ol' tlir l^ihraiy (,'onimilii'i' nt your 
 ciulii'sl lonvi'nic'ihc. As you iiro prol)al)ly awari', llir (nivrriniirnl at Wash- 
 inq'ton not lonu- since onlrri'd tlic priiitin!>' ol' two iaru<' \(>lunn'.s(oiilainin<j 
 (opics of the Fi'dcral and Stati' i-onstitutions, i olonial charters and otlier 
 organic laws ol' the United States, with such notes and relerenees as are 
 necessary lo explain the cinuniblances under which each docunieut origi- 
 natt>d. That eminent eoustitutional authority. J5ishop Stubbs, has pub, 
 lished a small vohuue with the title. " Seleil Charters lllu.stralive ol' English 
 Constitutional History "' A Mr. Howard Preston has also ()uite recently 
 issued a valuable work eomprising documents illustrative ol' American 
 Constitutioual History. 
 
 The value of such works has been well emphasized by the distin- 
 uuislieil historian, Professor Freeman, who, in the course of au inaugural 
 addies.s delivered al Oxford, said that the historical student and publicist 
 '■ must ever liear in mind hini.sell' and ever strive to impre.ss on the minds 
 of others that the most ingenious and most eloquent of modern historical 
 discourses can, after all, be I'othiug more than a comment ou a text. " 
 
 With these examples before me, 1 have thoiight ol compiling for the 
 Use of the I'arliament of Canada and for distribtitiou among libraries at 
 home and abroad, all those colonial charters, organic laws, imperial des- 
 palclies and other documents which immediately relate to the constitutional 
 organization of Canada from the settlement of Canada to the present time. 
 
 The ibllowing summary of the most important documents to be com- 
 prised in this work will give you the best idea of its value : 
 
 PART 1. 
 
 The French Regime. 
 
 I. Commission to Jacques Cartier, 1540, 
 
 II. Commission of Henry IV to the Marquis do la Roche, giving him 
 a geiuMal authority of sovereignly lu those primitive times of discovery. 
 
 III. Commission of the Count de .Soissous, l(jl2, delegating the sover- 
 eignty to Champlain, founder of Quebec. 
 
 IV. Charter of Compaguie des Ceut-Associes in 1627. 
 
 V. Treaty of St. G^erraaiu-eu-Laye, H}i2, restoring Canada to France 
 after a short occupation of the country by the English. 
 
 Yl. Decree of Louis XIV, resuming, in 1668, the government of Canada 
 which he had conceded to the Compagnie des Cent-Associes, and forming 
 a Supreme (or as it was subsequently called) Superior Council, etc. 
 
 _i^ 
 
s 
 
 VII. DocriM' coiuediug- Ciuiada to the Compiiuy of llic West Indies 
 iu 1664. 
 
 VIII. Uciivc dissolviuu' lii ■ roivgoiug Corapauy and ivnowiug all 
 authority in tlic Ciowii. 
 
 IX. Decree in M51.', deleaaling the •■•overinn >nl lo an Intendant or 
 Coinnii.s,si()neroi'.Iiistice, and renewing the ])owers ol' the .S.^verei^n Oouueil. 
 
 X. JJecree iiiodiryini^' the idnstitution ol' ilie Superior Coumil. imd 
 continuiuii- I he same phui olgovernnaent. 
 
 XI. I'-'ereeas-ainn-niodiiyinii- the Supm-ior Council hy the iutroduotiou 
 therein ol' ast>t!Ssor8 or olliccrs of jutstice and liuance. 
 
 XII. Commissions ol' Governor and Lieuteuaut-General. 
 
 PART II, 
 O over time id from 1760-1774. 
 
 I. Terms of capitulation, 8th September, 1760. 
 
 II. Extracts from the Treaty of Paris, 10th February, 1763. 
 
 III. rroclamation of George III, establishing four new Governments 
 iu North America. 
 
 1763. 
 
 IV. Commission and Uoyal Instructions to Sir John (General) Murray, 
 
 PABT III. 
 From 1774-1791. 
 
 I. Quebec Ant— An Act for making more eflectual provision for the 
 Government of the Province of Quebec, in North America. 
 
 II. An Act to establish a Fund towards further defraying the charges 
 of the administration of justice and support of the Civil Government within 
 the Province of Quebec, in America. 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 From 1791-1840. 
 
