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 HiotogFBphic 
 _ScienDes 
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tails 
 
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 rrata 
 
 o 
 
 laiure, 
 lA 
 
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AN 
 
 APOLOGY 
 
 FOR 
 
 GREAT BRITAIN, 
 
 IN 
 
 ALLUSION 
 
 TO 
 
 A PAMPHLET, 
 
 INTITULED, « CONSIDERAriONSf ^C, PAR V^ 
 CANADIENf M. P. JP" 
 
 fl 
 
 QUEBEC ! 
 
 Printed and sold bt J. NiitsoMi 
 No. 3, MouMTAiN-SxataT. 
 
 1809. 
 
AN APOLOGY 
 
 u 
 
 1 
 
 FOR 
 
 GREAT BRITAIN. 
 
 A 
 
 PAMPHLET intituled « Comtderatms sur Us ejfets 
 ** qu^ontproduit en Canada ia conservation des itahlissements 
 ** du Pays, les meeurs, Education, fcfr. de ses Habitants ; 
 •* et les consequences qu*entraineroient leur decadences par rap^ 
 «* port awt interUs de la Grande Bretagne^* has lately ap- 
 pearedy and merits immediate notice ( not so much for ict 
 extensive historical selections, as for uncovering a variety 
 of illusory opinions and apprehensions, which it is known 
 are attempted to be difFused throughout the country.* 
 
 * Les questions qu'on ramene k tout motncot sur les rangs depuis quel- 
 ques annees, sont assez s^rieuses pour m^riter d'etre trait^s avec un pcu 
 moins de l^dret^, qu'elles nc le sont ordinairement par quelques uns de 
 nos ^crivatns a la semaine. Ceux-ci ne sont guires que des echos qui re« 
 patent mal ce qu'ils ont entendu dire ailleurs. Plutiturt Jet sujett qu'tn y 
 Jitcutt titnntmt enentieUtmtnt i Vtrdrt public^ «« hitm itrt it tt fayt^ a mttrt 
 txitUnct mime ttmmi ahitit Britanniqitt, Celui q\M j'entreprends de dis- 
 . cuter moi-m^me est sans contre dit un des plus unportans. C'est ce ^ui 
 m'a engage i mettre mes id^s au jour."— Quelques individascrientsanscesse 
 contre T'^ducation, les nueurs, les usages, les loix, lalangue des Canadicns ; 
 on demande avec ^tonncment quel peut-etre leur but ? P tigi \» 
 
 Ce fut parmi ces hommee a qui on donne sans cesse le nom de Descen- 
 dans de Fran9ois, de Francois meme) conune un litre edieux, ct un <pi* 
 thite de reprochc, qu'on trouTe le plus de zile i soHtenir et Stayer la 
 cause de la patrie en danger. Ce fut pertnls ces membres du Clerg^ Catho- 
 lique qu'on outrage aujourd'hui impun^ment et si grossierement dant un 
 des papiers p^riodiques imprimes en cette Provincew— Ptf^r 14-1 5* 
 
 Peut>on croire en effet que Ton doive consid^er comme sans reproche 
 ceuz f HI «m/ ttmant tant cittt hurt JMtrimu Jestlanttt tt ditgrgaHuairitiM 
 dans ettte tolenlt^ qui tarmint d'um fanatUme avtugU p»ur trier invert Uut et 
 fntttitu^ qulpr£chent avecemphase que U religion cathoUque id n'est 
 que toUrtFe, et qui s'^puisent en distinctions ridicules pour soutenir cette 
 opinion edioue autant qu'i^surde ; qui criept sane cesse contre I'ltablisse- 
 
 A 2 
 
The full amount of this production, is, that it would b« 
 bad policy to cause any change in the present institutions, 
 civil and religious, and in the language, manners and 
 customs, of the Canadians, properly so called; that ne- 
 vertheless, there is a considerable number of persons in this 
 Province, who not only desire such change, but exert 
 themselves to effect it, and with some prospect of success* 
 This is its visible extent : but the manner of its execution 
 gives great reason to believe that it is essentially addressed 
 to the British Government. 
 
 The impression this performance and all others of the 
 same tone, infallibly produce is delusive and injurious.-— 
 The unsuspicious Canadian, unaccustomed to the trick of 
 
 merit d'une religion sanctionn^e par les loix fondamentales et la connti- 
 tution de ce pays ; qui, pour prix de la fid^lit^ mite a l'<;prpuvu des Ca- 
 radicns dans des temps critiques, travaillent, ce semble, a faire croire et 
 a iusinuer que tous les efTorts des citoyens qu'on appelle du noni d'An- 
 glois dans cette colonic, sont d! ig^s ou doivent avoir pour but !a destruc- 
 tion ct I'andantissement detousleurs droits civils et rehgieux. — Pave 26. 
 
 Mais est-ce travailler pour I'honneur du gouvemement Britannique de 
 faire supposer i ses enfans ou a ses agens; ici ou ailleurs, un Kyst^me 
 Machiuvt'lique indigoe du gou /ernement d'une nation quelconquo, 
 dont I'id^e doit dishonorer I'auteur qui ne rougit pas de le mettre au iour 
 comme ^tant de son crfl t A entendre parler quelques-uns de nos d/ma- 
 gogues poiitiques, nos ^vvques n'ont ici ni autorit^ ni jurisdiction : leurs 
 pouvoirs sont nuts : on pourroit presque les punir de les exercer. Ce Ian- 
 gage a ^t^ quelquefois tenu par des homnries qui kc croioient sans doute le 
 tens comniun. La religion catholique a luquelle nous devons la conservation 
 de cc pays a la mirepatrie, ilaqiielle nous devons uniquement ce que nous 
 avons d'^tablissemens vraiment utiles, et meme la conservation de ce pays 
 4 la Grande Bretagne, ne produit que du mal ; son influence et celle de ses 
 ihinistres, qui n'a ^t^ et ne peut etre employtfe que pour lesoutien du gou- 
 vemement lui-m£me, il faudroit I'an^antir & cause du danger pr^tendu qui 
 en r^ulte poor son autorit^. — Fage 27. 
 
 Pour revenir a I'^ducation, on parle beaucoup des dangers de la conser- 
 vation de la langue Fran^oise et d'une Education donnee en cette langue pur 
 rapport a la tranquillity d'' ce pays et a sa soumission au gouvernenient.— 
 Fage 28. 
 
 N*entend-on pas toua les jours vomir contra les Canadiens en g^n^ral, 
 centre leurt pnncipes et leurs ^tablissemens des calonnnies atroces ? — F, '29. 
 
 Ne sereit-il pas plus avantageuz de travailler a tirer tout le parti dont 
 on est capable d'un ^tablissement tout fait, dont I'utilit^ est prouv^e, que 
 de longer a le renverser et a le d^truire, pour en former un nouveau sur 
 •es debris, compos^ de parties h^t^rogines, et sur un plan oppos^, dont - 
 le succ^s doit paroltre au moins douteux a ceux qui le preconnoissent avec 
 le plus d'ardeur ? — Pgge 34-35. 
 
 Dans quel temps encore vient-on crier contre les pr^tendus d^fauts de 
 Botre ^tablissement, et entonner I'hymr.e de la destruction, quand, au lieu 
 de diviser et affoiblir nos forces, nous devrions travailler au contraire a lea 
 xirxnir.'^J'agt 35. 
 
8 
 
 compoiition, and to the licence taken to perfect ami colour 
 off a work, yields his entire belief to what is published, 
 and remains in a tranquil subjection to the ut\discusscd 
 opinioni he may have formed.— There is indeed a de- 
 gree of positive cruehy in the conduct of those who with- 
 out a manifest cause attempt thus to play upon and abuse 
 the sensibility of their countrymen. 
 
 Three or four transient paragraphs, in a periodical print, 
 which in its nature admits of the extremes of variety in '~' 
 matters of opinion as well as fact, and expressed in a lan- 
 guage, a perfect non-conductor, as it relates to the Cana- 
 dian population, surely did not require so formidable an 
 antidote. An appeal to all the tender recollections of a 
 respectable people, profoundly ignorant of the cause ; an 
 invocation made to all the hobgoblins of antiquity, requi- 
 ring them to rise forth and defend most valourously their 
 ancient domain, against two or three paragraphs, long 
 since forgotten by their authors, is equally indiscreet and 
 ludicrous. 
 
 Courtesy leads us to suppose such indiscretions proceed 
 solely from an ignorance, or misconception of the cha- 
 racter of the British Government, conftltutlon and people. 
 
