Page:Letter from L. J. Papineau and J. Neilson, Esqs., Addressed to His Majesty's Under Secretary of State on the Subject of the Proposed Union of the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada.djvu/33

 British Empire, could not fail to perceive, that as natives and inhabitants of North America, they would partake in its fortunes.

We very much regret that we should have trespassed so much upon your indulgence by the length of this letter. We entered into the subject with reluctance; but having done so, it became our duty to comply with your recommendation of expressing ourselves fully and freely.

We have no doubt but that His Majesty's Government will give the fullest consideration to a subject of so much moment to the interest, quiet, and future well-being of more than a million of natural born British subjects, inhabiting the North American Colonies. It does not become us to weigh and speak of the interests of this great and glorious Empire. It has hitherto been the happiness of Canada to find in her own case, that, amongst those interests, the most highly prized has always been the established rights and happiness of every portion of His Majesty's subjects.

Should His Majesty's Government at any future period judge it expedient to countenance this Bill, we most respectfully solicit: -

1st. That the Governors of Lower Canada and of Upper Canada be instructed to recommend to their Legislatures respectively, and to sanction a law, whereby a true enumeration of the population of the respective cities, towns, villages, townships, parishes, counties, ridings, and districts of each Province,