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, br />
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.