 Justice is the basis of British power. Nourished, invi- 
 gorated and enthroned in this celestial principle, its do- 
 minion has spread with the circles of the Globe. Scarce- 
 ly a breeze can blow in any region of the air, without 
 raising to heaven its ensigns. Under its sway, people of 
 every colour, every faith, almost of every language, of 
 widely contrasting habits, manners and customs, proudly 
 acknowledge themselves, protected, ennobled and utterly 
 disenthralled. — It is neither by the pike or proscription, by 
 the illusions of a song, a ribbon, by flattery, frauds or de- 
 ceipt, by the midnight treacheries of disciplined informers, 
 posted in every niche of society : it is not by stupifying* 
 the public mind, in comprcssin it within artificial limits 
 and making it sicken and wither under perpetual impres- 
 sions of fear : it is not by causing universal distrust, in- 
 difference and despondency and destroying all the poHtical 
 
ufTinitict between mm and man, that thU ubiquity of do- 
 minion, stands erect and Hourishei \ it ii not by violent- 
 ly dislocating ancient customs and habits, making war a- 
 (;ainst the utterance of a foreign people became our own 
 by the destiny of things \ it is not by pilfering the em- 
 blems of their religion, or courting from the vatibule of 
 their temples the followers of the religion of their fathers 
 that the chaste pre-eminence of British power is caused 
 or perpetuated. 
 
 Great Britain has never imposed but one servitude on 
 her subjects \ and that is a constant exercise of justice, used 
 in a generic sense. It is indeed her policy to compel res- 
 pect to ihe person, liberty, reputation and property of e- 
 very individual } whatever may be his faith, form, or tint. 
 She has indeed, and decorated in penalties, pronounced 
 that every man's hut shall be bis castle \ that no one shall 
 be deprived of his money, even for the best public uses, 
 but with his own consent, and that by his peers only shall 
 lie be tried and condemned : but it has never been her 
 policy, to make compulsory rules to regulate the tinklings 
 of the voice, to enact what length of queue shall hang 
 from the head \ or at what time her liege subjects shall 
 perform their daily functions : much less has it been her 
 policy or practice to past the sacred confines of private 
 conscience, no matter how grotesque or vi?»onary the 
 bias, provided the exterior observances, have been so- 
 cially inoffensive. 
 
 The christian with all his secessions and varying opi- 
 nions \ the Turk, the Jew^, the profusion of the sects of 
 the east, with their chosen pomp, or harlequin rites, move 
 on to their altars, in the ftdl blaze of day, with a firm step 
 and unaverted eyes, tranquil and secure within the limits 
 of British dominion. — Ask the many nations of Indostan 
 whether their present rulers have ever by requisition at- 
 tempted even to cleanse their temples, of their acknow- 
 ledged pollution \ whether they have ever pronounced, 
 penalties against such as prefer their bells, their party 
 coloured streamers, and gay minarets, to the cross, tht 
 
dofeand other hoty lymboli of ouff rue faith ? Whether 
 their infanU have been torn from the arms of the 
 mother, that they may be taught to prattle cnglish, ini* 
 tead of their native tongue i or that their pliancy might 
 be made to receive with better assurance, a catechism to- 
 UUy unknown to their fathers f Mavc the manners and 
 customs however whimsical, irrational, and it must be ad- 
 ded tragical, of that fairy land, in any one instant e, been 
 inodiHed or interdicted f Has the lovely female, who 
 yielding to a pagan practice, there, is sometimes seen with 
 the mould of deatli already on her lips, preparing the fu- 
 neral pile, that her own may mix with the ashes of her 
 husband, been required to desist and return to life and 
 joy ?— And think ye, there are no Britons, who would 
 pcri«h to save such victims \ but that the principles of 
 their power, and their exalted freedom, oblige them to 
 reverence and respect, the rights, the customs and ha- 
 bits, the language, and all the peculiarities of the various 
 people, with whom they are connected in political bonds ? 
 Let rigid history reply. 
 
 And surely, could the British Government, ever de- 
 viate from its native principles, and force a change of cha- 
 racter, for state purposes *, it would be in the hapless 
 plains of Asia, where conquest has too generally excrcifed 
 her utmost pride, petulance and cupidity : it would be 
 among a people, emasculated by their climate, religion, 
 and customs, and incapable of opposing any efficient re- 
 sistance. 
 
 Great Britain is the same, on the Thames, the Gann. 
 ges, and the St. Lawrence.-— The great principle uf her 
 ^ower, is an indivisible unit : equal justice to all ; univer- 
 sal respect to local peculiariiies and prejudices : and trie 
 Provinces of Canada bear full testimony to the undcviu • 
 ting application of that principle. 
 
 The result, of a war made just by the aggressions of 
 Louis the XV ; and of campaigns, the incidents of which 
 erected our flag into an emblem of victory, gave to Great 
 Britain the possession of this province. Although of no 
 
6 
 
 value or interest whatever, save the diiarmtng an hoi- 
 tile frontier, the Dritiih Government and people, prized 
 it as a fragment, of a then noble and generous nation \ and 
 treated their new friends, with all that courtesy which so 
 well bocomefi such rivals, at Peace. 
 
 The ))opuIation of the Colony, at the cession in 176$, 
 amounted to 85,000 persons ( a number so small, and 
 in circumstances of such indigence and simplicity, that it 
 was conceived it would easily mix, and incor|K)ra:c with, 
 the vast colonies in the neighbourhood { and the English 
 laws, civil as well as criminal, were ordered to be obser- 
 ved in the new acquisition. But no sooner had the colo- 
 nists, emboldened by the frank and liberal conduct of the 
 government, complained of the inconveniencies of a sys- 
 tem of law, the sudden application of which, sensibly af- 
 fected their family arrangements ; than the British Parlia- 
 ment, neither so proud or selfish as to persist in a muni- 
 nicipal jurisdiction found irksome, retired from its own do- 
 main, and received the law from the conquered. 
 
 It was enacted by the celebrated Statute framed in the 
 1 4th year of the present reign commonly called the Que* 
 bee Bill \ that all causes that should thence after be insti* 
 tutcd in any of the Courts of Juitice within this Province, 
 with respect to the rights and property of His Majesty's 
 Canadian Subjects, should be determined agreably to the 
 ancient laws and customs of Canada. Thus the primitive 
 colony was restored entirely to itself, and all its fractured 
 parts nicely reunited ; and perhaps, as appears by daily 
 indications, more firmly jointed than before. The cession 
 of the country seemed a vision : and had it not been for 
 the occasional appea^nce of the Royal Standard on Cape 
 Diamond, there would scarcely have been any evidence 
 of the political change. — But the inconveniences the co- 
 lonists had complained of, did not leave the country } they 
 were n rely removed from the new to the old subjects ', 
 to such as the profession of arms or civil pursuits had 
 brought into it : on entering Canada, they entered a la- 
 
byriifth, from which thty might lomttimct purchiM a rc« 
 treati by tht loss of half their propertj. 
 
 Not only thelawti and ancient utag^t, of the colouiits 
 were restored to them, but a constitution, in virtue of 
 whidi they might legislate for themselves, was held up to 
 their expectation, when circumstances could justify the 
 institution. The colonists chose the period, and the pro- 
 vincial Constitution, was enacted, and put into operation, 
 nut mark the manner, which always constitutes the value 
 of a gift I The Colony is divided into two Provinces \ so 
 thar the original Canadian ))opulation, might remain en- 
 tire, uninvnded, and in the full possession of every ave- 
 nue to a branch of the Provincial Legislature ! Thus, 
 did the mother country, prove its own good faith, and 
 the entire confidence it placed in the Canadian people : 
 thus, dill it unequivocally, constitute them the defenders 
 of their ancient, and disposers of their future laws ; the 
 judges of their own wants y masters of their own revenue \ 
 and the arbitrators of their own differences i in iino, thus 
 conferred all the benefits of a perfect Legiiilativc esta- 
 blishment, without the cares, responsibility or potiln of 
 Empire f It is thus, indeed, that Great Britain has taken 
 every means in her power ; What ! to modify or diange 
 the antient laws, customs and language of the Canadian 
 people ? No I rather to perpetuate them all, however 
 great, the evil, inconvenience, -^nd thraldom theymaf 
 inflict and impose on a growing country. 
 
 This donation of a Legislature, to the Province of Low- 
 er-C;:nada, has hitherto been, and may long continue to 
 be, the main buttress which supports our ancient Law. 
 As the defence of this, is made a point of honor by a 
 large majority nf our population, and as this majority is 
 fully represent d in our Provincial Parliament, it has be- 
 come indecorous to point out a defect, and a Legislative 
 felony to propose a change ! If nevertheless attempts are 
 made, failure is uniform : and the country is left without 
 ;i subsequent remedy. 
 
