SIR CHARLES METCALFE.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 158, 15 March 1845, Page 5

SIR CHARLES METCALFE.

We extract from a pamphlet by Mr. E. G. Wakefield, the following masterly portrait of that admirable man, Sir Charles Metcalfe — the model of colonial Governors ; one of those exceptions without whiclTOie present system of giving " the tools to those who cannot handle them " would not be endurable at all. Our Nelson readers will perceive in several points of this great man's character, a remarkable resemblance to that of the late Captain Wakefield : — " It is a common saying in Canada that the Governor-General works like a slave. His work, however, differs from that of the slave inasmuch as he seems to take great pleasure in it. I have never known any body in public or private life, who appeared so to love labour for its own sake. It is not that he indulges in but littla relaxation ; -for • h»ia unceasingly-at work except when eating or asleep. The heaps of papers which most men in high office look at with ill-concealed dismay, and never intend to read through if they can help it, he grasps with evident satisfaction, and surely reads every word of their contents. Of the countless applications for interviews on business, most of wnich common Governors evade if they can, he never refuses, still less evades, a single one. Nor does tiresomeness fatigue him : it is said that he hears every story to the end, and never attempts to close an interview except by occasionally wearing out importunity by silence. How he finds the time is a problem : I know only that he is never in a hurry. "The public often hears of Sir Charles Metcalfe's munificence. That might be, to a person of his fortune, an easy mode of self-grati-fication. But if his unknown charities may be measured by reference to the small proportion of such acts of mere benevolence which usually becomes known, he gives more away secretly than in public. Nor is his kindness of heart alone displayed in helping people who want money. It appears in the forms of a ready sympathy with every case of suffering, and still more agreeably in a never-failing and most delicate consideration for the feelings of others. That generosity which has been called politeness of the heart, is especially his. "And this reminds me to speak of another kind of charity which seems to be one of his habits. I mean the spirit of toleration; the predisposition to think well of every body; the unwillingness to condemn ; the love of favourable construction of the opinions and acts of others ; the total absence of the bad part of what the phrenologists call combativeness. " A strong love of justice generally accompanies the quality last described. In Sir Charles Metcalfe it appears to be always active. I be* lieve it to be the governing motive of every one of his decisions on two-sided matters. On several occasions I have advised applicants to him for the redress of an injury, to be sure and explain the injustice they had suffered ; and the result always answered my expectations. I fancy that I could with certainty foretell his determination in any case involving a question of justice. " The kindred qualities of sincerity and honesty have their natural place in this large family of virtues. But they are more than commonly vigorous in Sir Charles Metcalfe. Not merely is he, as the reader would take for granted, incapable of saying the thing which is not, but he will say out the full plain truth, to his own great disadvantage, whenever his silence about it would be apt to leave a wrong impression on anybody's mind. And as for honesty, it is not enough to say that nothing would persuade him to take an unfair advantage : he can hardly bring himself to take a fair one. It may be questioned whether he would train his own horse for a race if he thought that the other horses would not be trained : he would hesitate about engaging counsel to manage his cause, if the other party were too poor or silly to employ counsel. Some may think I am describing a goose; but such is the man ; and it will be seen in the sequel, that a description of this man's peculiar character is a necessary part of my explanation. " For the direct purpose of stating the fact, it were needless to say that Sir Charles Metcalfe dislikes in others every species of deceit and overreaching. I say it for the indirect purpose of exhibiting a very different trait in his character. Trickery excites in him a feeling very like anger. And yet it is not anger ; for instead of having great command of temper, or an excellent temper, he is really without a temper. I never witnessed such patience under provocation. I am speaking now of what I saw myself, and could not have believed without seeing. It was not merely quiet endurance, but a constant, good-humoured cheerfulness and lightness of heart, in the midst of trouble enough to provoke a taint or make a strong man ill. To

those who, like me, have seen three Governors of Canada literally worried to death, this was a glorious spectacle. " In self reliance few are equal to Sir Charles Metcalfe, none superior. He never turns to his neighbour to ask what he thinks or what ought to be done. Like a spider its web out of its own body, he spins his opinions out of his own brain ; and then, as their formation was not affected, so are they unchangeable by any external influence.

"This is a dangerous quality unless accompanied by abundance of caution. His caution may be termed a wariness that never sleeps. He is Blow of decision. When examining questions, whether for judgment or action, he casts about so long in search of all the pros and cons, that you imagine he hesitates to decide. It is not hesitation, hut a deliberate circumspection. He won't be hurried. The only fear I ever observed in him was the fear of making a mistake from ignorance or inadvertence, lifetime which he bestowed on inquiry or deliberation was not always in proportion to the seeming importance or complication of the case; but still it wras plain that he went by some rule which procured for all cases a great deal of consideration, and for each as much as sufficed to make him master of the whole case; not the general features only, but even the minutest particulars. It is again a puzzle to know how he found the time.

