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[t7^<^iwr- 
 
 
 ,ir. PETITION 
 
 OF DIVERS 
 
 INHABITANTS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 
 a-s n. hi'.z 
 
 CITY OF MONTREAL AND ITS VICINITY 
 
 J?.:j? .•>-u'.<iH t:'J^-^n;if!l 
 
 '1 t-!,'l>5 ?u; J.v,, 
 
 PETITION 
 
 DE DlVEftS 
 
 HABIT ANS 
 
 Bibliothecpie, 
 
 3, nj^ de l'Unive.sii4 
 Quebec 4, QUE. 
 
 DE LA 
 
 i-.ii'ri?: 
 
 CITE' DE MONTREAL ET DE SES ENVIRONS. , . . -^s 
 
 ■ J8 OfO'>> 
 
 
 »-■. r »i .. 
 
 '•:.i-l .-s :tCi i-; 
 
 ^ ■^i^i(ii*l<V('^>** ' ?t'%*,.r.^' '-tv-n a-!s» i^-^t ■ 
 
 ■ -/"' 
 
 \\i 
 
 i^^. 
 
PROVINCE OF LOWER CANADA. 
 City of Montbeal. 
 
 / 
 
 ^-1 
 
 To the Honorable the House of Assembly of the Province of Lower Canada, 
 
 in Parliament assembled. 
 
 The undersigned Inhabitants of the City of Montreal and its vicinity, - . 
 
 Respectfully sheweth : ,' 
 
 •-' " , ■ , ' ^ ■ / -, ■ ■' - •■'■«'.■■■'(' . . •^, 
 
 m HAT since your last Session great calamities have laid the Country waste, 
 andburied us in mourning : — that odious abuses and disorder have thrown us into 
 alarm ; into just and profound discontent ; a state of things that cannot but 
 attract the attention of those who are interested in the well-being of the Country 
 and in the rights of its Inhabitants. 
 
 Among other abuses which demand the intervention of Your Honorable House, 
 and which call for enquiries calculated to lead to their reform, your Peti- 
 
 , tioners take the liberty of laying the following Grievances before Your 
 Honorable House, flattering themselves that you way, in your wisdom, 
 adopt measures to prevent their recurrence: 
 
 In the short interval of four months. Pestilential Cholera has slain about 
 Twelve thousand victims in Lower Canada ! 1 1 In a great part of the Province, 
 scarcely a family has escaped being wounded in its dearest affections, and injured 
 in its greatest interests, bv the introduction of this disease into the coun- 
 try. Had the birth of this frightful plague been spontaneous among us, — had it 
 been one of those inevitable evils — one of those terrible dispensations of Provi- 
 dence, against which human precaution availeth not, we should feel ourselves 
 humble and resigned; but when we see, that Sanitary Laws administered with 
 vigilence, and executed with inflexible exactitude, sufficed to avert from the 
 Provinces bordering the Gulph, and also the Sea port-towns of our neighbours, 
 the United States, the devasting scourge which now extends its fury and its ra- 
 vages throughout North America, it is probable that the same care, and same 
 zeal, would have had the same efficacy to preserve us from it. We, therefore, 
 beseech you to enquire, far our future safety, whether the evils we suffer, come 
 from a defect or vice in the Laws, or from negligence or fault of those to whom 
 their execution is entrusted. 
 
 The disease appeared on the arrival of Emigrants, and spread with frightful 
 rapidity in the direction of their route. It burst out almost simultaneously in all 
 directions where the torrent of emigration flowed ; and concentrated itself on all 
 points, where these people halted in any considerable number. The majority 
 of emigrants follow the course of the St. Lawrence and great Lakes, and in a 
 distance of more than three hundred leagues, from Quebec to Detroit, Cholera, 
 of a sudden, broke out on all points, at short distances and intervals of time cor- 
 responding with the number of days requisite to travel from one place to another 
 in succession. Quebec and Montreal, in Lower Canada, became the focuses of 
 contagion, the virulence of which was kept alive by daily and fresh arrivals. From 
 the necessity of daily cummunications, between country and town, this pestilence 
 spread in all directions } its ravages were more fatal, and the mortality proportion- 
 ally 
 
 ■'■■M 
 
 C 
 
/ 
 
 PROVINCE DU BAS-CAN ADA, 
 
 Cite' de Montreal. « . 
 
