^>. .%. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) y i^o A f/. X? z. 1.0 I.I 1.25 2.5 2.2 2.0 III 1.8 1.4 11.6 6" ^ /i & /a ^/. 'c^l c^m J (? / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICMH Collection de microfiches. Canadian instituta for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notas tachniquea at bibliographiquaa The Institute has attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which may alter any ci ihe images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. L'Institut a microfilm^ le meilieur exemplaire qu'il lui a iti possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-dtre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier una image reproduite. ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la m^thode normale de filmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. n D Coloured covers/ Couverture de couleur r~| Covers damaged/ Couverture endommag^e Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaurie et/ou pellicul^e □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur D D Pages damaged/ Pages endommag^es Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur^es et/ou pelliculdes □ Cover title missing/ Le tit itre de couverture manque / Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages ddcolor^es, tachet^es ou piquees □ Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur □ Coloured itik (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) □ D Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other matarirl/ Relit avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margir^ La re liure serree peu causer de I'ombre ou de la distorsion ie long de la marge intdrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans le texta, mais. lorsque cela ttait possible, ces pages n'ont pas iti filmies. D n D D D Pages detached/ Pages ddtachees Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of print varies/ Quality indgale de I'imprussion Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel supplementaire Only edition available/ Seule Edition disponible Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une pelure. etc.. cnt itif fiim^es d nouveau de facon A obtenir la meilleure image possible. D Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplimentaires; This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmt au taux de reduction indiqut ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X J 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Seminary of Quebec Library L'exemplaire filmA f Jt reproduit grAce A la g^ntrositi de: Siminaire de Quebec Bibliothdque The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in keeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original co, signifie "A SUIVRE", ie symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimfo A dee taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul ciichA, il est filmi A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mithode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 IP .. STRICTURES *•»,. UPON A RECENT REPORT OF THE li 1 U t I ri QUEBEC COMMITTEE OF RELIEF: ' •' }■•■ WITH AN APPEN ♦:? ? Hi \li;,. i.-'-t J.. -Vi fi ; BY HAMPDEM.Xi ■''■ ■ ' „'^*-=^J' "■ >' " They had a Vision of their own, Ah ! why did they undo it?" " Committees cannot be believed : ' Disclosures awful' caused much cavilling j Before the winding-up's achieved, Strange mysteries will need unravelling !" ■^' I.' e printed for the use of the members; and on the 8th, on the motion of the Honble. Mr. Cochran, who had seconded the counter motion, it was adopted by a majo- rity of about twelve to eiglit, with spaces in it still vacant for figures, and with instructions to the Sub-Committee to fill up the blanks. Before these blanks were filled up, the Acting Secretary furnished the •' Quebec Mercury" (of which Paper he is Editor) with the Report as part . of the Minutes, and it was published on the 9th, in a Supplement of that Journal, without signature, and incomplete, trco days before the departure of the Englush Mail. It will be observed that the informal vagueness in the terms of dieir ap- pointment, invested the Sub Committee with a sort oC cart-blanche to select articles according to their fancy, to construe as false and injurious even those which were injuriously true, and, without disclosing their selections, to comment upon them in the exercise of a secret censorship, if only an over- bearing majority would ratify their interj)retations, and adopt their defence without either information or enquiry. No specific statements in tlie news- papers were referred to them, nei,ther have they referred to any as false and injurious, nor even intimated whether and where they found a single one of that description. Nothing of the kind is in the possession of, nor recognized by, the Committee of ;^lief j and yet when the Sub-Committee upon false and injurious statements bring in their Report, designated " Dr. Cook's Report from the Sub-Committee," every effort to procure the information re- quisite to the formation of an opinion is repressed, — every attempt on the part of the minority, to obtain proper access to the specific statements re- ported upon, and in regard of which a vote is to be given, is opposed. It was severally moved by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr. Sheriff Sewell, — *' That the statements reported upon as false and injurious by the Sub-Com- mittee appointed on the iSth ultimo, he now read:" and again, " That the Sub-Committee appointed on the 18th ultimo be instructed to communicate to this Committee the particular statements reported upon by them as false and injurious, to enable this Committee to form an opinion." * But both of these were negatived, and the Committee were forced to *' open their mouth and shut their eyes" and swallow the Report hi gloho ! \ I •" Where papers are laid before the house, or referred to a Committee for their consideration, every member has a right to have these papers read through once at the Table, before he can be compelled to form an opinion." " When papers were referred to a Committee they were used formerly to be first read, but of late only the titles ; unless a member insisted that they should |)e read, and then nobody could oppose it." Hatsell, vol. ii., p. 157. t" Mr. Onslow used frequently to assign another reason for adhering strictly to the rules and orders of the House. He said it was a maxim he had often Keard, when he was a young man, from old and experienced members — ' That nothing tended more to throw power into the bands of the Administration, and those who acted with the majority of the House of Commons, than a neglect of, or departure from; tlicse rules — Hint the forms of j)rocceding as instituted by our ancestors, operated .is a check and control on the actions ot minit^lcrs ; and that Even the published Protest alluded to, which ia the only specific document lo which reference is made, is undescribed by the date or the signatures aflixed to it ; and although it is privately known to bo n certain Paper marked Z (see minutes 6th April) which the Committee refused to receive or regis- ter two months before, — even this is not pretended to be false and injurious, — even this was not suffered to be read, — even this is not in the possession of the Committee, neither had the Sub-Committee any authentic copy of it; and yet three-fourths of the Report then about to be adopted, and which 4 was adopted, consisted of animadversions on that single Document. * The foregoing history of the Report upon which it is proposed to make a few remarks, will' be found to be in harmony with the character of the Re- port itself, and with the arbitrary determination of the majority that no infor- mation should be obtained to enable the Committee themselves, and still less the Public, lo form an intelligent opinion upon the subject. But there are further particulars which arc not less curious in the iiistory of this Report. It came from a Sub-Committee instructed to report upon Jltlse and injurious siateme7its, Stc. ; but it is entitled an " ad interim Report of tlie state of the funds ,•" as if it had been felt (and as will be tthnvn) that there being nothing injuriously false to report upon, it would do as well to report upon something else. This anomaly discovered, a motion was made by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr. Sheriff Scwcll, — " That whereas the Report now on the table from the Sub-Committee ap- pointed on the 18th ultimo, purports to be a Report of the state of the funds at the disposal of the Committee, ami not on false and injurious statements in the public prints, which formed the subject referred to ihcm, the !?aid Report be sent back to the said Sub-Committee in order to be made conformable to the order of reference :" and another by Mr. Sheriff Sewell, seconded by Mr^ Stewart Scott, — *' That the heading of the Report be altered as follows: — * The Sub-Com- mittee to whom was referred certain false and injurious statements in the nnvvspapers, report,' " &c. But both of these shared the fate of their associates, together with one by Mr. Holt, seconded by Mr. Gingras, to have the blanks first filled up; and another by Rev. Mr. Mackie. seconded by Mr. Hall, to consider the Report paragraph by paragraph ; and the Report, with its unknown sums, and em- bryo figures, was adopted as it stood, to be cowpletcd afterwards by the Sub-Committee I I they were, in many instances, a shelter and protection to the minority against the attempts of power.' So far this maxim is certainly true, and is founded iit good sense — that, as it is always in the power of tne majority, by 'their numbers,* to slop any improper measures proposed on the part of their opponents, the only weapons by which the minority can defend themselves against similar attempts from those in power, are the forms and rules of proceeding; which have been adopte'l as they were found necessary, from time to time, and are becoming the standing orders of the House; by a strict adherence to which the weaker party can alone be protected from those irregularities and abuses which these forms were intended to check, and which the wantonness of power is but too often apt to suggest to large and successful majorities.'