The functions of this council are very similar to those of our House of Peers, and consist, to a great extent, in registering the decrees of the Lower House.
The "third estate" is denominated the House of Assembly, and consists of 130 members, 65 for each province.[1] The qualification for the franchise has been placed tolerably high, and no doubt wisely, as, in the absence of a better guarantee for the right use of it, a property qualification, however trifling in amount, has a tendency to elevate the tone of electioneering, and to enhance the value which is attached to a vote. The qualification for electors is a 50l. freehold, or an annual rent of 7l. 10s. Contrary to the practice in the States, where large numbers of the more respectable portion of the community abstain from voting, in Canada the votes are nearly all recorded at every election, and the fact that the franchise is within the reach of every sober man gives an added stimulus to industry.
The attempt to establish British constitutional government on the soil of the New World is an interesting experiment, and has yet to be tested. There are various disturbing elements in Canada, of which we have little experience in England; the principal one being the difficulty of legislating between what, in spite of the union, are two distinct nations, of different races and religions. The impossibility of reconciling the rival, and frequently adverse claims, of the Upper and Lower Provinces, has
- ↑ The members of the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly receive six dollars (24s, sterling) a day for their attendance. The members of the Executive Council are paid at the rate of 1260l. per annum.