 It is not intended to enter into any view however sw- 
 
 m 
 
perficial, of the present civil laws of the Province, but 
 when the term majestic simplicity,* is indiscriminately ad- 
 dressed to them, it is impoisible not to recoil upon the 
 expression ; it is impossible to with-hoM saying, that the 
 edifice, (as it is generally called) of our civil laws ) built 
 in truth with Roman materials, but by the gloomy and 
 wayward architects of the dark ages, who imteadofthe 
 square and plumb line, employed the bow and the beaver | 
 curiously carved and tesselated by the feodum miiitan of 
 gothic memory \ augmented, dismantled and again re-ad- 
 justed in a succession of ages ; and all over-fretted, with 
 infinities, of intaglios and bas-reliefs, which have risen un- 
 der the tiny chisels of time \ is, most majestically, accom- 
 modated with ingeniously contrived trap doors, that play 
 upon invisible spnngs ; with dungeons where the aspiring 
 nerve of industry is majestically, trammelled ; and with 
 numberless latent back stairs, and subterranean alleys, up 
 and down, and round about wh:cii, rights and wrongs 
 may occasionally indulge in the very fascinating and at 
 the same time equally innocent game of hide and 
 seek.f 
 
 * Lei loix du Canada, dont la clartd est admirable, et dont lea etrangcrs 
 inttruits ^tablis en ce pays, ont souvent admirtf la beaut^, laiagessp, it la 
 inajcstueiisc simplicity, deviennent un fardeau insupportable i ces honunea 
 inconstans et avides de nouveaut^s.— CMiM/<V<i//0/ir Page 27. 
 
 •f It, 13 a curious, and will soon become a melancholy fact, that in tliil 
 province, purchasers, of all real property accrued to the sellers by sue- 
 cession ; are by law, liable to be deprived of the objects purchased ; br 
 any ri-lction whatever, to the line from whence the property devolved, 
 within one year and a day, from the accomplishment of the sale : on pay- 
 ing to the purchaser all his disbursements. — So that a person who may 
 have purchased a lot of ground for <£ 100, and erected buildings thereon to 
 the amount of ^50CX); at the- end of his labours may find himself sued in 
 law, by some one issuing out of the woods, to surrender the whole for the 
 original price of the lot. The apology generally made for this law, that it 
 is difiicult to succeed in suits instituted under it, in consequence of rules for 
 that purpose established; besides being proof of its absurdity ; does not 
 take away the risk, which the purchaser must run. I'he first question a 
 urchaser of real property should make, is, whether the seller acquired it 
 y succession ? If so, it would be prudent not to make any great improve- 
 ment for a year. It is true, this law, has not yet come into general use : 
 nevertheless a few cases have appeared within a short time, and the e£bct of 
 one, was to extort an additional sum of money from the purchaser to avoid 
 the risk. This, I think may be called, a very snug, ifnotavery majestic 
 
 sort of trap. The right of /«//*/ v^/r/«, j'..hi. • jjhin universal operation, 
 
 will sometim«s be a trap to a foreigner. Lut a nm days ago a Mr, W. 
 
 I 
 
Far bv^kfremme to speak lightly of the basis of our 
 laws. It b chitfiy composed of principles, which the Al- 
 mighty himsi l f has written on the immutable front of na- 
 ture : but thert are superstructures, which can be entitled 
 to our notice only, fxom the hoary beauties of their moss. 
 None, but an antiquarian will now defend the whole sys- 
 tem of our ancient landed tenure, our retraits, the fright- 
 ful interdiction of evideni i in many cases, by the ordi- 
 nance de Moulin, and the proscribing effects of consangui- 
 nity } with some &ca's. — ^The manner in which our an- 
 cient laws, have been beautifully annalyzed and distribu- 
 ted, by such writers as Bourgeon and Pothier, has con- 
 ferred on them, a dress of simplicity, which is unjustly as- 
 cribed to the substance. — But those distinguished men 
 would have unravelled the Gordian knot. 
 
 Language. — Our alarmist is also afraid of his language. 
 The British people have never made war upon sounds : 
 they are hot more indifferent what language the good peo- 
 ple of Canada, employ in their tender vigils, or in des- 
 canting on the virtues of our Sovereign ; than the King 
 of the island of O-Why-ee, is, what description of notes, 
 distinguish the magpies of Italy. It is the peculiar charac- 
 teristic ofthat people, to prefer substances, to their sha- 
 dows, colour or vibrations, British subjects have never 
 ducountenanced, the right in each other, to articulate in 
 any manner preferred : nor are there, to be found, any 
 penalties, denounced against the misdemeanors, of the 
 throat and tongue, in so far as relate to their mere action 
 on the air. Almost every county in England, has a dis- 
 tinct dialect, and some of them two or thr°c, and it is, with 
 some difticulty the peasants of the North, understand those 
 of the South, or the East, those of the West. It is doubt- 
 ful whether Hi? present Majesty or an/ of his Court, would 
 
 now in this Town did not dUcoVer he had iCTera! lots tt vtnttt to pay, to 
 ^.ird pewons, for the pnrchaw of iweral low of land ; uatil the deed* of 
 Mir bad been completed. 
 
•'11 
 
 lO 
 
 understand a Yotkihirc yeoaian, or aSh«phtrdl%l Wales % 
 it is very certain^ tliey could not» ths hurly burlf of the 
 Boys of Connaught : yet I am perfectly convinced, there 
 is not a Canadian, but would be pleasingly intelligible, 
 not only to His Majesty, but to a very large portion, of his 
 European subjects. . 
 
 The French language is, rather courted than avoided 
 in European Britain : several periodical publications, there, 
 among others, VAmbigu^ by Peltiie, are not only per- 
 mitted, but patronized by the first classes of the King* 
 dom. Not only, every little MiSs, knows in French, the 
 whole aomenclature of love \ bon soir mon chir^ au revnr, 
 &c 'y but every perfumer will be found deeply versed in 
 the toilet phraseology of the French ; and many a foot- 
 man who can screw out a French J^aWm/Zr.-— Indeed 
 this is carried to a ridiculous length: — ^but it is the 
 whistling of an .£olian harp : the cords of the heart 
 issue no such sounds. 
 
 It is di0icult to discover more enmity to the french lan- 
 guage, in the Province of Lower-Canada. It is not only, 
 welcomed, in the pleadings of our Courts of Justice, and 
 the Parliamentary DebateSif bui; the provincial statutes, and 
 all royal proclamations and public notices, are positively 
 required to be printed, in the french, as well as the En- 
 glish languages. The children of the English residents, 
 babble the one as well as the odier ; and with some de- 
 monstration of pride, from the double acquisition. It is 
 well known, the first objec?t, of an emigrant, to this coun- 
 try, is the attainment oi the former, not in a degree, 
 merely to enable him, the more readily to accomplish his 
 pursuits, but to possess it with fluency* and grace. Surely 
 some unmerciful atrabilarious lava-spitting night-mare, 
 must have been articulating English to our author, in 
 dreams unfancied, but by himself. However, notwithstan- 
 ding this alarum bell, and many smaller ones that have 
 
 f Suppose a foreigner, to have dropped from a balloon, into our hou<0 
 of Assembljr, during a sitting, how would he answer the question : what 
 ccuiitry are you in f Ob ! poor Frdidi language how you are persecuted ! 
 
11 
 
 preceded it^ the Canadiani in the towns, and in some 
 country places, where circumstances permiCi are, much 
 to their credit ; not only endeavoring to acquire, but ac<* 
 tually attaining, with rapidity too, a knowledge of tht 
 English language. % 
 
 RsLioiON.f— It is to be regretted, that Religion should 
 ever be approached by the unhallowed touch, of a daily 
 print or a political pamphlet ; the sacred subject belongSi 
 exclusively, to Synods, Councils and Convocations. No 
 difference of form, should ever produce a difference of 
 feeling, on a subject, that is not terrestrial. It ought ne- 
 ver to be forgotten, that the faith of the Protestant, and 
 the faith of the Catholic, took their being, and derive 
 their holiness, from the same divine, eternal cause ; that 
 they are sister angels, varying only, in the colour of their 
 plumes. 
 