* Hatsell, vol. ii., p. 224. The contents of the Report-, which Uiviile themselves into three parts, aia in keeping with its hiatory. Tlie 1st part, or Report proper as regards the title, but improper as re- gards the reference, is on "the state of the funds," and occupies abotJt one- eighth of the whole space : the 2nd part which occupiei another eighth relates to the widening of the streets ; and the remaining six-eights are de- voted to the published Protest. With respect to the 1st part, upon '< the state of the funds," it is difficult to say whether its harinlessness or uselessness preponderates, or whether its incorrectness does not exceed them both. It is harmless because uselesp, and useless because incorrect. No man of business will mistake it for what it purports to be. A Balance of £25,000 is fixed and determined upon be- forehand, while blanks are left to be filled up with the yet unknown items which are to produce that Balance. These items, moreover, the Sub-Com- mittee have since declared themselves unable to fill up with the necessay accuracy for want of the requisite information.* But there stands the Ba- lance, in the face of this admitted inability to state the amount of the items which are io produce it, — there it stands — fixed, reported, confirmed, and published, jut-t as if it had no necessary dependence on these unascertained and confessedly variable items of the account, and notwithstanding that the Committee of Distribution have been authorized to take jESOOO out of the Balance or reserve funds,in case of need, to make up the Dividends! For, that Committee, when rc'-ommending a second Dividend, stated, on the 4th May, 1846, that some of their calculations on which they grounded their opi- nion (viz. that they could pay 15 per cent) " cannot be absolutely depended upon, being contingent upon certain proceedings to be hereafter taken," and they accordingly suggested that authority should be given " to deduct to the extent of £3000, if required, from the reserve funds: — and this authority was granted. How, then, can a Balance be Jiardwhen the items of ex- penditure, and the calculations, on which it depends, are avowedly contingent ? Yet the Sub-Committee have actually fixed one ; the General Committee have deliberately confirmed it, and the Secretary has published it for the information of the Contributors ! It has been slated, in explanation, that the jGSOOO will not be required, since the second Dividend will be less instead of more than its estimated amount. But this is at once to admit that the Balance which has been fixed, reported, adopted, and published, is er- roneous, since it is already known that the items producing it will be dif- ferent from what u'as supposed. Or, if (he Balance be correct, then the other items cannot be contingent. 'Y\\Qy tnust fit the Balance: and the Balance being a fixed and determinate amount, so must the other items be which produce it. But these are confessedly contingent. Either, therefore, these items are contingent and definite at the same time, which is absurd, or else the Report bears its own refutation on the face of it. Again, the blank left for the ten shilling " head-money" distributed immedi- I whi • See their 2(1 Report, 15th June, also recommending that the o^cioi publi- cation of the Report should be delayed on this account, although it had been already published as part of the minutes, which were certified by the Secretary. Up to this moment, these blanks have not been filled up. . atcly after tho fires, cannot be filled up so as toAiniish accurate and complete uiforniatiou : for, il" only a part of the amount so distributed Imj inserted, the information will he detective ; and if the 7vhole, then it will be contradictory to the statement that it was " npt taken into account in any subsequent distribution," aince every recipient of a Dividend had \\\a " head-money'' de- ducted from it. But the difficulty of this alternative is enhanced when it is known as a fad, that neither the whole, nor the part alluded to, can be ve- rified at all ; and further, that, while the whole exact amount of the " head- money" has never yet been found out — such is the state of the lists; and that, while, as a necessary consequence, neither can the amount not after- wards deducted from Dividends be ascertained ; a sum of jG8555 is never- theless filled in rvith ink in the original manuscript Report ; and yet in the printed ^Q\iOi\ there is a blank ! Nor is this the only discrepance between the printed paper adopted and published, and the original Report ; for by re- ferring to it, it will be seen, that, in passing through the Press, some un- known hand made other alterations in it, so that the Report presented by the Sub-Committee, designated *' Dr. Cook's Report," was not the same as the printed one put into the hands of the members, and which, having been adopted fw-J/oc, has since been published by the Secretary as part of the Minutes, But all this is quite consistent with other disorderly features in the history of the Report. The Report, moreover, although leaving blanks for the Totals of each Dividend, leaves no room for distinguishing the amounts respectively paid to Proprietors and Tenants. The inequality and injustice of the relief awarded to these two classes^ formed a prominent point in the statements which repeatedly appeared in the Newspapers : but the Committee discreetly omit to leave blanks for any information upon these heads, and content themselves with summary amends for all omissions and mistakes, by the consolatory intimation that their uncalled for " Report of the state of the funds," is not to supercede *' a detailed and accurate account to be after- wards presented." So much for the 1st part of the Report. It is harmless because useless ; useless because incorrect ; and no man of business among the Contributors to whom it was submitted, will mistake it for what it purportsto be — -a finan- cial Document. Its best apology as a monetary statement, is that it ema- nated from a Sub-Committee, consisting of three Lawyers, two Clergymen, >i(d one man of figures, who — did not compose it. But tiiat the General Committee should have adopted it headlong as they did, and then published it, incomplete and incorrect, as a Report to their Contributors, is (consider- ing its history) susceptible of no extenuation but that which substitutes vo- luntary ignorance for carelessness, and thus only aggravates the delinquency which it might be employed to screen. The 2d part of the Report relates to the widening of the Streets. <' It has been generany reported," say the Committee, " that large sums of money have been paid for widening the streets." It had also been commonly stated that this had been done " for the future safety of the city," — and " to pro. cure increased security against a recurrence of the like calamities.'' If this matter really constituted one of the false and injurious statements to be reported upon, it were to be expected that it would be noticed onlv to be (.lispiuveil- But iiiblcad uf tlii«, the (J»)miiiitloo coolly sot themselves to »' explain in few wonls" -what ? not that the thing was not done, but merely how juilicionsli/ it -.vas accomplished f This tacit admission of the fart is prima-facie cvi(ienre that it is not considered '* false," wliile the attempt to justify it is a confession that it is not felt to he " injurious." The fact is, it is injuriously true (and is now corroborated by their own admis- sion) thai the Committee have resolved to spend a portioti of the charitable funds to pay for ground ceded to the Corporation for the widening of the streets, thereby saving the Committee themselves and the other inhabitants of the unhurnt parts of the city, a corresponding amount in taxes, — and this in the face of the rc-iteralcd declaration of the Subscriber, that " tho money was given for no such purpose.'' And of course another eflect of this resolmion is to diminish the fund applicable to the relief of the distress of the "ulTorcrs generally, by jtist so much as is taken out of it to pay for ground for the widening of the streets. The measure under review will be better understood from the following Extracts of the Report of a Sub-Committee on the subject, adopted on the 30th April last, " Your Committee, therefore, recommend that on the production by the Petitioners, to the Committee of Distribution, of their deeds of gift in favour of the Corporation, the Petitioners be severally allowed, from the sources hereinafter mentionecV, and so far as the same will sulTice, as ' an assistance proportionate to their sacrifices for the coimnon interest,'' in ceding the ground in question, viz : To proprietors in St. Joseph Street at the rate of one shilling and six pence per foot, and to proprietors in Craig Street at the rote of two shillings and six pence per foot." " The sources herinafter mentioned," are indicated in the next amended clause, which is abridged as follows: — ' That a due coiisideration be given to the sacrifices made for the public good, and that an increased allowance be made to the Petitioners, according to the discretion of the Committee of Distribution, when called upon to es- tablish and pay the Dividends, and to apportion the premium of £15,000, the amount to be allowed at ihe rates mentioned, to be rateably deducted from the amounts to be received by the inhabitants of the streets in ques- I )» tion. Tho first of the above Extracts exhibits a regular scale of payment for ground ceded by certain parties to the Corporation "for the common interest" : and the second prescribes the particular mode in which that payment shall be made. The purchase-money is to be deducted from the amount voted to relieve the distress of Peter, and added to that voted for the distress of Paul. Now, to say nothing of tlie injustice of making Peter pay Paul whether he be richer or poorer,* insured or not insured, yoimg without a family, or aged with a large one, — a perfect contrast in short to him in every thing except the simple accident of liv'ng in the same street, — to say nothing of such points, which are neverthi ess important in the administration of charitable funds ; the plain questions may be asked — Where docs the money really See Appendix A. P PJ C th ca b th I « I tomt^ from which pays fi)r the gruuiul ? nrid haa not the CDiporalioii, i. c, thu Public, obtained ^^w\.