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 •"Sawr-SL?^ in the Court of Appeals, 
 
 James Kerr, Esquire, 
 
 {^Plaintiff below) 
 
 k 
 
 APPELLANT. 
 
 Joseph Hubert La Croix, Esquire, Z^^aff^ C/ni- 
 versel of his Mother Marie De La Croix, 
 deceased, 
 
 (Defendant below) 
 
 RESPONDENT. 
 
 T. 
 
 A 
 
 J. HIS Appealio instituted from a Judgment of the Court of King's 
 Bench of Montreal, rendered in February, 1815, dismissing the Appellant's action. 
 
 The action was brought against the Respondent, representing his late Mo- 
 ther for damages, in having previoufl to and on 30th September, 1796, represented 
 herself and the Children of her husbani! •' .hat time deceased, to be Seigneurs 
 of a Fief called Villerai, situated under Cape Diamond, and lor iiaving sold the 
 Appellant, for avaluable consideration, certain arrears ni Lodsel Vcntes, pretended 
 to be due by one John Fraser, when in truth and in fact no such Fief existed, and no 
 Lods el Ventea were due by the said John Fraser to the widow and Heirs La Croix. 
 
 The idesnondent pleaded two exceptions. Isl That as Legatee Unhersel he was 
 notanswTable,— andSdly. That the Appellant beiiiii then a Barrister, practising 
 in the Courts of Quebec, could not legally purchase this d'bt, being then a Droit 
 LUis'tux • But both pleas were over-ruled by the Court below, so that the only 
 enquiry to be (hen made was, whether the allegations made by the appellant in 
 his declaration, were true. 
 
 The facts in evidence arft these. In the year 1796 the appellant was consult- 
 ed as to the best way of recovering a sum of near £3000, due to a Mr. John E«>hs- 
 erof London as lidlleur de fonds of tw.) wharves, situated under Cape Dia- 
 mond The pirchasers insisted on retainin;- the money due to Mr. Eraser till 
 the acquittance of all Lods H i'mtes anterior to their purchase, was produced. 
 As boUi vvlnirves had been conceded in 1772 p.nd 1773 by the Widow and ILirs 
 LaCroixincinalityofSeigneuis of Villerai, and a Judgment had been re.-dored 
 in the Conn of Common Pleas at Quebec, recognizir.g them as Seigneurs, the ap- 
 pellant advised Mr liurns, then a^ent of INIr. Fraser, to obiam an acquittance 
 tinni the Widow La Croix of Ludx ec I e.tUes due by him, as the best means to 
 facilitate the recovery of the Money. 
 
 Mr Bitcns however,^ having no authority to purchase these rights, declined 
 to d . M) till he should hear from Mr, Fraser. Tlie appellant then intending to 
 '-isii K.n-bn.l. proposed to Mr. BuruH to make the put clw.-*e tor Mr l<raser in his 
 own name, which ihat Gentlemen approved of, v.nd this it will be observed, was 
 w,Tr,o««toh!soblaininosueh an a.ssignment. The Appellant flattered himself 
 that on a oc.^onal interview with Mr I'lascr. he tould lind no dilli.ulty in per- 
 gi,.,,iii,.v li !>, . r the f xpedienev of accenling a ti-anstVr of these Lods ct Vtnte3\J:-j, 
 „.?.'_ ."i",,„ VI,. P.-.«*.r Ti... nnni'llviiit naid £60 in money, besides live gui- /^l^ 
 
 e. as soon as the widov^ La Croix'^^ ., , 
 
 neiiv ,o lie Notary and . i-gag-ed to pay 
 thildicn i,hould conHrm the assignment 
 
 £60 
 
 .4.7700 
 
 %'h 
 
The Appellant was greatly disappointed on seeing Mr. Praseriti liOndoD.fortliat 
 Gentleman insisted that the Widow and Heirs La Croix, hud nojucli Fief as Villcisil, 
 and of course had no right to the /,o</)» e/ ^(f'n/es. The appeHiuU vviis, diere- 
 fore, referred back to Mr. Burns, and on his ri'turn to Canada he found that ii 
 private arrangement had been conchided, by which the proprietors of tht^p^ 
 wharves for a deduction of JB600 from the amount of their debts, had undcrtiiken 
 to take the risk on themselves, or in other words to enter into a litigation with all 
 who sho ''d claim these Lod$ et Venles. 
 
 ^ ,a the appellant was placed in this predicament, either to submit to the 
 loss 0. his money, and to pay anaildiiional sum of jG60 as soon us the Heirs La 
 Croix HiTht think fit to ratify the assignment, or to bring an action ai^ainst Mr, 
 Fraser for the pretended Lodset VenUs (for as to obliging the Widow and Heirs 
 to refund, it was impossible till their tide to the Fief was adjudged upon) and 
 after waiting five years, the appellant brought an actioij in the Court of King's 
 Bench at Quebec, against Fraaer for £500 sterling, the amount of Z.od&- cH'^cMtcs 
 on one pf the wharves. 
 