 If the British Constitution and people, at certain pe« 
 riods of their history, hav« retreated with dismay from 
 the latter ; it has been caused, by temporal abuses that 
 made the British Islands, repeatedly blush with the best 
 blood of their inhabitants; and more especially by abu- 
 ses, that were victoriously turned against their freedom. 
 But, these, now, are only historical recollections, that 
 ought never to be adverted to : peace and charity, have 
 at last become, and ought ever to be, among the first iixed 
 pmrsuits of both persuasions. 
 
 t It may be remarked ; to show how little, even the mo«t fcrociout war- 
 ftire extends it* rage to language ; timt, at this moraent, in France, cowed 
 and unstrung aa are her inclination*, by the Tyrant j the English language is 
 a main object in a liberal education : English presses are established, and 
 an English News-paper, called the Argus, periodically published in Paris. 
 
 f A entendre parler quelqu^js-uns de nos donrajfogues politiques, no* 
 iveques n'ont ici ni autoritt ni jurisdiction : leui s puuvoirs sont nuls : 
 on pourroit presque les punir de les exercer. Ce langfiige a iti quelque- 
 fois tenu par des hommea qui se croiotent saus (iuute le sens comraun. 
 La religion eatholique a laquelle nous devons l.i conse vation de ce 
 pays 4 la mire patrie, 4 laquelle noa« d<«vonsuniquement ce que nous 
 avons d'^ablissemens vraiment utiles, <>t memc la conservation de ce pays 
 a la Grande liretagnc, neproduit que du nial ; son Influence et celledeses 
 ministres, qui n'a dt£ et ne peut etrt employee que pour le soutiendugou- 
 ▼emettient lui*mcn|e. il £iadroit 1 anduntir a cause du danger pr^tendu 
 (jui en r^sulte pour sonautorit^. — ( Comidf rations page ^1 .J 
 
T 
 
 Id 
 
 The Roman Catholic Church, is not merely tolerated, 
 (a term which implies the enjoyment of a right, Dy gra- 
 tuitous sufFerance) but is secured by all the funda men- 
 tal laws of this Province. The deed of capitulation i the 
 Treaty of Peace in 1763 J the Quebec Bill > the consti- 
 tutional act, and above all the character of the British 
 people, combine to ensure to the Canadian, the free ex- 
 ercise of his wonhip j and ought to preserve him from 
 any alarm, about the safety of his conscience. 
 
 Great Britain, was not satisfied with giving, this qua- 
 druple guarantee of security, to the free exercise of the 
 Catholic faith, in this Province. The tythes were made 
 and continue recoverable by law, in any of the Courts 
 of Justice } and by this voluntary enactment, the Catho- 
 lic Clergy have been not only, assured of the enjoyment, 
 of all the comforts, and a little of the pride of indepen- 
 dence : but their power and spiritual influence, have been 
 promoted and consolidated. Notwithstanding, the Cana- 
 dian, is for the most part attached, to his religion and to 
 the obligations, it imposes ; he is also, extremely devoted, 
 to the little silver Mexicans, and if the payment of the 
 tythes, became optional, he would soon make, many very 
 acute enquiries, into the expediency of attending to that 
 duty. From doubt, he might pass to conviction, that he 
 could hold a safer intercourse, direct, with his creator, 
 than through the costly intervention of another. He 
 would begin, by huckstering, with his pastor, for a di- 
 minution of the tythes ; the pastor would yield a part, to 
 secure the rest : frequent yielding, would be followed; 
 by frequent encroachment ; until the flock would des- 
 pise, the Shepherd, for his inability to resist I Individual 
 dependency, creates contempt. This is a law of nature ; 
 and deviations from it, are caused solely, by that degree 
 of moral perfection, which is seldom found in common 
 life. A dependent Clergy, would very shortly be no Cler- 
 gy at all : the sacred objects of their office, would par- 
 ticipate in their decline : and it is not impossible that the 
 
IS 
 
 Catholic faith, might very unhappily tend, towards a 
 total extinction. 
 
 Hence, then, it is inferred that. Great Britain, who 
 was in no wise bound, to secure, to the Catholic Clergy 
 the payment of their tythes > has nevertheless, follow- 
 ing the unique principle of her power, declared them, to 
 be a legitimate claim : and thereby has constituted herself, 
 not the suspicious, reluctant, keeper i but the liberal 
 Patron of the Catholic Church in this Province.* 
 
 The British people, are the atoms of the British con- 
 stitution. A chaste love of freedom and enlightened 
 respect for the rights of others, distinguish them all. 
 They, too, have viewed with reverence the Catholic es- 
 tablishments in this country : they have treated the Cler- 
 gy, individually, with every token of good will. On the 
 annual festival of the Fete Dieu, they (the British) issue 
 forth, into the woods, to collect branches of chosen trees 
 to decorate their sliare of the streets, through which the 
 Catholic procession is to move. They avoid intruding 
 
 with their carriages and ahnost with their persons. 
 
 On that festival, last summer, the military band, was 
 ordered not to play, as usual, lest it might interfere 
 with the sacred services of the day : and thus a disci- 
 pline, which is at all times rigorous, gave up a little of 
 its luxury out of respect to the exterior observances of 
 the Catholic Church. 
 
 Shame, shame on the unblushing moment, that could 
 consign to print, reproaches, on this subject, against the 
 Protestants of this country ! Shame on him, who could 
 gravely found, on a passing whisper, denunciations so so« 
 lemn, so acrimonious, yet so totally without a cause. 
 
 Happily, our author, is not the public organ, of the 
 Catholic Clergy. They will never recognize such a de» 
 fender. They have long since, been penetrated with the 
 spirit of justice, and the sentiments of magnanimity, which 
 characterize the British as a nation. They have, spontanea 
 
 * It is well known that the Roman Cathblic Clergy in Ireland cannot re* 
 csver hj law tinf tTtliea or recompeoce whatever. 
 
^1^ 
 
 14 
 
 ouslj, and even from their pulpits, declaredi the pro- 
 found confidence they feel in their Protestant friends; 
 and in private life, have given unceasing proof of their 
 sincerity.^ 
 
 This is a simple statement of facts. They must convince, 
 the most wary and suspicious, that it has not only been* 
 the policy, but the distinctly pronounced, and unequivocal- 
 ly proven, determination, of the British Government, 
 and people, to sustain the Canadians, in the entire enjoy- 
 ment, of the religion, laws and custonr.s of their forefathers. 
 A few idle paragraphs should not have been considered 
 as indications of a contrary disposition. Our freedom, Alls 
 the press with opinions, as various as the emotions of 
 the heart, or the integuments of the brain. And if in th<i 
 wild range of individual speculation, some have occasi- 
 onally awakened the sensibility of the Canadians, it is an 
 additional proof, how ignorant they are, of the coniH- 
 tution, under which they live, and the immunities, it 
 has conferred \ and how little they have as yet perceived, 
 that the liberty of the press, and that of speech, detorat/ffy 
 exerciied, are the aliment, which sustains and nourishes, 
 the indistructable political virtues, of the British people. 
 Ignorant indeed of them and their means, is he who in- 
 sinuates, that they can persecute. None know so pro- 
 foundly as they, that persecution promotes, the evil it 
 would subdue. — ^There is in the chronology of England, 
 no festival of St. Bartholomew, no revocation of the Edict 
 of Nantz, no event evincing the spirit that ga^e rise to 
 such incidents ; if we except the lunacy and fanaticism of 
 Queen Msry, who was disclaimed by her nation. 
 
 To divert the British people, from endeavouring to 
 hr'mg about, the dreaded change, or warn them 6f the 
 consequences, some laboured historical allusions ar« made, 
 and set forth, as political beacons. This is something 
 
 § Among a thousand instances, of attention and liberaiityt on the part 
 of the Catholic Clergy towards theEiwUth, the c-ondnct of Mr. CuAaiMLtigi, 
 Cur6 of Lougueuil, towards two Officers of the 49th Regiment stationed 
 at that place ; will always be remembered with pleasure. During a con- 
 aiderable time, he hadco/ers, every day on his u^le, for those Gentle- 
 men i and gave them notice, regularly ai ih* miimtM oi4ina»r. 
 
 
 
15 
 
 like erecting lighthouses on a sea, that is not and never 
 will be navigated. 
 
 The condition of Nations or States, scarcely, ever ad- 
 mits of just comparisons. Their peculiarities vary with 
 the lines of latitude, and their political circumstances 
 change like the forms of vapour. The instances, brought 
 in comparison, *<rith this Province are dissimilar, in every 
 point of relation ; and may rather be adduced, as exhi- 
 biting the most marked contrast. Sicily, Belgium, and 
 England, ut the periods alluded to, had ripened into man- 
 hood. Every inch of soil, was not only located, but un> 
 der culture *, every valley, had its hamlet, every plain^ 
 its villages and embattled towns. The rights, the customs 
 and privileges, of the people, were founded, on titles, 
 beyond the reach of memory, and hardened into ada- 
 mant by centuries of prescription : in fine they had acqui- 
 red, the highest condition, of civil and political maturi. 
 ty, relatively to the various ages, in which they were 
 subjugated. An attempt to operate a total change of cha- 
 racter, habits, manners and language on them, was to 
 assault every principle of resistance, in consolidated socie- 
 ties. It was sending a man in the prime of life, or in his 
 dotage, to school, to learn a new alphabet, and to alter 
 habits, become tendencies of nature. 
 