 I. Constitutional Act, 1791. 
 
 II. Proclamations in Upper and Lower Canada, bringing the Act into 
 force. 
 
 III. (Commission of Lord Gosford, 1835. 
 
 IV. Imperial Act suspending the constitutioji, and making temporary 
 provision for the government of Lower Canada, proclaimed 29th March 
 1838. 
 
 V. Copy of instructions to Lord Durham for constitution of Special 
 Council. Lord Durham's Proclamation dissolving Special Council. Lord 
 Durham's letter to the Members of the Executive Council, dispensing with 
 their attendance, 
 
n^ 
 
PAHT V. 
 From 1H40-1H67. 
 
 I. .\u A'i til K'linili' ilii' I'rovimcs of Upper Cuunilu and LowcrCau- 
 iidn, iiiid I'or 111!' aovi'iimieiit ol' Cauadu, 1840. 
 
 II. I'voilainalioii dt'davinif the I'loviiici's niiilcd, IHH. 
 
 III. Keturn to an Addrci^s liom the IIouso ol Assembly to the (rovcr- 
 iior (rt'iiiTal, 'ilh Aui;u.st. 1841, »v duNpatch o I' Lord John Kussi'll to Govcr 
 nor Gcuoral on KcsponsibU' (loverumeut, dated 14th t (ctohfr, 18.!lt. 
 
 IV. JJespatrh couveyinsi' to Lord .Sydi'iiham, Her Majesty's lustruetious 
 on his assumption ol' the goveiumeul oi' JJiitLsh Xorth America, 7th Sep- 
 tember, 183it. 
 
 V. An Act I'or enabling Colonial Legislatures to establish Inland Posts. 
 
 VI. Imperial Act respecting coasting trade ol' the British possessions. 
 
 VIl Despatches relative to removal ol' restrictions on Canadian 
 commerce. 
 
 Vlil. Imperial Ai't to repeal so much ol' an Act of the, thirdand lourth 
 years of Her Majesty, to reunite the; Provinces of Upper and Lower 
 Canada, and for the government of Canada, as relates to the use of the 
 English language in instruments relating to the Legislative Council and 
 Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. 14th August, 1848. 
 
 IX. Imperial Act to empower the Legislature of Canada to alter the 
 Constitution of the Legislative Council for that Province, and i'or other 
 purposes, 11th August. 1854. 
 
 X. Charter ol' the Hudson's Bay Company, etc, 
 
 PART VI. 
 
 From 1867-1888. 
 
 I. British North America Act, 1867. 
 
 n. Proclamation for uniting the Provinces of Canada, Nova Scotia, 
 and New Brunswick into one Dominion, under the name of Canada. 
 
 Hi. Imperial Act lor the temporary j, "vernment of Rupert's Land 
 and the North-Western Territory when united with Canada. 
 
 IV. Imperial Act respecting the establishment of Provinces in the 
 Dominion of Canada, 29th June, 187 J. 
 
 V. Imperial Act to remove certain doubts with respect to the powers 
 of the Parliament of Canada under section 18 of B. N. A. Act, 1867. 
 
 Orders in Council respecting Uupert's Laud and the North-West 
 Territory, 1870. The Province of British Columbia, 1871. 
 
 33 Vic, Chap. 3.— An Act to amend and continue the Act 32 and 33 
 Vic, Chap. 3 ; and to establish and provide for the government of the 
 Province of Manitoba, and other Acts relating to Manitoba. 
 
 Order in Council respecting the uniting of Prince Edward Island with 
 the Dominion of Canada, 26th June, 1873. 
 
J'AKT VII. 
 
 CiniimissidD'i. dr., af (liivirmii-Giiiifal. 
 
 • •ri,unl Moi„k, 1S(17; <.l' l,oi(l l)till,.iiii. I87;i ; ..i' Miir(|uiN .,r L„rn.-, 
 
 187!'. 
 
 I'AKT \I1I 
 
 CoiumiNsioii.s ol' Fiit'uti'iiMiit-diivtM'uor.s and other clo.umciKs icldtiiiir 
 to Ihr i-dvcnuiii'iit ol' Xovii S (iiiii, New liriui'^wicls, iiiid IV Iv lnla,i 1 
 
 previous t(i iMiT. 
 