\t\i\ fjratis for the widening ofthe streets, which is n(»w \-)a\d fov out of fhe /iffif/'-/und ? Peter was paid lor his ground by tho Corporation, and Paul is now paid for hin by the Relief-Coinmiltee, oidy throiufh Peter^ \vhose convenient intervention ia thus borrowed, like the cat's paw by the monkey, to save the Committee (but in vain) from tiio burning reproaches of their indignant Contributors, wlio repeatedly declared that " their money was given for no Huch purpose.'' The Corporation, then, have obtaineil the ground ; and the money that i)ays for it, ins^lead of com- ing from the taxes, comes out of the relief-fund. To say that this is not spending money for widening streets, which was suljscribed to relieve dis- tress, would have been too gross an efr«)rt of financial jugglery to deceive ; so ihe Committee, without attempting to deny that the thing n-as Jonc^ ov Xo prove that the newspaper statements concernirig it were " I'i.te," s-hrcwdly confine themselves to the simpler task of explaining horc it was accomplished, and candidly confess that it was ** for the common interetJt," or, as it is elsewhere described, '* for the benefit and common safety of 11 ;" in other words, they admit that large sums have been appropriated by them to the alleged objectionable purpose, and therefore thai the general report referred to by them is/rwc The sum thus appropriated ia one of the unascertained items for which blanks are left in the nevertheless adopted Report, lis amount appears to be not yet known ; but the Editor of the " Mercuiy," when defending the measure in his paper of the 9th May, stated it at about £'2,400 for ha{/' the value of the ground given up : so that, at this rate, the Corporation have obtained about J64<,800 worth of ground for nothing! There is cer- tainly a deal of truth in the frank avowal of the Commiltee, that all this was for " the public good." It is however pleaded by the Committee, that, on the 17th June, 184-3, they gave " a distinct unconditional promise and pledge" to Proj)rietors to the etVect in question, and thus invested them with claims which they •' could not reasonably be expected to forego." This has been .stoutly urged as rendering it inij)eratife on the Committee to keep faith with these Pro- prietors at all costs, — as stringently binding the Committee to the provisions of a covenant, from which the punctual fulfilment of it afibrdcd the only lionorable escape. But without adverting to the Committee's own remark — " neither can it be seriously alleged that the resolutions of this Commiltee are ordinarily to be regarded in the light of promises to the sutterers, and that they cannot be altered if there appear just grounds," &c., and without no- ticing just now the unceremonious way in which other promises and pledges, as well as the repeated stipulations of Contributors, have been set aside, which were not less distinct and unequivocal than this one ; it is readily ad- jiiitted that contradictory pledges have been given by the Conmiiiice, and that their proceedings have, in other respects, not been markeil by that con- cern for their own consistency, which ought to regulate the conduct of deli- berative bodies. But even admitting this, there was one sound principle (often enounced by the minority) on which a safe judgment might have been rendered upon these conflicting claims on the good faith of the C.'onimitfcc,--- and it was this — that the I'ledgrg ^vhirh obfa'ucJ the ivonry ^ho^l!d lie 10 PARAMOUNT, ami tliat 710 pledge could ho legitimate which was at varianr.e uilh these. »Ab jiromise cont«-aveiiing the terms of the prior eiigagejuerils on which the Contributors relied when they gave their money, could fairly pledge funds which were thus otherwise appropriated by the previous cove- iiant. It could only do so on the unjust and exploded principle of an ex- jiost-facto law ; and tlie real good faith of tlie Committee would have been better kept by the breach than by the observance of the posterior contract, which they had no right to make. The only other alternative was that of j)aying the money out of their own pockets. If the moneys were solicited for one purpose, and after liaving been paid, or tvhile'xn course of collection, wcxe promised for another, it were a transaction recognized by the statute- book, and which the hypothesis itself sufficiently describes. Every such p'-omise would be, ipse facto, null and void, unless subsequently ratified by the Contributors; but doubly null if, on the contrary, they raised their voice against it. Now let this sound principle be applied to the case in question : On the 29lh May, J81f), the Quebec subscriptions were ordered to be col- lected " forthe relief of destitute sulVerers": On the Gth June, a celebrated Appeal was made to Great Britain and Ireland," Stc, " for aid to rescue the " multitude now sunk into poverty, (rom the horrors of present destitution, " and probable discnse ;" and it concluded with the words — "it is for THIS that our present Appeal is made :" Then, on the 17th June, after \\\y'' Quebec money had been ncnrly all subscribed, and while the Appeal was on its way to England to solicit more, the Committee, we are told, promised I0 appropriate a portion of it — for what I why "to indemnify" those who should, '• for the common interest," and "the public good," make a "sa- crifice" which would " enhance the value and security" of their remaining property ! This promise was, ipse facto, null ami void, as transcending the powers of the Conuiiittee, and as conflicting with the ])aramonnt terms of the trust on which they held, ajid were at tlie moment nolleititf//, the property of others. But it was rendered doubly null by the London Cen^-nl (Jommiltee's remonstrance — (rc-itcratcd recently when transmitting the last iJ5,000) — against any such expenditure of moneys, which were subs'.ribed, as they declare, " for no such purpose." The Committee further attemf)t I0 justify the mcnsure luuler consideratiori by connecting it with " a principle which," {\\cy sa//, " they have always avowed" — that of " inducing, and, as far as ihey could, constraining Proprietors, in rebuilding their houses, to consult the future salety of the city, and to lake such prudent precautions against the recurrence of fire as the general experience had suggested." It is presumed that they mean by this, the employment of incombustible materials in the re-construction of of their houses. It was not, however, mitil after ihe second fire on the 28th .lune, 18t5, that '' general experience" had convinced even the Committee of the imperative necessity " of stone and brick buildings to be covered with incombustible materiab,'' and of requiring the enactment of a Bye- Law by the Corporation forbidding the erection of permanent wooden dwellings. On the 4th July this change took place in the opinion of the Committee ; but before till? (laic they had actually negatived amotion of the same ten- dency by a nKijority of at least two to one, and lind resf)lved instead, "■ that in fill' opini'Mi nf tin:- (/»'/'rac('calflc at prespnt to rmnpel I vananr.o igeinenls lid fairly us cove- ' an C.V- ive been contract, } that of solicited jllection, statute- ery sucli itified by eir voice [uestion : be col- ;lebrate(l 3scue the ■stitution, t is FOR after the peal was promised >ose who a "sa- einaining sccnding nt terms 'ing, the Ccn^'nl 1 the last )S'-ribcd, iideratioi\ always straining ly of the jf fne as mean by uction of the 28th )n)mittce covered 3yc-La'v wel lings. nmittee \ irnc ten- I, *' that 11 the Proprietors to rebuild their houses with brick or stone, but that all those who build with wood on the street ought to kith and plaster the outsides of their buildings " &c. This Resolution formed the 6th of a series of which the one in question for widening the streets was the 3rd. Both were passed on the 17th June, before the second fire, and they are consistent with each other as parts of a plan which contemplated the reconstruction of a wooden suburbs. The Committee were at that period consentingly anticipating the re-erection of wooden houses, and providing for their safety by offers of assistance towards widening the streets. " The majority of the citizensand the municipal authorities were then opposed to the passing of a law forbidding the re-erection of wooden houses;" so the Committee "contemplated the prevention of similar calamities in almost the only way which the general feeling of the population then permitted."