 But the Province of Lower-Canada, politically consider- 
 ed, is in the first stage of infancy. The eagle in its 
 passage across, sees nothing, but one interminable forest, 
 save, a blue net-work of rivers, and a narrow strip of cul- 
 tivation, which borders the St. Lawrence. The occupied 
 portion is to the unoccupied nearly, as 1 to 50, or in 
 such other ratio, as makes the Province, socially, as a, 
 whole, in a condition perfectly rude and maleable ; and 
 capable of receiving any impressions, it might be desira- 
 ble to imprint. It is a bust, on which the sculptor, 
 has finished a single feature only, leaving all the others 
 still to beforined.* 
 
 shall the original dbii^, be stHctlx followed, ii our author requires, 
 
 C 
 
16 
 
 This defect of coinp;irisoii, from a disproportion of es- 
 tablishnient, destroys all the historical examples. These 
 could have been apposite, only, by its appearing that all 
 Sicily was a waste, except the town of Syracuse : that 
 belgium was an entire forest, except Brussels : and that 
 the county of Middlesex, was the only cultivated spot in 
 England, at the time, their respective masters, attempted 
 to change the laws, customs and habits of their new sub« 
 jects. Had the concpjerors, found little germs of cul- 
 tivation only j instead of '•ge communities, covering ex- 
 tensive, fully cultivated countries, history would never 
 have had, to recite the multiform misfortunes imposed b/ 
 the changes attempted. Wo should have been told, that 
 Sicily, Belgium, and England, yielded to the law of their 
 new masters, as tender saplins playfully bow to a sudden 
 blast, with no other evidence of pain, than a sigh. 
 
 The Norman Isles 3re too insignificant to be admitted 
 as an example of any kind. TIjcy are treated by great 
 Britain as a Citizen of London would indulge a foreigner 
 in letting him take snuff in his own way. But the in- 
 stance 01 the Conquest of England by William I. although 
 not more applicable, is more amusing. The Sovereign of 
 a Dutchy, a petty state, whose relative consequence, to 
 that of England, at the period of the Conquest; might be 
 as 1 to 8> in an age of chivalry and enterprize, collects a 
 large army of turbulent and ready made renegadoes, and 
 in a moment when the forces of England had been wasted 
 in a war with the Danes, invades and in one desperate 
 conflict conquers that country. The event made England 
 a principal, and the Dutchy of Normandy, a mere ac- 
 cessary in the empire of William. Yet this ferocious and 
 absurd adventurer, endeavored to make all the Characteris- 
 tics of the people of a large kingdom give way to those of 
 
 I 
 
 f 
 
 and the remaining features, be made to harmonize with the first ? Or lea> 
 v'mg this, entire, and undeterioted, shall a diflerent model be copied, in 
 the accomplishnient of the rest? In plain terms, shall the 49 unoccupied 
 parts of this Province, be filled up and completed, on the same plan, 
 tliatthe one fiftieth part is already established; or ought a more eligible 
 system to be pursued i 
 
17 
 
 a comparatively insiign'ricaiu province. Thii was making 
 the siup and the long bout change stations. 
 
 To make an application to our own catie, it will be ne- 
 cessary to form a ratio of political consequence, between 
 the Province of Lower-Canada and the rest of the empire. 
 The population of the former has been estimated, upon 
 good data, at '2 50,000 inhabitants : the population of the 
 whole empire, including, the vast possessions in the cast 
 has been generally computed at 25 millions : and there- 
 fore in respect to population the former is to the latter, in 
 round numbers, as 1 to 100. But if the superior skill, 
 capital, and industry, particularly of the European por- 
 tion be taken into the account the ratio of power, would 
 probably be more correctly cxprcssetl as J to 500. Ad- 
 mitting, then, that a change of tho charactcrcstlcs, of 
 the Canadian people had been desirable from reasons of 
 state policy, there would have been nothing politically 
 cruel, in having forced that unit to yelid to, and incorpo- 
 rate with this number j nor can it, for an instant, be ima- 
 gined by the most fervent calculator, that the attempt 
 would have been followed by any terrific catastrophe ! 
 
 If it had been, desirable to draw inferences, from cor- 
 rect resemblances, they should have been sought for in the 
 vicissitudes of those states, which, when in an incipient, 
 fugitive, or incompacted condition, admitted of facilities 
 to change, which ripened communities, could not endure. 
 The history of the early stages of society in the eastern 
 continents, abounds with such instances : then, nothing 
 was fixed, or permanent, in the order of things: and the 
 characteristics of the conquered soon uierged into those of 
 tlie concpierors. But for greater accuracy we will seek an 
 illustration in our times and hcmispliere. The state of 
 New-York, was originally occupied by the Dutch, under 
 ilic name of New Netherlands. They had, opened con- 
 siderable sctilemcnts j formed extensive commercial re- 
 lations i and the City of New Amsterdam, already consis- 
 ted of many streets and lanes, when the province was sub- 
 dued by the English in 1G64. In a subsctjuent arrange- 
 
 Cii 
 
ir\ 
 
 18 
 
 mcnt, the capture was turned into a formal cession by tht 
 Dutch Government. The inhabitants were treated with 
 mildness and protected in every particular : of which they 
 gave incontestable proof by their distinguished loyalty to 
 their new Sovereign and his family.ii Yet the colonist! 
 never attempted, or ever expressed a wish, to impose 
 their laws and customs on him, or his subjects, although 
 they (the colonists) had been permitted for a certain 
 time to regulate their family concerns as they had been ac- 
 customed to do, before the cession. So far from its ha- 
 ving been even imagined, that the Colony, become 
 English, was to be completed on the plan, and covered 
 with the characteristics of the first occupant, the very 
 names of the province and its capital, were changed to 
 New-York, a name peculiarly English. Indeed the resi- 
 dent colonists and the Dutch themselves, testified in the 
 strongest manner, their desire and determination, that all 
 the institutions and practices of the country, should bend 
 and conform, to english law, and English example. The 
 provincial House of Assembly, in the year 1691, passed a 
 solemn resolution, annulling at one stroke a number of 
 ordinances, because contrary to the spirit of the constitu- 
 tion of England, f It is remarkable, that a large portion 
 of that Assembly were Dutch colonists, as appears by their 
 names, most deservedly put on record. 
 
 Instead of coiling themselves up in their arms, and 
 surveying with despondency, the change of Sovereign | 
 the new Dutch subjects, very sagaciously, and with im- 
 abated ardor, continued their various pursuits ; permit- 
 ted the setherial ties of friendship and love, as well as the 
 grosser bonds of gold, to unite them firmly with their 
 new compatriots j nor did they ever decline a guinea, be- 
 cause not embossed with the Stadholder's bust. They dis- 
 countenanced no useful invention, nor beneficial improve- 
 ment, because of english origin •, their sinews were never 
 seen to contract, on the escape of an english accent, from 
 
 in I I 1 11 I ■ H 1 1 I ■ 
 
 ♦ Smith's History of New- York, page 31. 
 I Jiistory of N?W-Vork, page 162, 
 
19 
 
 the lipi of their children. They inditcrtminately witli the 
 English, fillcU all the ofHcei of honor, profit, and peril, 
 with equal credit to themselves, and advantage to their 
 country. Not one instance of mutual reproach, or nat'on- 
 al invective, is to be found on record, or lui ever been 
 suggested by the uncertain tongue cf tradition. The two 
 people gradually assimilated ; until the original distinctive 
 marks totally disappeared, in one uniform British mould. 
 At this day the prosperous and powerful State of New* 
 York, although bearing every appearance of an English 
 dependency, is composed in a great degree, of the descen- 
 dants of those wise Dutchmen \ and the fanulies of Schuy« 
 Icr and Rensaalxr, for weaUh and reputation, rank among 
 the most conspicuous families of this Continent. 
 