 The Crown by the Attorney General came into the cause and contested tha 
 existence of Villerai ; and the Widow and Heirs having intervened to suppDi t the 
 appellant's interest, a solemn decree was pronounced, adjudging ihe Widow uMd 
 14 April Heirs of La Croix to be Seigneurs Pritrntifs of Fief Villerai. Tho' Ihcappet- 
 1808. ' lant was not ultimately successful in that action in the Court belov/, from want of 
 form in not having signified the assignment belore action brought, yet on an ap- 
 peal to this Court, the Judgiiicnt given below was reversed and Mr. Fraser was 
 condemned to pay the £500 sterling to ihe appellant. The Appellant brought a 
 second action for £666 13 4, arrears of Lods et Fen<ps due by Mr. Fraser on (he 
 other wharf, and he obtained a Judgment for the amount, but this Judgment was 
 reversed in this Court, on matter oi lorm. 
 
 Prom the first Judgment. Mr. Praserappealed tolhcKingin Council, as did 
 the appellant from the last. But during the'dependence of these appeals one of 
 the wi>i:rves was brought to a Judicial sate, and the Appellant claimed out of the j 
 proceeds X'600, (he amount of his Judgment against Mr. Fraser ; and the widow ' 
 and Heirs La Criox, advanced their pretensions for the surplus Cens and Lods et 
 ., ' /i / ^f:n(es as Seigneurs Primilijs. The Crown again contested the opposition of La 
 
 I y^ /^ ;^/^/^^Vlk? Croix and the Appellant claiming under them, and for a Mirrf time the Court of 
 I ^y / King's Bench at Que|)ec^ decreed the Widow and Heirs La Croix to be Seigneurs 
 
 of Villeray and they and the appellant were ordered to be collocated on 
 the proceeds. From this latter Judgment the Attorney General appealed to this 
 Court which on hearing the parties, ordered that the proceedings be remitted to 
 the Court below for further proof of properly and possession of the Fief and in 
 the progress of that enquiry in the Court below, Paul La Croix, Brother and 
 Attorney of the Respondent, came into Court, produced a procuration and fyled 
 a Retraxit of the Respondent's opposition. 
 
 / 
 
 
 
 m- 
 
 The appellant then proceeded to produce such evidence in support of his 
 J^\, 1809. claim as was in his power, but being thus deserted by the Respondent his claim 
 was necessarily dismissed, and Judgment was finally entered for the Crown. 
 
 This Judgment given directlyon the pointsof property and possession and goingto 
 establish the Title to this Fief to be in the Ci own and not in the Heirs La Croix, wa^ 
 fatal to the appellant whose rights rested entirely on their title to the Fief. Jt there- 
 
 fore became no Ipn^er an object to prosecute 
 
 hi 
 
 s suits depending in 
 
 England, and 
 
 they were both dismissed. Thus the Respondent (for he has identified himself with 
 the Widow La t-'roix, his Mother) has not only had a large sum of money from the 
 Appellant without having rendered any equivalent but from his deceitful represen- 
 tations overwhelmed him in an expence exceeding i' 1000. 
 
 It is difficult to conceive what reasons actuated the Court below in giving the 
 Judgment now appealed from. For (he appellant has adduced proof of every 
 thing he has alledged. 1st. That the widow and Heirs had in 1796 held themselves 
 out to b" Seigneurs of Villerai. 2dly. That the appellant gave a sum ol money 
 for their pretended rights and obtained a transfer of them. 3i.l\y. I'hat the Res- 
 pondent and the Heirs declared themselves that they \yere not the Seigneurs of (hat 
 Fief and were adjudged finally to have no siich Fief. And 4lhly. That the appellant's 
 
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 dnmase exteeds £1000, independent of Uie gain lie would have realized if the La .^'* •''" 
 Cioix s Imd been i>eigneura Primilijs. »rrh«ui, 
 
 As to the defence set up that this was a Droit Lilfgieux, Potbier and other 
 authors say that to constitute the sale of a dobt, a droit lUigiettx, it mast have been 
 liliiidtcd at the time 0/ the assignment or there must have been reason to ap- ^'''* •^'•* 
 prehend that it would he litigated, and furtiier that the assignment should contain a fente'N.Ii'.ssS 
 condilion that the purchaser mubt enforce pajfmeHtof the debt at his own f'osts, ^i'^^'*'f 
 and without warranty. Now the transfer in question does not come within they,M«."' 
 spiritor letter of ihis definition ; for the debt was not liti^tedin 1796, nor in-aso 
 mui h as the Judgment of the Court of Common Pleas w-»s rendered three years be- 
 fore, could it have been foreseen that ii would have bet n litigated^ moreover tiere 
 is no co.idition that the (!el)t was to be recovtred at th« expeiire of the appellant, 
 and w thoul guarantee of the W '.ow and H''irs, Of course tiu-y are held by the 
 gum ami' dc. Drcif, tu indemnify ihe appellant for the damage he ban sustained by 
 their fraud and d'ceit. 
 
 The Appellant humbly submits that in seeking a reversal of the Judgment of the 
 Court of Kin£^-'s Bench at Montreal, and a decree for such actual damage a» he hai 
 sustaiuedj he is supported by reason, jubtice and law. 
 
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