* Wood^ in short, was in the ascendant at the time : the widening of the streets was then emphatically a wooden measure ; and the Committee, therefore, when promising funds) towards that object, were not acting, as they affirm in the Report, on the principle of constraining Proprietors to rebuild with incombustible ma* terials, — for this simple reason — that that principle (having been previously rejected) was not adopted until aflemards ! It appears, then, that the Committee now attempt to justify a measure of the 17th June^ under shelter of a principle which was not adopted by them till the 4th July ! Ex post facto reasoning indeed ! the chronology of v^^hich, however, has yet to receive its climax from the fact of the Committee's having now extended the benefits of the street-widening measure to the St. John's Suburbs, which were burnt eleven days after the resolution had been (as is acknowledged) " passed unadvisedly perhaps," — which second fire alone produced the Bye-law for brick and stone, and caused the abandonment of the wooden plan altogether I Nay, money is granted for widening streets in favor of wood to-day ; and £15,000 are awarded for premiums on brick and stone to-morrow ; and yet, the Committee have all the while been acting on the principle of constraining Proprietors to rebuild with incombustible materials ! But there is yet another point of view in which this subject deserves to be re- garded. The property is confessedly enhanced both in value and security by the improvement of the street. And the rate of payment for the ground — viz. Is. 6J. and 2s. 6d. per foot, according to situation, is understood to be half, or fifty percent, of its present value. Now, with respect to all pro- perty consumed, the Committee have determined that " Loss " should be the basis and the measure of all relief, and they have established 25 per cent, on their losses as the t jtal dividend to sufierers. Here, however, is a new basis. The ground certainly was not consumed, neither was it losty h\xi given; yet if it had been all burnt, the amount awarded to the owner v^^ould only have been 25 per cent. ; but now that it has been given, and that the remaining property is, by the ^^ sacrifice,^'' rendered more 5<'(?Mre and more valuable than befo-e, his indemnity for these advantages is to be doubled) and 50 per cent, is to be granted to him instead of 25 I n ( -OlTipfl I • See the Committee's own Report upon « Communications of the London Committee," presented 12th January. B 12 The Committee, in short, transcended the powers of their trust when re- cently " interfering," (as they themselves properly call it) with the widening of the streets at all • but having involved themselves in that false position, every effort to extricate themselves only renders it the more palpable that the unlaw- fulness of themeasire itself is parallelled by nothing but the injustice and absurdity of its concomitants. The money was subscribed " for no such purpose " as the improvement of the city, or the future safety of its inha- bitants, or for the common interest, or to indemnify for sacrifices which in- crease the value of i)roperty, or to prevent future conflagrations, — but to relieve the present distress which the pasi conflagrations produced. And as for the argument that the widening of the streets merited consideration and pecuniary encouragement, " as a means of preventing the recurrence of a calamity similar to those which we now deplore," (see Report 30th April), why the Relief-fund might have been expended just as law- fully in constructing water- works, and purchasing fire-screens and fire-en- gines, because these happen to be most excellent " means of preventing similar calamities !" The remaining three-fourths of the Report under examination are devoted to "the published Protest," which is undescribed either by its dates or signatures, but which is nevertheless privately understood to be a well known Paper marked " Z," alike distinguished for its manly tone and dignified temper, as for the terseness of its style, the soundness of its principles, and the respectability of the signatures it bears. Ranging as it does over a wide field of observation, the proceedings of the Committee on difl*erent ques- tions, and of various dates, are naturally brought under notice in any ad- equate consideration of such a document; and particularly in so far as these may be found comprised in the scope of the Report. The first Appeal of the Committee ; the classification of sufierers; the measures adopted for the Ist Distribution ; those promised for the 2nd ; the change ; the Imperial grant ; the Church moneys ; Lord Metcalfe's conditions ; the stipulations of other contributors ; the favor shown to Proprietors ; the injury inflicted upon Tenants ; members voting money to themselves ; and the voting of money at all for one purpose, which was solicited, given, and accepted, for another ; — these and such like topics of discussion are revived by this attempt of the Committee to justify their proceeding.?; and a brief review of these will, accordingly, be necessary, in order to understand the fair and full bearings of the case. But why all these should be dragged into an " ad interim Report upon the state of \\\e funds .•'''^ or what new light they may throw on the obscurities — or what reconciliation effect between the contradictions — or what correct items furnish to fill up the blanks, and to fit the fixed Balance of the Report? — are questions not less difficult of so- lution than — why the Committee should have insisted upon adopting at all a Report upon the stateof the funds, from a Sub-Committee instructed to report w'pon false and injurious statements in the newspapers? and the difiiculty is only increased when it is observed that three-fourths of the whole Report are taken up with this important Protest, which is perfectly irrelevant to the subject as indicated in the title of the Report, and equally foreign to the order of reference as indicated by its contents. For it is not pre- tended that this able Protest is false and injurious in it8eJf^ but only that it I (< < )9, 13 "has tended to give currency to many false and injurioua rumour»t** and that, by Bome at a distance, it " has been construed as a serious reflection upon the character of the Committee :" so that, however the rumours and misconstructions complained of, but not described, might have been legi- timate grounds for explanation and defence, tiie Protest was in no way answerable for the mis-statements and mis-apprehensions of others. Indeed the Committee themselves wish to have it believed that they have heretofore despised it; and they give as their reason for hitherto "treating it with silent disregard, that its influence has notm any measure shaken the con- fidence of the respectable inhabitants of the city, in their integrity;" and then, reasoning in a little vicious circle of their own false constructions, they work out the wrong conclusion, that, after all, the charges it contains dwindle into a mjre " imputation of an error of judgment" ! If so, however, why make three -fourths of along Report upon so contemptible a document, and so light a fuiilt? why dedicate only one-eight of it to the funds, another eighth of it to the streets, but six^eights of it to a Paper which but few believe ? All this affectation of sang-froid about the Protest, but ill comports with the length and keenness of their comments on it, or with the pains evinced to elaborate a defence against charges alleged to be so insignificant in character, and so limited in their local influence, as to have rendered it quite super- fluous, during two whole months, to take any other notice of it than that of " silent disregard !" The fact is, the Protest has all the while been, and still is, feh to be a clear enunciation of principles which are incontrovertible, and of facts which cannot be denied. It is borne out by the letter, the spirit, and the arithmetic, of every thing connected with the proceedings of the Committee. The wound inflicted by it on their reputation among the great majority of intelligent contributors on the spot, has been bmarting and rankling ever since; and at length this Report of the Committee is seized upon as a convenient opportunity to give, under cover of another subject publicity to feelings — some of which are believed to have been committed to writing before the Sub-Committee was appointed, and which, impatient of longer restraint themselves, hurried the Committee also into the impe- tuosities and irregularities which have been described. Th3 result has been a total failure. Contributors at a distance " remain unconvinced," and retain the intelligent opinion which had been previously expressed, that the conduct of the Relief-Committee in " appropriating funds subscribed for the destitute and suflering, to the improvement of their city, and the betterinc the condition of the rich," has " brought discredit upon the Province gene- rally, and upon the city of Quebec in particular," and that they "have " altogether exceeded their powers, and lost sight of the wishes, intentions and s///)M^rt/iow5 of the Subscribers."* " We however, see no reason to change our opinion of their conduct, and we doubt whether our readers will come to a ditferent conclusion, and consider that the Committee have cleared themselves from the imputation of having a bused the confidence reposed in them. It is quite clear that the Subscribers to '.he relief-fund intended their donations to be confined to the relief of the really poor and distressed Montreal Herald, 1,2th June, 14 sufferers, and not appropriated to the rebuilding of houses belonging to parties who were able to suffer the ioas."* And, " As to paying for the widening of streets, and improving property, — such an idea could never have entered the heads of the numerous and liberal Contributors on either side of the Atlantic."