Sydenham Charles Edward Poulett Thomson First Baron 1799-1841
(Lord Sydenham era) Represented (as Charles Edward Poulett Thomson) city of Manchester
in House of Commons, 2; his liberal views, 3; birth, 4; enters office of
his father's firm at St. Petersburg, 5; introduced to best society
there, 5; returns to England, 6; foreign travel, 6; linguistic
acquirements, 6; returns to St. Petersburg, 7; visits central, southern,
and eastern Russia, 7; spends part of winter at Vienna, 8; his journals,
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8; death of his mother, 8; yields to prevalent mania for speculation,
10, 14; adopts new economic views, 12; becomes associated with
philosophic Liberals, 13; candidate for representation of Dover in
Commons, 13; incurs heavy expenses, 14; elected, 15; votes for reduction
in duty on corn, 15; his view of politics, 16; his speech on the
Navigation Acts, 17; advocates ballot and repeal of usury laws, 18;
supports repeal of Test and Corporation Acts, 18; a believer in free
trade, 18; moderate in his views, 19; suffers from gout, 20; spends
winter in Paris and meets many able men, 20; speaks on parliamentary
reform, 21; on the national system of taxation, 22, 23; recommends
income tax, 24; made vice-president of Board of Trade, and treasurer of
navy, 25; tariff reform and vested interests, 27, 29; takes little part
in framing Reform Bill, 28; but devotes much attention to the public
accounts, 28; negotiates commercial treaty with France, 29; his
excessive labours, 30; elected both for Manchester and for Dover, 31;
elects to sit for Manchester, 31; an advocate of commercial freedom,
33-38; great dinner given to, at Manchester, 37; his views on banking,
38; on the corn duties, 39; on free trade, 41; president of Board of
Trade in reconstructed government, 43; Greville's description of, 43,
44; returns to office with Melbourne (1835), 46; re-elected (over
Gladstone) for Manchester, 48; a departmental worker rather than an
active politician, 49; description of, by Thomas Raikes, 49; makes
commercial treaty with Austria, 50; founds school of design and promotes
international copyright, 51; provides for regulation of railway
charters, 53; collects statistics, 54; Lord Melbourne's estimate of his
abilities, 56; accepts governor-generalship of Canada, in preference to
chancellorship of the exchecquer, 57-59; instructor for Canada in
principles of responsible government, 83; his tact in dealing with that
question, 104; makes important changes in draft bill for reunion of
provinces, 124; news of his appointment received in Canada, 129;
appointment not acceptable to all parties, 129-132; Reformers of Upper
Canada disposed to favour him, 133; article in Colonial Gazette on his
mission, 136-141; his views on question of French nationality, 137; on
parties in Upper Canada, 138; on responsible government, 139; his
instructions, 141; Lord John Russell's letter accompanying instructions
to, 141-144; large discretion intrusted to him, 144; sails in frigate
Pique from Portsmouth, 147; arrival at Quebec, 147; his reflections on
shipboard, 147, 148; sworn in, 149; his proclamation, 149, 150; address
of the Quebec Committee of Trade, 152; meets Sir George Arthur at
Montreal, 153; his task, to place Cabinet government in Canada on stable
basis, 179, 187; forced to exercise an unusual measure of political
control, 188; opposed by ultra-Tories and ultra-Radicals, 189; consults
with Chief-Justice Stuart of Lower Canada, 191; summons Special Council
of Lower Canada to consider question of union, 192; proceeds to Upper
Canada, 195; describes navigation of the St. Lawrence, 196; arrives at
Toronto and takes over government of province, 197; his significant
reply to address of Toronto corporation, 198; calls for a return of
revenue and expenditure of province, 198; describes condition of things
in Upper Canada, 200-203; speech on opening of Upper Canada Legislature,
203, 204; thought too sympathetic with French-Canadians, 205, 233;
carries union resolutions in Upper Canada Legislature, 203-210; his
personal influence very marked, 210, 211; acknowledges support given to
him by Reformers and moderate Conservatives, 213, 214; reports to the
colonial secretary on the state of Upper Canada, 215-226; unpopular with
French-Canadians, 233; decides to attempt settlement of Clergy Reserves
question, 238; his message on the subject to the Legislative Assembly,
245, 246; secures passing of bill, 248; is non-committal on subject of
responsible government, 249; his report on session to colonial
secretary, 250, 251; goes to Montreal to meet Special Council, 253;
describes situation in Lower Canada, 253-255; proceeds to Nova Scotia,
257; reports on situation there, 259-263; fails to anticipate full
action of responsible government in the colonies, 263, 264; visits New
Brunswick at request of Sir John Harvey, 264; returning to Canada,
visits Eastern Townships, 265; tour through Upper Canada, 265-268; well
received everywhere, 267; proposes to fix capital of united provinces at
Kingston, 268; not so popular in Lower Canada, 269; notified that royal
assent had been given to Union Act, 271; raised to peerage as Baron
Sydenham and Toronto, 272; his strong desire that Union Act should
provide a municipal system for Canada, 273-275; favours Kingston as seat
of government, 281; authorized to proclaim Union, 282; appoints 10th of