 The fine province of Louisiana, the Eden of America, 
 has undergone as many changes^ as a ball of putty in the 
 fingers of a boy. France, Spain, France again, and last- 
 ly the United States of America, alternately, have stam** 
 ped not only their political, but moral characteristics, 
 on that country : and inconsequence of the mixture New 
 Orleans, the Capital, has the appearance oi a vast hotel, 
 where foreigners of all dcs€ri||)tioDs may be found. A few 
 years more, and this variety will take the uniform cast of 
 the predominant party. The island of Jamaica was ori- 
 ginally settled by Spaniards*, and a considerable town 
 called St. Jago dc la Vega founded and flourished. En- 
 gland conquered the Island : and riot a vestige or a re- 
 collection of the original occupants now remain, beyond 
 the precincts of history. A catalogue of similar instances, 
 might be very fruitlessly adduced^ 
 
 The cause of such transitions is manifest. The pliancy 
 of the bodies acted upon, and their want of continuity 
 rendered them susceptible of impressions, from whatever 
 cam§ in contract. Not unlike those little ponds of water, 
 that will take a curl from any breeze. No acts of violence 
 no illusions, none of the Machievalism alluded to, were 
 eniployed. Nature took her course ; and the results, were 
 mvoluntary. Such in some degree would have been tho 
 
dO 
 
 caic ill tUit iVovliicCi had not :i stcrri) active, and iiti. 
 gritotiil ronifitance been made, to the admiiition of wlute* 
 vei* K.ivourcd oi the Hriti^li Nation. Troin the hour of the 
 ccsiion, the Canudiaiii h.i\e been concentrating thcinseU 
 VC1, and cloathitig all their pvculiaritien, of >v li.it denoini- 
 iLUion M)ever, in coats of mad. 'I'liey !uve eiufejvored 
 to raise a lort of Chinese wall, around their ruicrcd dtmiaini 
 a> a defence against the infectious intrusion of their English 
 neighbours. • 
 
 A Stranger who should travel through the Province, 
 without entering the town!<, would be persuaded he was 
 visiting the interior of France. The language, the man- 
 ners, and every symbol, from the weathercock, tlown to 
 the jnl'cfst would unite to deceive him : our pamphleteer 
 to the contrary notwithstanding. On entering a hopsc 
 fiench civility, french address, frcnch vesture, would 
 meet his eye. In one of the best frcnch dialects, lie would 
 hear, of savon francois^ soul'ttr franco'u \ ami every thing 
 else, that it might be desirable to distinguish, he would 
 find elevated, by the ailjective, fraticois* Should one of 
 the tender shoots, of the family, attune her voice, he 
 would probably hear the pretty pastoral, of, " .S//r ies hards 
 lU l(t Selnet' or some other stanzas, that would convey him 
 to the delectable vales of old France. On surveying the 
 «* chaf fibre de eontpagnitf* among many other saints he 
 would see tlic portraif: of Napoleon !|| In short he would 
 never imagine, he was passing over the skirts of the Bri- 
 tish empire. 
 
 It is not intended to complain of the perseverance, the 
 Canadians exhibit in their modes of life. We live under 
 
 • M«'tt;mt encore ces connidcntiorn a part, ft ^an« parlcr do la juitire 
 fjni I'txigf impcTi'cuiicmt'nt, n'e.n-il pa:i dans len regie* d'uiic same poiiti«iiif, 
 ;iu li<?u tic fairc d«» efforts pour senier la division et riiiquidtudc parmi Ics 
 l>;ibitan» <lc ce pay*, de travaillrr au tontrairt ite toutei set /vreet a center- 
 •fir ti cjniclider en ce payt deja hole par la mature^ une fopulatirn l.otria* 
 ^'/i,-.—— Com id, pa^^e '.J6. 
 
 II it IS a fact, the pretended portrait of that fiend, may be found in 
 r':i!:y country houses : sometimes aloiu- ; Koniotimes reviewing lus consul ir 
 g'r.!rils. There is a fine ot o, in lujjh preservation, at the upper post- 
 liouse of Carougc. It cannot bo supposed thcie portraits are procured a» 
 9 mere historical nu'inento. 
 
 I 
 
21 
 
 that happy ^gis where every man may act at he pleaici, 
 providvil Uv Joc^ not injure the nocicty ul wluch he 
 (otu\% A part. Yet let them not asHuil in the rude nuii" 
 ncr ot our author, thuic nciglibourii w)\o with jUo, iU l>tf 
 their fricnvii. 
 
 There arc among thi< very national people, nutnbersi 
 who would not adjust their cravat», or trim their hair, 
 like an Englishman, tor any coniideration. There are, 
 vrho would not tenant a house, under an englisli form or 
 distribution, until fully prepared to encounter some evil spi- 
 rit : there are even such as would not pronounce ** Virgin 
 Mary," in cnglish, scarcely for the Governor's I'iftcen- 
 Guinea purse. This tenacity, of whatever tends to preservo 
 the ))erfect integrity of their cast, docs not proceed, mere- 
 ly from habit, but is in some degree regulated oti i)i incl- 
 ple( such little inofFensivc partialities, are systeinuticall/ 
 constituted, the out works of the heligion and ptjlitical 
 consequence of the Canadians : those must stand llrm 
 there, who mean that the citadel shall not be appru.K hed. 
 
 It is certain there is in this Province a few individuals, 
 actuated by different motives, who unite their endeavors 
 to form the Canadian people, properly so called into a 
 body politic : to condense it, to a vast, homo^'cneous^ 
 impenetrable, volume, that time, will rather tend to 
 strengthen than impair. They seem already to have or- 
 ganized their plan extensively, and minutely, in the false 
 hope of rendering it imperishable. Some of the means a- 
 dopted, are perhaps obvious. It would be invidious to 
 allude to them : but the motives are stron^^ly ni.uiifcst. 
 They nuy be classed as follows. lAly. An apprehcusiun 
 that a progressive assimilation with the English, muy final- 
 ly extend to matters of Religion. 2dly. That :is a liimly 
 united body, acting on uniform sentiments, and simulta- 
 neously, full respect from the Government, and British 
 people will b« better secured, and perpetuated. 3dly. 
 That on the occurrence of any little misunderstanding, an 
 united body could act with more eftcct. 4thly. Tliat ii will 
 be a convenient instrument, for the petty demagogue, to 
 
21J 
 
 win his way tn popularity and power, and furnish him 
 with a knocker to tap at the government door. And 
 lastly, as an obligation of reverence to their ancestors. 
 These motives chiefly originate in distrust, and, thb, in 
 ignorance. 
 
 The Canadians are not only a respectable, but in mahy 
 poinrs of view, an interesting people. Their naturi^I 
 propensities arc honorable : their first inclination is 
 to good faith. They are frank and lOyal. They 
 have in some degree, " that prdiul submissioit^ that 
 dignified obedienct, that stthdrdinatiofi of the soitly which iefit 
 alive even in serviiade itself the spirit of an exalted freedom^^ 
 But they are ignorant ; exquisitely susceptible } and form 
 a rich soil for our half fledged political quacks . 
 
 Their attempt will be vain ; their body politick Will 
 dissolve and disappear in the purity and brightness of the 
 britlsh character. The prejudices and useless peculiarities 
 of the Can?-dians, will melt away like a vapour, in a sum- 
 mer's dawn. Yet this will not be the result of open ccrtrt- 
 pulslon, or secret delusion, or Individual eflfort : it will be 
 the product of an unavoidable chemical process : the gro^, 
 inert, opaque^ materials, which encumbfer the Canadian 
 will be precipitated in the effervescence of a British men- 
 struum. No rhetoric, no regrets, no artificial dykes, fttir 
 a Draco himself, enthroned in steel, will oppose an effec- 
 tual resistance. 
 
 And what is there in the productive habltr of the Ca- 
 nadians (for it is not intended ever to allude to their reli- 
 gion,) that can justify the desire to perpetuate them ? 
 
 The population of this Province forifti a srtiall conlpatt 
 body inert in its nature, without one principle of j^^rdui*. 
 slon ; and exhibiting its infant face, iurtharg^d With al! 
 the indications of old age aiid decay* DUrihg a lajpse of 
 two centuries, little more than the borders of the St. Law- 
 rence have been put under dultivatiotl ; in a few places 
 only, have settlements slumbered forth, on the minoi* 
 
 I 
 
 § Burke on the French Revolution speaking of departed . ance. 
 
ss 
 
 ^ 
 
 itretmii with immifeit rtluctance and regret. Frequently 
 a family groups together, until the original farm is divi« 
 ded into ribbons of land, and one extremity grows to a 
 village. When necessity forces a younger branch, to form 
 a new establishment, he does not pierce the recesses of 
 the forest, in quest of a spot, equally fortunate in its soil 
 and position : he makes no enquiries that may bring with- 
 in hb reach, a choice of objects : he will fix his eye on the 
 steeple of his paternal church, and mark and adopt the 
 peice of land, that may be at the least po&siMe distance 
 from that second centre of gravity ; it is no matter, whe- 
 ther his lot falls on marsh, rock, or sand ; it is immate« 
 rial how inferior in every desirable point, to a tract a few 
 furlongs more remote. Thus have our Canadian settle- 
 ments, insensibly gnawed out a few niches in the primi- 
 tive woods of this country ; and thus by a system of close 
 adhesion, have the limits of cultivation been kept con- 
 tracted, and its modes, in many points defective, perpe- 
 tuated. 
 