 Couslitulioiisol llie I'rovillres since IHim. A. Is reliitilifr to ||ie uoveru- 
 luoul oltho North-West Territories. 
 
 From the lon'ooiuo. pnrtial summary it will l)e seen that it in the 
 
 ohjecl ol' (lie wriler to rompile nil sueh (locUUKMlls as show thi^ pri'cise 
 
 uuture of the sysieiiis ol' government that have |)rovailed in the course ol' 
 th(! ((Miliiries that June passed since the settlement ol' Canada. So much 
 attention luis been yiven lo the collection hy the government of (.Quebec 
 at dillereiit times of all documents hearing on the history of French Canada 
 that it is only necessary t.o((Uole in ihe proposed work those charters, com- 
 miNHions and de, rees which are immediately eon..c'eled with the govern- 
 ment of theeouniry at various stages or periods of the French refiimc. 
 As respects the period during which the Hritish xNorth American i'rovineos 
 have heen dei)endencies of (ireat Britain, all the organic laws and 
 documents eNtal)li>hing i hauges in the constitutions of thow countries 
 are only found scattered iu a large number of volumes to be consullod at 
 much inconvenience ity the parliamentarian, ))ublicist and historical 
 student in two or three libraries of the JJominion, and indeed .some of 
 the papers, necessary to the work, will have to be <opied from the Imperial 
 archives, 
 
 It is intended to give a short introduction to each document with 
 relereuces to sueh recognized authorities as will assist the reader iu a more 
 thorough study of the subject. The (editor will also prepare sueh a succinct 
 prefatory account of the various stages in the constitutional development 
 of this country as will add to the completeness of the, work and make it 
 more valuable to all who may have occasion to tonsult its pages. 
 
 I believe that this work will be found of considerable value to the 
 Parliament and country. But it is quite obvious that it is one not to be 
 undertaken by a i)rivate individual at his own risk. 1 should therefore 
 suggest that the Library Committee, iu the lirst instance, take the whole 
 matter into their consideration ; and if after mature deliberation they are 
 of the same opinion as 1 am, they might reuommeud it to the favourable 
 notice of the Houses. The c^uestion could then be submitted to the 
 Printing Committee, if the Houses should deem it worthy of their atten- 
 tion. The latter Committee could order the printing of at least 600 copies, 
 in a style creditable to the country ; for it would never do to send the 
 work abroad iu the inferior style of our public documents aud statutes. 
 
6 
 
 I may ht>ro add that tho work published by the govern mtMit of the United 
 States Wiis eoiiipiled ami edited by a distinguished olKiial ol' Congress, 
 the lute Mr. Hen: Perley I'oore, under the direition ol' the Committee on 
 I'ublie I'rinting, in aeiordauee with an Order oi' the United States Senate. 
 'I'he cdinmittet' will understand that 1 do not propose to prepare this 
 work, which will I'utail very considerable labour, with a view to remunera- 
 tioii. in I'aet I .shall practically give iny own labour to the Houses lor 
 nothing. All that i shall expect is such very moderate compensation as 
 can l)e arranged by the Printing Committee to cover the copying by type- 
 writer ol' tht! documents, indexing, prool'-reading and editing. Tlie bOO 
 copies should be mostly bound in call, and the distribution can be lelt to 
 the Clerk ol' the House and the rarliameutary Librarian. 
 
 1 sliall now leave the matter in the hands of yoursell' and the Com- 
 mittee, with the hope that you will see the advantages ol' the work 1 have 
 brought under your notice. It will be, to all intents and purposes, with 
 the addition ol' the notes and references 1 propose to make, a Constitutional 
 History of Canada, lor the special use ol' parliamentarians, publicists and 
 ftludenls who wish to consult in a convenient and intelligible I'orm those 
 original documents to whiih they must sooner or later refer in order to 
 obtain a thorough knowledge of the past and present institutions of this 
 country. It is not too much to hope that such a presentation of the 
 original authorities and sources of our history will promote in some degree 
 a more accurate understanding of the constitutional system of the 
 Dominion, which is every day attracting more attention at home and 
 abroad. 
 
 Yours sincerely 
 
 JNO. GEO. BOURINOT. 
 
 House of Commons, 
 
 17th March, 1888.