February, 1841, as date, 282; becomes from that date governor-in-chief
of united province, 282; issues proclamation to people, 282; issues writ
for general election, 282; his sympathy with French-Canadians, 284;
changes electoral limits of Montreal and Quebec by attaching suburbs to
adjoining counties, 285, 286; unable to give French-Canadians
representation in his Cabinet owing to their rooted opposition to union,
288; supported by moderate Reformers, 291; his difficulty with Baldwin,
294-296; much aggrieved by Baldwin's action, 299; his analysis of the
Legislature of 1841, 303, 304; his belief in theory of responsible
government, 312, 313; his efforts to improve financial conditions, 315,
320; promises in speech from throne Imperial loan in aid of public
works, 320; his views on emigration, 321; his satisfaction over passing
of Local Government Bill, 325; interest in public works, 326; his plan
for a bank of issue, 327; plan not suited to Canadian conditions at the
time, 329; partial adoption of, many years later, 330; reorganizes
public departments and Executive Council, 331-335; takes part in
extradition and boundary negotiations with the United States, 336;
serious illness, 337; sends resignation to take effect on close of
session, 338; his confidence in the solidity of his work, 338; his
absorption in his work, 339; receives Grand Cross of Bath, 340; meets
with fatal accident, 341; his fortitude in suffering, 342; his last
words to the Legislature, 342; his high opinion of Lord John Russell,
343; his death, 343; buried at Kingston, 344; eulogy of, by Dr. Ryerson,
346, 347; by Joseph Howe, 348, 349; general support given to his ideas
by home government, 350; his special qualifications for his work in
Canada, 352-355; gradually gains favour with French-Canadians, 355; his
administration marks transition from the old system to the new, 356. (George Brown Era)
French-Canadians complain they are outraged by, 15-16. (Lord Elgin era) His
character, 2, 14; appointed governor-general to complete the union and
establish responsible government, 26-29; his qualities, 29; his death,
30; his canal policy, 96-97; his proposed settlement of Clergy
Reserves, 156-157. (Sir Georges E. Cartier era) Sent to Canada to carry out some of Durham's
recommendations, 12; his character, 12; attitude towards Canadians, 12;
secures approval of union scheme, 12-13; persuades Upper Canada to
modify conditions of union, 14; wins the elections, 15; his
constitutional battle with La Fontaine as to meaning of ministerial
responsibility, 97; asked to disfranchise French of Lower Canada, 99.
(Egerton Ryerson era) Comes to Canada, supported by Ryerson, 122; his policy, 122; draws
up resolutions on responsible government, 123-126; his influence on
political life, 131; interview with Ryerson, 163; his death, 163. (Joseph Howe era)
Visits Nova Scotia, and discusses political situation with Joseph Howe
and other leaders, 68. (Louis Joseph Papineau era) His views as to political situation in Nova
Scotia, 24; requests La Fontaine to enter Draper ministry, 72; referred
to by Papineau, 171; his aim in bringing about union of the Canadas to
crush the French-Canadians, according to La Fontaine, 174-175. (Baldwin / La Fontaine / Hincks era) In
period of reconstruction, 50; sent to Canada as governor-general, 59;
his previous career, 59; becomes Baron Sydenham and Toronto, 59; takes
over government, and lays his plans before the Special Council, 59-60;
his special project the union of the Canadas, 60-61; visits Upper
Canada, 61; appoints Baldwin solicitor-general of Upper Canada, 63; his
attitude towards responsible government, 64-67; union project, 67-71;
describes a journey in Canada in 1839, 74-75; summons Legislature, 1841,
75; appoints Legislative and Executive Councils, 75, 83; correspondence
with Baldwin as to personnel of Cabinet, 79-80, 81; succeeds in carrying
on the government, 85; on the luxurious surroundings of colonial
legislators, 86; absent from meeting of the Houses, 86; his speech from
the throne, 89; his public policy, 90; his views as to his
constitutional position, 97-98, 137; legislation as to municipal
government, 100-105; the resolutions on constitutional government,
109-111; his death, Sept. 19, 1841, 111; Turcotte and McMullen on,
111-112; his character, 111-112; referred to in La Fontaine's speech,
128; changes boundaries of constituencies of Montreal and Quebec for
political purposes, 146; this and other legislation of his repealed in
1842, 146-147; on responsible government, 161, 162, 163; dissatisfaction
with his selection of Kingston as capital, 180; his instructions, 230;
and Ryerson, 241; his application of the constitutional system, 274;
municipal legislation under, 299. (William Lyon Mackenzie era) On state of province, 406; would
not have fought against rebels, 407; praises Reformers, 407; opposition
from Family Compact, 407; gives responsible government, 409; surprised
people had not rebelled sooner, 477. (Sir John A Macdonald era) Advocate of responsible
government, 17; his death, 17; secures passage, by Assembly, of Act
secularizing Clergy Reserves, 1840, but on being sent to England, it is
disallowed on technical grounds, 59-60. (Wilmot era) His despatch to Lord John
Russell on the Executive Council, 113. =Bib.=: Morgan, Cel. Can.;
Dent, Can. Por. and Last Forty Years; Scrope, Memoir of Life of
Sydenham.