The terms of this memorial were entirely in accord with Stayner's views as to the proper settlement of this long standing difficulty, and he urged the postmaster general to do what was possible to give effect to the petition. He pointed out that, with Mackenzie and Papineau out of the country, and fugitives from justice, there was no further disposition on the part of the legislatures to wrest from the imperial post office the control of the postal systems in the provinces, and that the appropriation of the surplus revenues to provincial purposes removed the only valid argument against existing arrangements.
The postmaster general, however, was not to be moved from the position he had taken. He replied to the address stating that no disposition could be made of the surplus post office revenues, until the several colonial governments had come to an agreement on the subject.
FOOTNOTES:
[244] Seventh report of the committee on grievances (Journals of Assembly, 1835, App. 21).
[245] Second report of a committee of the house of assembly of Lower Canada, 1835-1836.
[246] This gentleman was afterwards the editor of the monumental Documentary History of New York.
[247] 4, Geo. III. C. 24.
[248] Glenelg to Head, December 5, 1835.
[249] Journals of Assembly, Upper Canada, 1836, p. 320, and Appendix, No. 52, to these Journals.
[250] Freeling to postmaster general, March 28, 1836 (Can. Arch., Br. P.O. Transcripts, VII.).