* The Report and Protest will now be set aside for a few minutes, to be re- sumed after a brief historical sketch shall have been taken of past proceed- ings, already intimated as necessary to understand the fair and full bearings of the case. It became the early task of the statistical Sub-Committee, to collect statistical information upon oral testimony from the sufferers them- selves, as to the nature and amount of their losses, the value of their ground, the amount of their insurance, and such other particulars illustrative of their circumstances and remaining means of maintenance, as might assist the Committee in their subsequent adjudications. This task accomplished, it next devolved upon the Sub-Committee of Distribution, — a body which gradually grew into the possession and exercise of the chief executive pow-i of the Committee of Relief; theoretically subject to their supreme authority, but commonly acting upon their own ; receiving instructions from the superior body, but frequently disregarding them, and reporting their proceedings only when it suited their convenience, — to revise the information collected by the statistical Sub-Committee ; and, aided by Assessors qualified by personal and local knowledge, to examine and modify the representations of the sufferers, and to adjudicate accordingly upon the amount of Loss at which they should respectively stand rated in the Books of the Committee. Pre- viously, however, to the commencement of this work, a comparison of the total nett loss caused by the fires (i. e. the gross value of property con- sumed, less the insurance) as reported by the statistical Committee, with the then estimated amount of subscriptions, had satisfied the Committee of Relief that the latter would reach about 3s. or 4s. in the £ on the former. They thereupon adopted a " Principle and mode of Distribution ;" recorded and published their vievs^s and intentions clearly expressed in a series of resolutions on the 15th September ; and declared a Dividend of 2s. in the J6, or 10 per cent. It now became the duty of the Committee of Distribution to take these resolutions for their guidance, and 1st to determine who among the applicants were, as "distressed sufferers," and who were not, properly admissible to the class of " sufferers to be relieved ;" and 2d to adjudicate (as stated above) upon the amount of loss at which those so admitted should stand rated for a Dividend in the first Distribution. But the " silent disregard " with which these resolutions were treated by the Committee of Distribution, al- though they were frequently in', oked ; the neglect of the Chairman (the Rev. CurS of Quebec) to refer to them, or to have them laid on the table as a guide ; the omission to ascertain the distress of the parties, before admitting them to the class of" sufferers to be relieved ;" the sweeping assumption of the Chairman that ^^all were in distress ;" the passing of parties for Dividends, accordingly, notwithstanding the amount of their insurance, or of their known incomes, or the value of their remaining property ; these and other similar abuses, soon Montreal Morning Courier, Uth June. 15 but gave me to frequeut atiil loud complaints, which, being at length echoed from London, prompted the interference of the General Committee, and caused the appointment of a special Committee to investigate the matter. A Pay-list Committee was also appointed— not however till 1500 cases had been paid, who suspended for re-consideration every unpaid one in which the record showed Insurance, or other remaining mean?, equal to £125. Certified lists of startling cases* which had been passed for Dividenda were laid before the special Committee, who called before them, besides the members who made the complaints, the chairman (Rev. Mr. Baillargeon), and the Trea- surer (Mr. Chabot) of the Committee of Distribution ; but, both of these gentlemen decUning to answer the questions put to them (conduct, of itself sufficient to stimulate investigation and not to stop it) the special Com- mittee reported that they were unable to effect the object for which they were appointed, requested to be discharged, and were disciiarged accord- ingly ! — the uninvestigated complaints, however, remaining as loud as before. The Sub-Committee of Distribution now, at a late hour, suddenly conceived the happy thought of taking the subject of reform into their own hands, and passed, by a small majority, a string of resoluticns on the 18th Nov., which declared, that, as the adjudications had heex\ ir regular, and as parties had been included in the Pay-lists who were not properly admissible to the class of " sufferers to be relieved," such lists should be set aside, and new ones made up in conformity with the instructions of the 15th Semptember. A scale was framed (which however doubled the fonner limit of £125 and raised it to JE250) for the admission, or the exclusion, of parties, according to the amount of their remaining means ; the Pay-list Committee was instructed to apply it ; and a dawn of promise seemed to brighten up the aspect of affairs into a state of hope that some substantial reformation was at hand. It proved but a mompntary gleam! The intent was good: the concep- tion of reform was commendable : but apathy and lassitude quickly super- vened upon the fitful throe which gave tardy birth to it; the Committee of Distribution rapidly declined into their former acknowledged laxity, and soon induced a gradual and worse relapse of the old complaints. The scale, first distended a little to accommodate one member's protege, and then a little more to admit another's, at length resembled in its action the vermiculations of some gigantic Boa-Constrictor, whose deglutitions were facilitated by the lubricatioi'. »f favouritism, until more monstrous cases than many that were first complained of, were smoothly swallowed without difficulty, and digested without remorse. The scale, in short, became so practised in elas- ticity, as well to merit the cognomen given to it of the " India-rubher scale ;" and members, with but few exceptions, acquiesced in a latitude of interpretation with regard to one sufferer, which widened the passage for others, whose cases, they, in their turn, were prepared to plead. Thus reduced to the very mockery of a limitation, the scale became quite a bye- word in the Committee of Distribution : to quote it merely caused a smile : but if any member still attempted to enforce it, he was only supposed to be • Several of them, being among the richest men in town, neither asked nor pvpected relief, and laughed when they were informed that a Dividend had been actually awarded to them, 1« in joke. Farewell vvaa taken of reformation and restriclions, — of promiaca and stipulations, — and even of their own stiil unreacinded resolutions ! Con- sistency il-solf was pleaded for ine passing of cases of the most g'aring kind ; and the Committee oi Distribution seemed to revel recklessly in the spirit of Monsieur Montcalm's aphorism — as fatal to their reputation as it was to his, — " L*: bouchon est tire, il faut Loire le tifi.^^ They became intoxicated with the wealth of oiherj ; insensible to responsibility ; impatient of control ; regardless of remonstrances ; and unmindful of the spirit and the letter of their promises, and the tenor of their trust ;— and intliis reeling habit of mind — unfavourable to sober retrospect or calm consideration ; accustomed, also, to vaccilation and the breach of rules ; they proceeded, having tonjpleted the 1st Distribution, to legislate forthe distribution of the Balance. It was at this period of the history that the events and proceedings arose which gave occasion to the Protest and tiie late Report. And it will only require an attentive perusal of the following extracts and copies of Official Papers, to understand how far the signers of the Protest were justified in making the grave statements which are contained in that able document. On the 29ih May, 18+5, the General Meeting of the Citizens of Quebec, held at the Court House, at which the General Committee was appointed, Resolved *' That Committees, residents in each of the wards of the city, be appointed to make collections for the relief of the destitute sufferers.'" On the (iih June, an Appeal was addressed to the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland, and elsewhere, which concluded wi«h the following words: — "To rebuild the ruined portion of our city, to restore the ruined fortunes or former comforts of its inhabitants, must l>e the work of time and of individual exertions, enterprise, and industry ; but to rescue the multitude now sunk into poverty by this visitation of Providence, from the horrors of present destitution, and probaljle disease, rendered more severe by the inevi- table rigour of our climate, requires nn aid larger than we can supply, and as prompt as large, and it is for this that our present Appeal is made." On the 8th Sept. the Committee resolved " That in the distribution of re- " lief, an equal rate shall be given to those who have lost immoveable pro- •' pcrty, and to those who have lost moveable property, — subject always to " the spirit of the resolutions adopted by tliis Committee." On the loth September, on motion of Mr. Bonner, the Committee adopted the following (Paper A.) as THE PRINCIPLE AND MODE OF DISTRIBUTION. LOSS AND DISTRESS COMBINED TO FORM THE PRINCIPLE. 1, That the basia on which relief is to be granted shall be the loss parties have sustained, combined with the amount of distress occasioned by that loss ; and that the intentions of the contributors to the funds be considered to be that distressed sufferers alone are * sufferers to he relieved .* LOSS DEFINED. 2. That the loss sustained shall be understood to mean the valine of the pro . pfrty destroyed, after deducting tho amount of Insurance, if any. I n DISTRESS DEFINED. f 3. That the amount of distress be determinable on the age, state of health, sex of the family, remaining means of maintenance, &c. &c. MODE OF ASCERTAINING BOTH. ^. 5. 