Joseph Howe Responsible Government Halifax 1839 1st ed.

Description: Howe, Joseph. Responsible Government: Letters to the Right Honorable Lord John Russell, &c. &c. &c. On the right of British Americans to be Governed by the Principles of the British Constitution. Halifax: By the Author, 1839. 48 pages, side stitched, original blue wrappers missing at front, present at rear. Soiled and foxed to title with small chips and closed tears, dog-earing to several page corners and a roll to the bottom of the pamphlet from storage in undersized space, none of which effects the title page or body of text. The top of the title page bears the following inscription: “If you can convince me that the present system is bas’d on the sentiment herein (expressed?) you will confer a favour on (Your’s truly?), Walter C. Manning.” An additional former owner’s name is inscribed “Wm. T. Townsend Esq.” Joseph Howe (b. Dec. 13, 1804, d. June 1, 1873) was Nova Scotia’s preeminent nineteenth century printer, journalist, statesman and man of letters, having died in the office of Lt. Governor three weeks after his appointment. An enigmatic figure defying narrow political classification, Howe argued passionately for the rights of British North Americans in general and Nova Scotians in particular to govern their own affairs while expressing passionate loyalty to the Crown. His Responsible Government is undeniably the single most important domestic treatise relative to the development of Canadian home rule and was described by Chester Martin as “the colonial counterpart of the Durham Report and Charles Buller’s Responsible Government for Colonies.”[1] Walter Carroll Manning, Jr. (b. Sept. 12, 1811, d. Mar. 7, 1882) was early involved in trade between Halifax and Boston before spending some time as editor of the Halifax Chronicle[2]. Based on other extant handwriting samples, the inscription is clearly that of Manning, not Townsend[3]. Lacking the rarely-present front wrapper, nevertheless a complete copy of an uncommon and historically significant title. William T. Townsend was a Halifax, Nova Scotia-based ship’s captain, trader and merchant, prominent in the city’s business and political affairs in the mid-nineteenth century[1] and in its public institutions such as the Institute of Natural Science[2] and Odd-Fellows’ Lodge[3]. City Council minutes record his having made donations of books to ”the library”[4] and city newspapers indicate his having kept offices on Bedford Row[5]. [1] See Thomas F. Knight, Shore and Deep Sea Fisheries of Nova Scotia. Halifax: A. Grant, Royal Printer, 1867. In the preface (p. iv) Knight writes “the writer met with ready concurrence from The Honorable The Provincial Secretary; and he would also refer to the countenance he has received from other members of the Executive, and to assistance rendered in conference with other gentlemen who are interested in the subject. Of the latter he would especially mention his indebtedness to W. T. Townsend, Esq., and to Rev. John Ambrose, A. M.“ [2] See William Gossip, et al, Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Natural Science, Volume 1, Part 4, Halifax: James Bowes and Sons, 1867, pages 2, 4 and 5. [3] See Constitution and By-Laws of Acadia Lodge, No. 1, I. O. of O. F., Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax: Brother James Barnes, 1857, p. 29. Townsend is listed in the membership roll. [4] 1864‐05‐02, p. 175 [5] See British Colonialist, May 16, 1850, p. 4. [1] Martin, Chester. Empire and Commonwealth, Studies in Governance and Self-Government in Canada. Oxford: University Press, 1929, p. 182. [2] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Manning-4471. [3] https://archives.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/research%3A4962

Price: 749.99 USD

Location: Narberth, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2024-12-12T13:04:22.000Z

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