 And is it then surprising, when nature seems in vain, 
 to have unfolded to our view, one of her grandest pano- 
 rama's ; combining every soil, rich by centuries of repose ; 
 divided, yet bound together by the deepest furrows of the 
 flood ; and bearing on its 8urf:M:e, forests that would 
 seem to fret the clouds as they pass ; is it surprizing that 
 a more active population, that the prying intrepid Ameri- 
 can, should appropriate what we refuse ? Can we, immo- 
 vable', and inadventurous, lament with manliness } that 
 while we sleep on the bright lap of our country, her bo- 
 som should be rifled of every fair jewel by a foreign in- 
 truder ? The fikult is in us. Had our population instead 
 of withering on the cradle in which it was rocked, bold- 
 ly 'diverged with every point of the compass, and like the 
 dreaded American, occupied the luxuriant intervals ; we 
 should have covered the whole country by a real posies« 
 sion. The settlements ^rould indeed, have been more 
 attenuated, but they would have been also infinitely 
 
 X> 
 
94 
 
 m 
 
 more advanced, more prosperous, and their inhabitaatf 
 most assuredly less ignorant. 
 
 The morals of a part of the Americans, who have come 
 into the province, perhaps would not bear the close eye 
 of a censor ; but as productive instruments they arc sun- 
 shine, and soft showers, in a new country. Forests sink 
 before them like a wave under the prow of a scudding 
 Ship. In one summer, a family will uncover from 30 to 
 60 acres of ground ^ and bring it to full cultivation, in 
 three } such a product requires from us, the entire con- 
 sumption of as many generations. While we trace a road 
 they will carve a canal; .rhere we erect one bridge they 
 will raise 20. While one of our establishments attains the 
 elevation of a dram shop, they will have built and em- 
 bellished a town. In short, while they gratefully, turn 
 to the utmost use, the generous bounties of their Creators 
 while, at the cost of unceasing labour, the proclaimed 
 penalty of our sins, they seek amidst peril and difficul- 
 ty, under the naked dome of heaven, for all the blandish- 
 ments of life; we elude the obligatory penance, and like 
 the mean Diogenes, take shelter under a tub.* 
 
 The objection so vehemently made, to the political no- 
 tion:! of the American emigrant, would be found erroneous 
 on strict enquiry. If he were attached to them, he would 
 not long endure the adverse reception he receives in this 
 province, he would seek room in some of the vast regions, 
 still unlocated in his own country. He C3nies here, 
 soured and disgurted by local bickerings ; perhaps he is 
 eluding the proscriptions of a preponderating party. 
 Scarce has he set his foot upon our territory, when he 
 finds that real, modestly attired liberty, which he has 
 seen perishing under the assaults of all the black passions 
 
 *Some years past, an attempt was made to settle with Canadians ths 
 Seigniory of Argenteuil situated on tha Ottawa River. The design was 
 miscalculated and turued out desperate. Immediately afterwards an attempt 
 was made to establish the same Seigniory with Americans. The scene 
 shifted in a summer ; Numerous lots of land were uncovered, roads et- 
 ched out, mills erected, ar ' among others one for the manufacture of pa- 
 per, and the village of St. Andrew projected and occupied. These people 
 may be truly called scene shifters on the wild Theatre of Nature. 
 
25 
 
 in the eountiy he hat left. He finds himself disentan- 
 gled from that double twilled web of taxes, which is fast 
 enveloping his countrymen. He finds neither county, 
 jtate or national imposts are required or levied : he perceives 
 his cattle may browse, unvisited and unappraised annual- 
 ly, by a band of prowling excisemen } and his farm ex- 
 empted from a perpetually recurring pecuniary burthen. 
 
 He involuntarily rejoices, and blesses that paternal go- 
 vernment which can rr^e amidst so many immunities 1* 
 
 * Although it is not intended to follow the pamphlet in the sinuous 
 course of its digressionr allusion it made to a topic which necessarily zt- 
 reits the attention. T' -: author with a singular degree of misconception, 
 expresses surprize at the opinion very correctly held, that the civil laws of 
 England are exelmively in force on all those portions of the Province 
 of Lower-Canada, that have been granted since thi; conquest. This sur<. 
 ^rize, must be, either, affected ; must proceed from a judgment inver> 
 ted by a dread of the American settlers, who are the only persons inte- 
 rested in the maintenance of that opinion ; or proves that too little science 
 produces nearly the same effect that too much does, that is a propensity 
 to doubt the most self evident propositions. By the Royal Proclamation 
 issued in 176:^ the civil as well as criminal laws of England are ordered 
 to be observed in all the then new conquests, comprising ail Canada. The 
 letter of the Proclamation is as follows, to wit t 
 
 *' And in the mean time, and until such assemblies can be called as afore- 
 said, all persons inhabiting in, or resorting to otir said colonies may con- 
 fide in our royal protection for the enjoyment of the benefits of the Law» 
 of our Vi9ii\m of .England { for which purpose, wc have given power 
 under our Great Seal to the Governors of our said colonies 
 respectively, to erect with the advice of our said Councils res)>ectively, 
 courts of Judicature and public justice within our said colonies, for the 
 hearing and determining all causes, as well criminal as WvtV, according 
 to Law and Equity, and, as near as may be, agreeable to the Laws of 
 ** England, with liberty to all perHons, who may think themselves aggriev- 
 ** ed by the sentence of such courts, in all civil crises, *r appeal, under the 
 ** usual limitations and restrictions, to us, in our Privy «. unciL" 
 
 In 1774, the Statute called the Quebec Bill was passed, one of whose 
 chief objects was to relieve the Canadians, of the inconveniences occasion- 
 ed by the change of their laws. The letter of the enactment in their 
 favor, is as follows, to wit : 
 
 " Sec. VIII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that 
 ■' all his Majesty's Canadian subjects within the province of Quebec, the 
 ** religious Orders and Communitiesonly excepted, may ulso hold and enjoy 
 ** their property and possessions, together with all customs and usages re- 
 ** lative thereto, and all other their civil rights in as large, ample, and 
 ** beneficial manner, as if the said proclamation, commissions, ordinances, 
 **■ and other acts and instruments, nad not been made, and as may cuiuist 
 ** with their allegiance to his Majesty, and subjection to tl^ Crown and 
 *< Parliament of Great Britain; and that in ail matters of controversy, re- 
 •( lative to property and civil rights, resort shall be had to the Luws of 
 ** Canada, as the rule for the decision of the same ; and all causes that shall 
 « hereafter be instituted in any of the Courts of Justice, to be appointed 
 (' within and for the said province by hie Majesty, his heirs and succetxors, 
 ** ihall with respect to such property and rights, be determined agreea- 
 
 tc 
 
 «t 
 
 (t 
 « 
 
 u 
 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 
I 
 
 
 P«rpetutl Uiduttry purifies the monls. Pcirpetml indui* 
 try » If ads to individual independence ( and tUii conUr% 
 peace and dignity an the mind. The little moral obliqiutiet 
 tome of our American settlers may have acquired in early 
 life, will be cast off, amidst those industrious habits, which 
 charactei ize them : they will love the country in which, 
 they prosper : their political sentiments liberated from 
 the intemperate action of endless ekciions, and ah^eady 
 essentially british* will become so entirely. A tpurit of 
 national attachment to Great Britain is still manifest, par^ 
 ticularly among those States, from whence issues the emi« 
 gration to this Province. The people of NewrEngland 
 are even vain of their descent. They will trace with pride« 
 through a long and crooked genealogy, an affinity, no 
 matter how divergent, with british hiood, «« The King** 
 alluding emphatically to on: Sovereign, is a toast, per- 
 haps more frequently givf n, in the single town of Bos- 
 ton, than in both the Canada's. Tliey feel themselves 
 still of the same family, and ^ould be far from unwjlling 
 
 .1 
 
 « bly to the said laws and customs pf Canada, until they shall be varied or 
 ** altered by any ordinances that shall, from time to time, be passed iq 
 ** the said province by the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Com- 
 ** mai\der in Chief, for the time beinr, by and with the advice and con? 
 *' sent of the Legislative CoiucU of t)ie laiitf, to be ap^'^intedin mannef 
 ** hevein aftemientioned," 
 
 Hm the next immediately succeeding .clause i$ as folbiws, to wit : 
 ** Sac, IX. Provided always, that nothing in this act contained shall ex- 
 ** tend, or be construed tp extend, to any landa that have been granted hy 
 ** his Majesty, pr shall hereafter be grantpd bf his Majesty, f^\M heirs and 
 V auf cessors, tp be hpljcien in free and cppunpn apccags." 
 