 Aux Hooorables Chevaliers, Citoyens et Bourgeois, Reprdsentant les Communes 
 , , . du Bat-Canada, assembles en Purlement. 
 
 Les Soussignds, Habitans de la Cit£ de Montreal, et de ses environs. 
 
 Exposent Respectueusement : 
 
 a 
 
 /UE depuis votre derni^re Session de grandes ca1amit6s ont ddvast6 le pays 
 et I'ont plong6 dans le deuil ; de graves desordres et d'odieiix abus I'ont 6tonn(S 
 et I'ont jet6 dans un (^-tat d'alarmes, de souffrances et de juste et profond m^con* 
 tentemcnt, qui doivent n^cessairemcnt fixer {'attention de tous ceux qui s'lntdres* 
 sent au bien-Ctre de cette Province ct i\ la conservation des droits de ses habitans. 
 
 Entreautres abus qui exigent I'intervention de votre Honorable Chambreetqui 
 ndcessitent des enqu£tes propres a conduire h leur redressement, Vos Petition* 
 naires prennent la libertd de soumettre h votre Honorable Chambre les 
 Griefs suivants, seflattant qu'elle adoptera dans sa sagesse des mesures pour 
 en pr£venir le retour. 
 
 Oans un intervalle de moins de quatre mois le Cholera pestilential a enlev^ 
 dans le Bas-Canada probablement plus de 12 mille victimes. Dans une grand partie 
 de la Province iln'estpresqu'aucune famille un peu nombreusc qui par suite de 
 cette maladie dans le pays ne soit bles8(!-e dans ses plus chores affections, \6z€e 
 dans ses plus grands int6r£ts Si cette peste aflTreuse £tait nie spontan^ment 
 parmi nous, si clle avait 6t6 un de ces maux inevitables, une de ces terribles dispen- 
 sations de la Providence contre lesquelles les precautions et les moyens humains ne 
 peuvent rien, elle ne devrait nous trouver qu'humilit^s et r6sign6s. Mais puisque 
 des r^glemens sanitaires executes avec vigilcnce, et mis en force avec une inflexi. 
 ble exactitude ont pu d^tourner des Provinces situ^cs <\ I'entri^'e du Golt'e Saint 
 Laurent, et des ports de nos voisins des Etats-Unis, le fl^'au d^vastateur qui etend 
 maintenant ses fureurs et ses ravages dans une grande partie de I'Amerique du 
 Nord, il est probable que les metnes soins et le mecne z^le auraient eu la ro^ime 
 efficacit£ pour nous on preserver ; nous vo'is prions done d'exaininer, pour y pouvoir 
 rem^dier a I'avenir, si les inalheurs que nous souifrons viennent du vice etde lin- 
 suflSsance des lois, ou par la negligence et par la faute des homines i, qui ^tait 
 commise leur execution. 
 
 La maladie parait s'^tre introdnite avecl'Emigration, et avec une efTrayante 
 rapidit6 s'tytre r^pandue partout 06 celle-ci s'estri^pandue. Elle a ^clat6 presque 
 simultan6mcnt sur toutes les voies dans lei^quelles a roule le torrent de I'Emigra. 
 tion, et s'est concentr*^ sur tons les point ou cclle-ci s'est arr^tde en masses un peu 
 considerables. Le fleuve St. Laurent etJes lacs sup^rieurs sont la route principalc 
 que suivent le plus grand nombre des Emigrants, et de Quebec au Detroit dans un 
 espace de plus de trois cens lieues, le Cholera a tout a coup eclat6 sur tous ces 
 points k peu d'intervalle de distance, et dans le court d61ai du petit nombre de 
 jours, qu'il fallait ii ceux qui sortaient des vaisseaux pour p^netrer de chacun de 
 ces points au suivant. Quebec et Montreal sont devenus dans le Bas-Canada les 
 foyers de la contagion, oii sa virulence 6tant sans cesse attis6e et aliment^e par de 
 nouveaux arrivages, les communications journali^res indispensables entre la Ville 
 