''Suet circumspection or wariness is naturally uncommunicative. Sir Charles Metcalfe must have a great bump of secretiveneas. Though chatty (I would say jolly, if it were not indecorous) out of business, on business he never speaks unnecessarily. Even on occasions of the utmost interest to him, no word or look betrays his thoughts unless he chooses to disclose them ; and then he speaks with absolute unreserve. I was often amused by hearing of the total failure of attempts by old hands at Governor-pumping to get at his intention, or opinion, or impression, when he had a mind to keep it to himself; and the cases were frequent in which a listener, accustomed to official mystification, doubted the truth of his communication because it was so complete and unmistakeable. " His courage is of the highest order, comprising both sorts of fearlessness ; both the physical boldness which depends on nervous organization, and that much rarer, that far more admirable moral valour, which resides in a powerful conscience. It has been said that conscience in most men is an anticipation of the opinions of others. Of this sort of conscience. Sir Charles Metcalfe is curiously destitute. For example, the ordinary Governor of a colony, whose enjoyment of pay and authority is a great personal object to him, but whose Government is not of sufficient importance to attract party notice at home, ever keeps in view as the guide of his conduct the purpose of doing what he thinks will be agreeable to the Colonial Office and recommend him to the favour of that department ; whilst a Governor of higher social position at home, such as the ex-Cabinet-Minis-ters and ex-Ambassador whom the rebellions in Canada have recently induced the Home Government to send thither as chief rulers, is commonly apt to think a great deal about the manner in which his acts as Governor of the colony will affect his reputation and after-position at horne — to consult much less "the still small voice" than the opinion of the side of St. James's Street which happens to be that of his party club. Whereas God made Sir Charles Metcalfe greater than the Colonial Office ; and sure I am he never dreams, nor would care for it if he did, about what people may say of him at White's or Brookes's. His own sense of right is his conscience. "In official and even professional life most consciences are double, being composed of two senses, a public and a private one : wherefore) officials and lawyers often defend without shame vate life. But Sir Charles MetcaUe's is a single conscience, and of the private kind : his whole public life accordingly is regulated by the obligations of honour or religion. Whether it is religion, or that honour which chivalry has handed down to us from a religious source, I cannot determine because I have had no sufficient means of observing. But why not both in one, as with the true knight of old ? Taking this view; along with Sir Charles Metcalfe's iatimate friends, we should call him a Christian gentleman. The point, however, which I wish to impress, is that the conscience of the man, let us describe it how we may, is the conscience of the Governor. .- "This moral instinct, combined with totf» disregard of personal consequences and die opinion of others, amounts to originality. Sfr Charles Metcalfe accordingly does things that startle one. He squanders his own money, and saves that of the colony :' he exalts jthe reputation of his immediate predecessor: beSngttM „' that any pardon of a French-Canadian -reb«l:|^ which he should ask specifically, .wouid be AC. once granted and sent out to New SouWWftlefe ' '■'''..•' • t. ten

heaßk»d^4>srdi&afor,J%eisr;one.af thrikjipfe exiles, aifd th<m -eont^uttd hahdsoragly to' a •übßcriptijph for tnabliqf them to jetiu-n^to th*ir ieottntry^' " •>» #$ W-V" '" v 4 -i|" ' <!*•" • "Fine as this character is, it is noPwithout defects, or rather deficiencies. These must not be left out of a portrait, the object of which is to show how the qualities of an individual have influenced public affairs.

"It appeared to me that in Sir Charles Metcalfe, the greatness of the moral qualities have left too little room for intellectual activity on the same grand scale. A dullness of the faculty of perception was obvious, and a consequent slowness in estimating the character and discovering the motives of other men. In powers of expression and argumentation, and consequently in the power of persuading or convincing, there is a striking deficiency in comparison with the greatness of the virtues before enumerated. Neither his pen nor his voice, therefore, ever properly, expresses the noble sentiments of his heart, or the wise conclusions of his judgment. It follows that other people are apt to misconceive his aims and motives, and form an erroneous estimate of his character. I have imagined, also, that his mind is not accustomed to laying down plans for the attainment of definite ends ; that his only plan is from time to time, as events occur, to do whatever the sense of duty tells him is right at the time and for the occasion ; that he always relies for success, not enough on the careful adaptation of means to the end in view, nor even on a very clear con* ception of any end, but too much on some belief in the sufficient efficacy of goodness and devotion to the public welfare. If, for example, the gaining of an election were of great importance to him, and he were urged to make or withhold some appointment with a view of inducing a majority of voters to support the Government candidate, he would stare, smile, thank you with much good humour and politeness for the friendly suggestion, and let you go away exclaiming — This man has no notion of governing except by means of truth and justice. In this way partisans are discouraged. It may be grand, but is wholly at variance with the practice of representative government. The very magnificence of such a character has an overawing, even a depressing effect on others, wounds their self-love, and breeds hatred in little minds."