 Nothing can be more distinct than the result of t|iis statement. I p. Ta 
 17t^3 the civil lawspf IBngland prevail pniversally. So. In 1774 an ex- 
 ception is createid in favpr of the Canadians from a motive that refers tp 
 them alone, and the recita) of this piptive, wpuld alnipst sufficiently re- 
 strict the exception tp that class of ^i» Majesty's upbjects, eJ^cIusively ; an4 
 thereby the general rule ^ould seem ppnnrmed, rjtlfitively to the other 
 deiipminatipii of subject^. So. 3ut tp avoid the possibility of ^ij. «ibt, thp 
 last recited clause is i|itrpduce4< This imposes a positive, clearly de; 
 fined lipiit pn ^he exceptipn in favpr pf the {Canadians which it is utterly 
 impossible tp mistake. The comprehensive terpis pf the proviso, apd itf 
 ipime^iate conneptipii and refer^^.cp tp thp firft flescribed clause in favor 
 of the panadian?, manifests wit|i the vtfnp^ precision, the design pf the 
 British Parliapnent ; an4 fprfns a sufficijen^ fsna(:tfD,ent tP gpverp bur Cpurtif 
 of Justice, ipdepenjient pf the ^rpclamatipn pJF I7|SS. It is time the curiouf 
 dbubts pn this very ipiportant pubject |vere rjcmoyie^ by the Court*, that 
 puch needless uncertainty an^ fpnfusipn may ^e aypidt d. 
 
S7 
 
 induf* 
 u>n£irt 
 quitiei 
 t early 
 
 which 
 whi<:h 
 I from 
 
 pirh of 
 
 It, pM% 
 
 le emio 
 ngland 
 1 pride, 
 itjt no 
 5 King'' 
 Bt, per- 
 of Bos* 
 mselves 
 iwilling 
 
 varied or 
 paswd iq 
 or Com* 
 and conr 
 1 mannef 
 
 rlt: 
 
 1 ihaUex. 
 ranted by 
 
 heirs and 
 
 I p. In 
 i an ex- 
 refers tiO 
 iently re- 
 pljr ; an4 
 he other 
 iiht, thjB 
 early de- 
 is utterly 
 , apd iti| 
 in favor 
 1 of the 
 IT Cpurti| 
 e puriouf 
 irtf , that 
 
 -m 
 
 ipquarttr in ihtir annorial bearing! alittleiUce of the 
 lion and the iinicom.t) 
 
 But our author haa forgotten that the original introduc- 
 tion of american settlers was intended to be restricted 
 to those distinguished by the name of loyalists : to those 
 who, from devotion to the cause of their Sovereign or in 
 obedience to principle, Left the early scenes of their boy- 
 hood, their home, their altars, and their country; to 
 t^sa who were brought to the touchstone and found 
 not wanting. These men are genuine ; they carry the 
 lower mark ; and if a little alloy has crept in with them^ 
 thr f will forn? a sufficient antidote. 
 
 However certain it is that neither force, deception, or 
 persuasion, will ever be employed to angiify the Cana* 
 dians, in so far as relates to their language, habits and 
 customs ; (for their religion is totally out of the question) 
 it is superlatively absurd to deny, that very beneficial 
 consequences, would result from such an assimilations 
 and indeed most ridiculous, to pretend that the actual dis- 
 similarity, prevailing in this cpuntry, constitutes the best 
 defence of a british Province f Among nien, resemblance 
 is union. A person will always prefer another, of his 
 own opinions, habits, language, colour or even namct 
 to such an may diff*er in these points of relation. Simi- 
 lar sentiments and feelings, create a common sympathy 
 among this persons possessing them , and sympathy is the 
 basis of all affectioiis. Two blacks, meeting in one of 
 the wrhite cities of Europe, approach each other, by 4 
 physical, as much as a moral acuity almost irresistable. 
 Should one ofoprHurons, after loitering some weeks 
 on the bank* of the Nile, meet with another of histribef 
 who could describe the movements of his soul ? what 
 painter could sketch the gestures of joy that would mark: 
 the scene ? When a Macdopald or a Fraser meets ano« 
 
 f I II I II I I ■ I 1. 
 
 I The preten()ied enmity ojF the Americaiis to the English is in a grea| 
 degree arti^cial. Jn ofder to counteract the natural bias the foriner hay^ 
 to the latter, frpm a fear it might finally affect their niitiopal indep«a« 
 duagCl t}^ leaders of a {larty ftll their ^KW^ape^s $nd other PfiPM witk 
 ^r^P^^Pts and ribaldry, at y,\\i^)\ they secretely lau^h and sneer, 
 
28 
 
 ther of the same fiamt, they are drawn together by the 
 sound i and however feeble this affinity, it will be seen 
 to take effect, in a room full of people, all other consi- 
 derations being equal. We would surely, prefer a pic- 
 ture that should express a perfect resemblance of our" 
 selves, to one exhibiting a Khan of Tartary, or a Chi- 
 nese Mandarine : so we. involuntarily 9««ociatt with those, 
 in whom, from a similitude of feeling and manner, we 
 seem to discover our own image. These tendencies, ori- 
 ginate in the universal and indestructible principle of self- 
 love. Whatever qualities we find elsewhere, resembling 
 our own, vft claim a connection to ; we justify, admirci 
 and seem to be approving merely our individual self. 
 Since all the more manly, austere feelings, of our nature 
 are engaged in political associations and diflferences \ af- 
 finities from such causes, become so much the stronger. 
 And as every point of resemblance among the individuals 
 who compose a State is a bond of union, the greatest uni- 
 formity, will necessarily produce the greatest degree of 
 national strength. 
 
 On the contrary every point of difference, is also one 
 of repulsion : and this issues from the same principle of 
 self love ; for we involuntarily turn with indifference and 
 sometimes disgust, from qualities and characteristics in o- 
 thers, which instead of concurring, are brought in compa- 
 rison or competition, with our own. 
 
 So long as the Canadians continue to form a contrast* 
 with their English fellow subjects, in so many particulars, 
 they will continue to feel as strangers. They may respect, 
 they may esteem, but it is difficult to suppose, they can 
 possess that unison of sentiment, which constitutes equal- 
 ly the charm and the strength of society. They who be- 
 lieve the reverse must deal in levities. It might as well 
 be expected a person would encrease the harmony of his 
 family, by educating part of his children in Turkey, and 
 part in England. It might as well be expected a stage 
 coach would be better drawn by a combination of horses 
 and hysenas, than by a uniform team of the former alone* 
 
n 
 
 In the lame spirit, we ought to wonder, thit the building 
 of the tower of Babel did not proceed with greater luc- 
 ceif after, than before the confusion of tongues. 
 
 This Province is destined to receive a large brittsh po* 
 pulation. English, Irish, Scotch particularly from the 
 Highlands, and American Loyalists, are emigrating to our 
 rising country. They find it a virgin waste, untouched 
 by human industry or art, except the narrow selvage 
 we occupy. Under the exercise of superior labour, skill 
 and enterprize, their means and numbers will take a ra- 
 pid growth. They will form a widely encreaslng body, 
 bearing all the nation^ traits of Great Britain, and deri- 
 ving from the mother country, qualities to which, a constant 
 intercourse with her will give depth, vigor and perma- 
 nency. The impossibility of preserving a state of Society 
 perfectly homogeneous in this Province, appears absolute 
 Among the Canadians another people are forming, who 
 have all the characteristics of the parent state. Would 
 it be more expedient, that they should shed their nation- 
 al marks and adopt those of the Canadians ? or would it 
 be more reasonable and politic, in these, to recede with 
 less reluctance from those useless peculiarities which, with- 
 out conferring any advantage, constitute so many points 
 of repulsion ? The question conveys its own answer. The 
 british Oak has shot across the ocean his mighty root : 
 he has broken through every stratum of the earth : and 
 it would be more wise in the gentle Lilac here, to inter- 
 mix her fibres in friendly confidence, than to resist in 
 vain the herculean ramification. 
 
 Happy respectable Canadians, listen with caution, to 
 perhaps your well meaning soothsayers : survey for your- 
 selves the fair eminence on which you repose. The first 
 Nation of our Globe : first in her attainments of civil and 
 political liberty i first in moral sentiment and the unalte- 
 rable exercise of justice, calls you to the proud condition 
 of british subjects. She invokes the developement of your 
 genius, your talents and industry i and has opened all the 
 avenues to Individual prosperity. Let fifty years of goo^ 
 
t 
 
 i t ii 
 
 faitht btntfiOMOe tad pMtfsil cwt^ chact from ymir 
 mind the bit incM of dittnHt. Glloriitt yowowBes* 
 perience i lum up the tcts» ({uiJItitti Mid propemititi of 
 the Britkb Oovemment and peopUi tnd firwikly nj^ 
 whether the mult ought not to procure for them, your 
 respect, esteem tnd reliance f Then, united and ennobled 
 bj our distinguished political fate, let ui promote without 
 guile the pei^cr and welfare of our portion of the Empire : 
 let us, freely mix and incorporate with a Nation which 
 has conferred on us her good Ibrtunei and her lustre i a 
 nation on whose domains the Sun never ceasea to ihihe^ 
 lad whose glory will encrease withthe bonnda of memory* 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 ^Y 
 
 : i:^ 
 
* I 
 
 ■X- t 
 .it vy 
 
 1 \