6. That the amount of loss and distress of each case, and the consequent admissibilitj' of parties into the class of'* sufferers to he relieved," shall be the subject of immediate consideration and decision by the Commit- tee of Distribution. DISTRIBUTION — PER-CENTAGE ON LOSS. That (assuming that the funds will ultimately aflbrd a dividend on the losses of " sufferers to he relieved''^ of between 3s. and 4s. in iho pound) a dividend of 2s. in the pound be now declared and paid to tho proprietors of moveai)Ies, and a like dividend to the proprietors of im- moveables, deducting the amount they have already received. « RESERVE FUND, TO EQUALIZE DISTRESS. That the renmininc;/ funds be reserved for further relief, in such va- rying amounts as shall be adjusted according to the various de- grees OF DISTRESS, and that the work of ascertaining the amount of distress in each case be the leisure task of the Committee of Dis- tribution. The above concise and intelligible Paper bears upon the face of it its own testimony to the benevolence of heart by which it was conceived, and to the perspicuity of thought which dictated its method and its phrase- ology. When published, it received the universal commendation which it merited, as the condensed result of much thought and of mature experience; and the General Commiliee felt so justly proud of it, that they more than once employed it to attract to themselves, or to preserve, the approbation and the confidence, of which their recent abandonment of its wise provisions and promises, has now deservedly deprived them. For, when the London Cen- tral Committee expressed their fears that misappropriations of the funds were taking place, and that persons having property remaining would be favoured, while parlies who had lost their all would be comparatively overlooked, this very *' Paper A" was triumphantly transmitted to them, to allay and refute their apprehensions, and to assure them that the intentions of the Committee were in accordance with their own. And again, when His Excellency Lord Metcalfe, who was far from ignorant of what had been going on, was ap- plied to for the Imperial Grant (amounting to some £24>,000 Cy.), he re- quested, before entrusting the Committee with that sum, or with the still larger amount of the Subscriptions in the Churches — (about £51,000 more), to be informed of their plans and purposes with respect to the expenditure of the moneys ; whereupon they again availed themselves of the excellen- cies of this admirable Paper, and enclosed a copy of it as the expression of 18 their views and intontioiis. in ilieir answer to Hi« Lorddliip, — who was then pleased to place the above munificent tokens of British sympathy in the hands of the Committee, to be distributed " in accordance therewith." The agreement, without any concert, between Lord Metcalfe's views, and those of other contributors, is in striking harmony with the terms of the ori- ginal resolutions and Appeal for aid, and strongly corroborative of the princi- ples maintained by the minority of the Committee, as expressed by the signers of the Protest. This will be clearly seen from the following : — WisheSf Intentions^ and Stipulatiotis of Subscribers, communicated to the Committee of Relief Frotn From the Governor General — £2,000. " For the purpose of relieving the pressing and immediate wants of those who have been thus unex- pectedly afflicted." the same — J65,000. " To aid in the erection of temporary buildings (having in view the impossibility of a sufficient number of perma- • ncnt buildings being prepared be -re next winter) and also the af- fording of necessary relief to persons otherwise destitute." From London — iJ'20,000, " The Collections have been made by them, and contributed by the Public, with the intention and upon the ex- press condition that every shilling should be applied to the relief of poor people who have been reduced to a state of destitution by the two fires on the 28th May, and 28th June last. From the same " The Appeal made by this Committee to the British Public was distinctly for relief to the * mass of destitution,* and for the purpose of saving the poor sufferers by those calamities from perishing from cold and hunger: and this appeal was founded upon the one issued by the Committee at Quebec, by which it is con- sidered that they have bound themselves to appropriate the funds en- trusted to them to such purposes alone, and it was in reliance upon their good faith that this Committee have made remittances to them without previous stipulation as to their appropriation." From the same. — " To reiterate that the sole object and intention of the Contributors in England was to relieve those who had lost their all by the two conflagrations, and this Committee would consider as a misappropriation of the Funds which have passed through their hands, any grants for the above (' rebuilding the premises of persons otherwise possessed of property ') or any other purpose, to parties, who, although sufferers, have still property remaining." From Manchester — £10,000. — " Requested distinctly to intimate that the subscription has been raised to relieve persons, and not to restore property." From the same. — "The Committee request me to renew the observation, that the contributions from, this place are intended for the relief of persons, and not to restore property. From the Governor General — £24,000. *« His Excellency approves of the principles and views adopted by the Committee, as explained in your letter and the Resolutions of the Committee of the 15th 19 September (Paper A) which accompanied it, and will have pleasure in confiding to the Committee the distribution, in accordance there- with, of the JB20,000 Sterling, voted by the Imperial Parliament." From the same — £51,000. Queen's Letter. (Church Monies.) " His Excellency is pleased to confide the distribution of this amount, upon the principles already sanctioned by Him, to the General Commit- tee." From Liverpool — £2,000. ** For the relief of destitute sufferers by the late fire at Quebec." From Belfast " The money subscribed here was intended solely for the relief of the poor and destitute, and the Committee would consider it a misapplication of the money to give any part of it to the owners of property, or to any other except the really des- titute." {Money still mthheld till assured as to the application.) It is impossible to avoid being struck with the uniformity of sentiment which pervades the foregoing extracts, or with the close accordance subsist- ing between them and the ** principle and mode of distribution" whith had been adopted on the 15th September ; to the terms of which, unless re- leased by the Contributors, the Committee stood irrevocably pledged. The very appointment of the Investigation Committee was an admission of them. The Committee htidprqfessed to adhere to these terms throughout the first Distribution. The convulsive but transient fit of reform which had seized the Committee of Distribution, was likewise induced by a conviction that none but " distressed sufferers" ought to be relieved ; and although, as the Committee say, ** no man received a farthing except as understood to be in distress," still that distress be<;ame necessarily misunderstood which was measured by a sliding " scale,'' or weighed in a balance with a shifting fulchrum. Distress, however, was pretended to exist in every case as the ground of admission for relief; so that, notwithstanding the abuses that have been described, there had been an ostensible recognition of the sacredness of the established principles throughout the first Distribution, and it was to be expected that at least an equal semblance of adherence to them would be observed in the second. In the former, Distress was required to admit a man for relief ; but when admitted, the extent of his Loss alone regulated the amount of that relief, which was a per centage on it. Distress and Loss were thus to co-exist in order to get relief at all, but Loss alone determined its amount in the first Distribution. But in the second, Loss was to be set aside as the measure of relief, vehich was to depend solely on the ascertained degree of Distress occasioned by that Loss. In technical brevity — "Loss was the basis," because the measure, of relief in the first Distribution ; but " Distress was to be the basis" or measure of it in the second. And whe- ther the Committee adhered to this, or abandoned it, — kept their promises, or violated them, when the period for the second Distribution came, will be readily discovered by the attentive reader who compares the first of the two following series of resolutions proposed by the minority and negativedy with the second or counter series which was adopted in its stead : C 20 Resolutions pi'jpoied, hut negatived b>f the General Committee, on the i'ithand liith March, 184C. I. That whereas the General Committee have adopted, promul- gated, and pledged themselves to the following general principles in regard to the distribution of the monies en- trusted to thein, viz: (1) That distressed sufferers alone were suflerers to be relieved : (2) That Proprietors and Te- nants were to be on the same footing ,• {3)That whilst Distress waste admit a sufl'erer for relief, the ex- tent of Loss alone was to deter, mine its amount in the Jirst Dis- tribution : (4-) That the degree of Z)w//vs5 alone was to determine its amount in the Distribution of the balance .• Therefore, any plan of future Distribution at variance with the spirit of the above principles, would be a violation of promises lield out to all classes of sufferers alike, and oi solemn pledges given to the generous Contributors, on the faith of which the monies were subscribed. II. That Distress\vA.v'\x\g been de- clared to be the basis of future relief, whether found amongst Tenants or Proprietors, such Distress amongst the sufferers shall be held to mean inability, without aid, to resume their former pursuits for the maintenance of their families. III. That the amount of relief shall be proportionate to the ascer- tained degree of Distress in each case, regard being had to age, health, n umber and sex in family,reraaining means, &c. It was not surprising that after so flagrant a departure from established rules, — so palpable a subversion of the entire system of principles which liesolutions adopted instead, hy thf General Committee on the VMh and Idth March, and '^d ^pril, 184-6. I. That it is expedient to grant Tipre- miiim or special encouragement to those owners of immoveable property in the burnt districts,who shall rebuild houses in brick or stone ; roofed ac- cording to the now existing By-law. II. That Loss be the basis of all relief from the General Committee, subject to a maxitnum of relief to be fixed upon, and subject also to an additional grant in cases of peculiar distress, out of a fund to be appro- priated for that purpose, and to the principle laid down by the resolution passed by the Committee on the l3th Inst. (i.e. No. 1.) III. That a fund or sum of £10,- 000 should be reserved for special cases of persons who have suffered by the fires, and who in consequence thereof remain in distress, and are unable to earn their Uvelihood. IV. That the balance be distri- buted to the sufferers, whether pro- prietors or tenants, by a per-centage on their ascertained Loss, in the spi- rit of the resolutions already adopted, on condition that they submit them- selves to the rules of the Corporation, provided always, that the maximum allotted to any individual shall not exceed £250, on the whole, vvith a reserve fund of £15,000 to be award- ed as a premium to Proprietors at the discretion of the Committee. / 21 were binding on llic Committee, there should be luiind cloven of their mcni- bers, out of a minority of double that number, anxious to relievo themselves from the responsibility attaching to such a course of conduct, if they con- ceived it to be no other than a breach of trust ; and possessing nerve enough to do so by publishing the grounds of their dissent, for the information of Contributors, in the terms of the following celebrated PROTEST. The undersigned. Members of tiie General Committeee of Relief, for the following reasons hereby solemnly protest against the Plan and Resolutions recently adopted by this Committee for the distribution of the moneys re- maining in the hands of the Treasurer: — 1 — Because the Ai)peal from this Committee of the 6th June last, to the inhabitai ts of Great Britain and Ireland and elsewhere, calling for aid to relieve the sufferers by the Fires, declared that such aid was solicited to reheve distress, and concluded with the words — " it is for this our present appeal is made." 2 — Because this Committee, by certain resolutions of the 15th September, declared that Loss should determine the amount of relief to be granted to distressed sufferers in the Jirst distribution, and that the degree of ascer- tained Distress alone should determine it in the distribution of the balance' 3 — Because the late Governor General, when applied to by this Commit- tee for the- Imperial Grant, required information, before parting with it, as to the intended mode of relieving the sufferers, and was furnished in reply with a copy of said Resolutions of the 15th September, whereupon His Excel- lency entrusted to this Committee, not only the Imperial Grant, but also the " Church moneys," amounting together to £70,000, intimating at the same time that they should be " distributed in accordance therewith^'' and this Committee accepted the money under that condition^ 4j — Because, when certain complaints of misapplication of the Funds were made in September last, by the London Central Committee of Relief, the Chairman of this Committee, in defence of its conduct, transmitted to the London Committee a copy of said Resolutions of l5th September : and cer- tain Contributors to the Funds, in transmitting their money to this Commit- tee, have stipulated that it should be expended " to relieve distress and not to restore property," and their money was accepted under that stipulation* 5 — Because the Resolutions now passed favour the class of Proprietors with a special pre'mium of jG 15,000 in addition to their common dividend on Loss; whereas, by a deliberate resolution of this Committee, of 8th Sep- tember, Tenants and Proprietors are to be put on the same footing as to relief. (i — Because to abandon Distress now, and to revert to Loss, as the basis of rehef in the second distribution, will be to perpetuate the admitted abuses of the first, 7 — Because the Resolutions hereby protested against arc "a departure from the principles which have been adopted and promulgated and which are binding on this Committee, and therefore that this Committee in pas- iiing the said Resolutions, have violated solcnm promises deliberately given :t:— Cause and therefore augmentation, in the secoml Distribution, of the adinittod abuses of the firHt, The guarantee, then, for this, which is given in the Report, id contained in the following stateniont: — " the Committee have to state that the Sub-Committee of Distribution are actually scrutinizing each Pay-list and setting L'side all doubtful cases for re-examination. So that there really exists no reason for perpetuating any abuse that has been or that can be proved." Doubtless there can bo no reason for perpetuating abuses : but what if it prove true that no measures have been taken to prevent them 1 And what if it be found, that, at the very time when this deliberate assertion was made to, and then adopted and published by, the General Committee, in order to allay the well-founded apprehensions of their Contributors, — no such scrutiny had been either ordered by the General Committee, or resolved upon in the said Sub-Committee of Dis- tribution ; that when, eighteen days after the Report was presented, eleven after it was adopted, and *6'e^n weeks after the payments of the second Dividend had commenced^ a step of the kind was at length taken, it was, as a scrutiny, perfectly ludicrous in its sole provision ; and that even this was totally abandoned eleven days after its adoption, without having been put into execution at all ! — what if all this should happen to be true ? why, then, it will follow that the General Committee have endeavoured to lull the fears of their Contributors, by endorsing a statement which is at varianco with fact ; and that, instead of " no reason for perpetuating," there is no provision for averting, in the second Distribution, an aggravated repetition of the admitted abuses of the first. The history of the scrutiny is this. An individual member of the Sub-Committee of Distribution, knowing that a reconsideration of many cases had 'lern always talked of as necessary before the payment of further sums to parlies — some of whom of their remaining means, were not in distress. To this it may be answered, that, in cac/i case, the Committee of Distribution thought otherwise^' Yet this same Committee of Distribution did, on the 18th November, after 1500 cases had been paid, think and resolve as follows, — " that as it appears that the Lists of par- ties whose losses have been adjudicated upon, from which Pay-lists have hitherto been made, and which the Committee has now adopted, were made up errone- ously in some respects, inasmuch as persons are therein included for Dividends who would not properly come within the principle of the resolutions of the General Committee oj the 15th September^ such Lists be no longer used in forming Pay- lists, and that this Committee do now proceed to make up Lists in conformity with, those instructions." The General Committee, therefore, say that the Sub-Com- mittee of Distribution thought a certain thing, viz. that improper grants had 7iot been made ; while that Sub-Committee themselves declare they thought ju&t the opposite thing, viz. that improper grants had been made ! The General Com- mittee will settle this contradiction with their own Sub-Committee, as best they may. In the mean time, this apology may be offered for it, — that the recent statement emanated from a Sub-Committee upon " false and injurious state- ments," who, having lost their way so far as to report upon « the state of the funds," only lost it a little further by trying to report the thoughts of another Sub-Committee, over whom they had no control, and with whom they hold no rontcronce ! But if the General Committee chose to be themselves misled into a belief and confirmation of contradictions, it is hoped thai they will not be of- fended if their Contributors decline to follow them. v> 3S ought never to have received any, and others of whom ought not to receive any more^ look it upon himself, in the exercise of a commendable zeal, to *' cross" for revision sundry cases which he conceived required it. It is not easy to discover thpt he was guided by any precise and uniforn". rule or scale in these " crossings," since the cases which were " crossed,*' ranged, in regard of remaining means, from large amounts, down to as low as £100; while those not "crossed" for re-consideration, ranged from the lowest amounts up to as high as beyond £2,200. His intentions, however, were excellent, though without authority. But although the statement respecting the actual scrutiny alleged to be at that time going on, was made on the 1st June, and was confirmed by the General Committee on the Sth, the Sub-Committee of Distribution took no action whatever on the subject until the 19th (the payments requiring scrutiny, however, having com- menced on the 2nd May /) — and even then — what is it supposed was the stringent security provided against the repetitio*^ of improper payments ? — why, that, whereas, in ths first Distribution, an amount of remaining ir.^ans of every descriptiou equal to £250, at least nominally closed the door against a claimant ; the scale was now raised to £500, and confined only to Insurance, — no notice being taken of Ground, Salaries, or other property. So that, when it had been a question whether a sufferer should get even a first Dividend of only ten per cent, the possession of J6250 ir- the Qvhole, formed at least a nominal barrier to his admission : but when *he question became whether he should get a second Dividend oi jijtecn per cent wzor^, double the above sum, might be ox\\y part o{ his remaining means, without his being debarred or scrutinized at all ! Nor was this all ; — the Sub-Committee resolved on the same day (19th June,) that persons excluded by the £500 Insurance-limit, should f".rnish written reasons for considering themselves entitled to a second Dividend, and that these should be presented on or before the 10th July : but, on the 30th June, without waiting for the appointed day, the burlesque of a guarantee against abuse was consumrriated — by authority, too, of the very General Committee who now shield th .imselves under this figment of security, by the said Sub- Committee's passi/ff a resolution to this effect, — " that «// the cases in which a Jiist Dividend was granted by this Committee, be paid a seco7id, in accordance wiVnthe resolution ot the General Committee making " Loss^^ Iha basis of all relief P'' Nay, further, "Loss" having been made the sole basis of relief, and "Distress" no longer a co-ordinate element in a title to a Dividend, the Sub-Committee of Distribution passed a whole set of long " rejected cases," for both Dividends together ; and even after ten of these had been specifically ordered by the General Committee to be suspended, till the reasons for having yiow passed them should be reported, the Sub-Committee, having, on the 26th June, resolved to request the revoca- tion of that order., did on the 30th, without having made that request, without having reporte-l reasons, as directed, and with the order for suspension still in force, again pass these identical ten ca'^es for both Dividends, like the rest ! One of the,>e is a case, which has been noticed in the Ncvin-'pcrs, ol a ^:uiiO!or \w\\o is reported to have asked the Government jCG,000 for only apart of her lemaining ground, and who l»ad £1,2U0, of Canada In- surance. But " Loss," was the basis of relief; and as she was a loser, it did not signify now much A\c had hft ,■ the inconsistency would have been :i9 o" — not in paying, iiiit in withholding, her Dividend on what she had lost^ — no matter how much she had remain? ' f Here, therefore, " Loss," as the basis, shines forth conspicuously — i.ot only as perpetuating, nor merely as aggravating, the old admitted abuses of the first Distribution, but as creating new ones of a worse description ; — and thus this confessedly de- fective basis of '< Loss," transcends in its effects even the forebodings of the Protest! This affair of the passing of these ten cases was afterwards admitted to have been irregular ; and an enquiry was ordered ; when it was ascertained that three of them (including the above case) had been paid £304, "with undue precipitation,''* before the minority had detected it; and the General Committee then completed the thing — can the reader guess how? — why by recalling their demand for reasons, and by giving the Committee of Dis- tribution leave to do with the remaining seven — as they pleased / And this is " actually scrutinizing each Pay-list, and setting aside all doubtful cases !" — Thus vanishes this baseless fabric of a vision about re-examination, — this groundless fiction of security against abuse, in which, with so much com- placency, the Contributors are invited to confide. — Thus disappears, by consequence, the last forlorn hope of escape or shelter for the General Committee, fr(K:' &C. Divi- dends award- ed. £710. 1034. 896. 1192. 4200. 1150. 225 250 250 72 124 250 2. Poorer Parties whose relief-money is to be reduced, to pay richer parties for their ground. * Parties. Remaining means : ■i. e. Ground, Insu- rance, and Corpora- tion-money for Ground and walls &c. M. R. J. D. M. R. r. J. J. D. Widow B Divi- dends, award- ed. £ 68. 85. 126. 178. 180. 225. 23 26 10 18 31 25 'fc remiums, from which, as well as from on it A page 23, 53 1 It should now be understood that on two former occasions ; — one, when the Newfoundland question was re-considered ; and another, when it was highly desirable to suppress disclosures touching « a dark transaction," detected by the minority, in which improper payments nad been imperatively ordered, in spite of the objections of the Accountant, by a member of the Committee, who, hav- in» availed himself of that capacity to order the payment, then assumed iiis other capacity of Attorney to receive it : — on these two previous occasions, a muster of 18 French Canadian Clergymen and 1 Bishop, besides 4 sufferers — recipients and expectants of money and " honestly interested in the right admi- nistration of this charity," — had supplied an overbearing- majority, and evinced an animus, which disgusted tiie British members, and must have opened the eyes of many of them to the true spirit of their former allies. Partly on this account, and partly because the 27th July was English Post-day, the attend- ance of 'inglish members on that day was but small ; but the proceedings on the above *.'trec occasions led to the step which, to the great body of the British members, appeared the only means of preservinaj their own self-iaspect, and of avoiding powerless responsibility to their Contributors : — They withdrew from the Committee, and communicated the fact of their retirer/ient to that Body, and to all else whom it might concern, in the following terms : — <' We the undersigned Members of the General Committee of Relief, in con- sequence of measures recently adopted in that Body, and actuated by conside- rations of respect for ourselves, deeply regret that we cannot any longer seem to sanction its proceedings by a useless attendance, and we therefore hereby sig^- nify our retirement from the said Committee of Relief. Quebec, 29th July, 1846. J. Charlton Fisher, Jeffery Hale, Jno. Bonner, Wm. S. Sewell, H. Jessopp, Noah Freer, W. Stevenson, C. Gethings, A. Gillespie, G. H. Parke, H. Go wen, Charles Sharpies, Edward Boxer, Henry Burstall, Archd. Campbell, J. Drunimond, H. Atkinson, John Munn, Wm. Walker, Jas. Gibb, George Hall, Edward Burstall, J. P. O'Meara, M. Connolly, Jas. A. Sewell, Thos. W. Lloyd, Henry S. Scott, J. Douglas, J. Grainger, H. LeMesurier, John Sewell, R. Cassels. * This last rescinding act of tlic Committee brings conviction to a crisis as to the consistency of that Body. 'I'lic measure now rescinded, was, pursuant to notice given on the 13th April, first jnoposed on the 20th, with 37 members pre- sent, and was then, after some debate, adjcurned. On the 22d the discussion was resumed with 49 members present, aiid adopted. On the 4th May, pur- suant to notice given on the 3U(h April, one attempt to modify it was rejected by a majority ot 3t) to 24, and another to evade it was defeated by 3.5 to '^C. Again, on the Uth May, a special Committee on a petition from certain inhabi- tants, presented a Report containing the following allusion to the measure which has now been rescinded :— " 'J'hat the Committee adopted the IJesolulion in question under a dcfp conviction that the same was calculated to promote the • Absent Iro'n Qur-ber, but t^incc signed. n f general good of all the suflerers without distinction : that the subject has twic(0 undergone discassion in the General Committee ; aiul that the Sub-Committee are of opinion that the same cannot now be rescinded, notwithstanding their re- gret that the decision in question, has met the " solemn disapproval of the Petitioners, &c." The General Committee, with 25 members present, adopted this Report unammovs/y ; and y6ft, on the 27th July, they rescind the mea- sure in question by a majority of 30 to 10, which had been criminally adopted in a meeting of 49, and subsequently confirmed in a meeting of ^i. by a majority of 36 to ^. Nay, they rescind a measure which they had u.^animousty declared they were deeply convinced was for the good of all., and which could not be res- linked ! What becomes now of the consistency of that Bodfy in declaring, ** that as far as it is in the power of the Committee to coinpel it. Proprietory are c(ymp'>lied to rebv'Id," &c. What becomes of the paraded restrictions which justified the enormous advantages awarded to the richer class of Proprietors, but which are abolished now that those advantages are secured ? — leaving that petted' class, " as far as it is in the power of the Committee," in the enjoyment of the favors heaped upon them, to the detriment of poorer sufferers, fettered by no other restrictions than those of their own inclinations ! What becomes, also, of the' principle " always avowed" (it is presumed no longer so) of " constrain- ing Proprietors," &c. ? Whst, of the benefit deceptively held out to poor Ten- ants in theshape of reduced rents, from the numerous houses which Proprietors were to be evmpclled to build ? What, of " the distress of the time" — " the very kind of distress which chiefly exits," the « houses that are wanted" ? What of the object, « second only m importance and pressing obligation to the relief of the destitute — the prevention of similar calamities"? What, like- wise, of the *' prudent precautions against the recurrence of fire, which the general exr^erien'ce had suggested ?" What, even, of " the future safety of the City" t Surely the old majority will themselves be at length « constrain- ed" to confess, that, whatever may be thought of the aggravated abuses of the Second DistribotioB, its impnsistencies can be neither palliated nor denied. f Kt ^ < */ .P. S. — The General Coir ittittee consists of about 120 members. '• The celeua^ed blanks (see page 6.) are sliU in statu-quo, after a lapse of ^hine weeks, and uie official pablkation of the Seport, already published by the Secretary, is still delayed. With reference to the seven cases left to be disposed of by the Committee of :Distribution " as they pleased*^ (see page 39) ; it has plca'scd that Committee to fpass them all, not only for their Dividends, but, six of the set the}' belonged to, for their « Canada-Insurance compensation" also. The reader uninitiated in the " mysteries" will ask what that is. The Committee decreed that the Canada Company's policies were worth only 128. 6d. in the £., and then (with a few modifications) ordered 25 per cent on 7s. 6d. in the £., to com- pensate sufferers insured at that office. Compensation has thus been made upon about £35,000. of Canada Insurance ; and, among the parties compensated, the £6,000 case mentioned at page 38 as one of the above set, received £112. 10s. to make amends for the bad fortune of having £1,200. of Canada Insurance ! Query: — If the Canada Company should pay 208. in the £.j as some shrewd persons suspect they will, will there be any refunding ? % fi" ;iv,-ts'*nt:?n fw^'.i m