 et 
 
 A 
 
ally greater here than in Europe, doubtlcis, owing to the many hardships, and 
 consequent uncleanliness, arising from crowding vast numbers ot poor Emigrants 
 together on board ship, thereby giving to their different diseases an unusual de- 
 gree of intensity and malignity. However great may be the desire of Great Bri< 
 tain to rid herself of a superabundant and poor population, yet ought she, in hu- 
 manity and in pitv for the sufferings of those of her subjects, forced for a liveli> 
 hood to fly from the land of their birth ; — also, in duty and in justice to the coun* 
 tries through which they pass, or which afford them a home ; to adopt strict 
 rules, as would prevent that murderous crowding together, too often seen on 
 board the ships tliat leave her ports for this country, and to see that medical as. 
 sistance, and wholesome provisions, in abundance for the voyage, be provided, 
 in order to guard against the suffering of the Emigrant, the generation, the de- 
 velopement and aggravation of contagious or pestilential diseases. 
 
 Your Petitioners do, therefore, respectfullv solicit your Honorable House 
 to make the most urgent representations to His Majesty's Government, to induce 
 it to adopt regulations calculated to diminish the hardships to which the Emi- 
 
 S grants are exposed ; and save us from the calamities under which we have suf- 
 ered ; to guard us, our relations and friends,— our fellow Citizens and fellow be' 
 ings, living in this country and out of this country, from being annually sacrificed 
 by thousands to the avidity of ship-jobbers, and the interest her Parish Corpora- 
 tions have in ceasing to relieve their poor. 
 
 The closing of the last Session of Parliament was accompanied by circum- 
 stances painful and offensive to the country. The House of Assembly, faithful 
 to constitutional principles, and in conformity to the line of conduct it has ever 
 pursued, therein obedient to the desires and interests of its Constituents, voted as 
 usual the necessary supplies or sumsof money to defray the Civil Expenses of the 
 Provincial Government ; it is therefore with feelings of regret and surprise that we 
 find His Excellency the Governor in Chief, assume a tone of blame and repri- 
 mand towards our Representatives, an independent and co-ordinate branch of 
 the Legislature. Nothing tends more to discredit a Government than alterca- 
 tions of this nature, and tne interchange of offensive terms between constituted 
 authoritiesi. Men 'vho ask nothing of another man do not depend on him^ 
 should not and cannot suffer his censure. The inevitable consequences of pro- 
 vocation are replies, which in their turn will be in the same tone, that of anger 
 and reproach, out of which grow disorder; but the aggressor shall bear the blame. 
 A Governor come from abro:id, but momentarily in office, and transitorily among 
 us, should bear in mind that in these bickerings between him a stranger, and the 
 Representatives of the peoi)le, [becbme so by the voluntary choice of the latter, 
 their fellow citizens] public confidence, respect and sympathy naturally end by 
 a decision in their favour and against him. 
 
 (■0 Oiis occasion, therefore, it is with pleasure that your Petitioiieis con- 
 trast I: '■ wise Conduct of the Imperial Government, with that of the Provincial — 
 of the i\l mister with that of his Lieutenant, as regards the promptitud nd cele- 
 rity with whiih the said Act providing for the Civil E.xpenses ot tlii >car was 
 retuni" I, with the sanction of^ the King's most excellent Majts y ; cely re- 
 servi'i- to himself, between the reception and return of said Act, wit1i • King's 
 appi 'i.iion, lime for its consideration, therein admitting the printiu that the 
 righ I f^ulating and controlling the expenditure of taxes b.loii;: t to him 
 
 who 
 
I 
 
 et laCampagne ontr^pandu cette pesteen toutea directions. Se* ravages ont 6t& 
 plus funestes, ot la mortality; proportionndment plus grande ici, qu'elle no la it& 
 dans aucunc partie de I'Europe, sans doute parce que I'extrCme malproprcte ct 
 les incomnoodit^s innotnbrableg qui r^sultcnt pour les Emigres pauvres, de l'en< 
 tassement excessif dans les vaisscuux, donnent i\ toutes leurs maladies un degru 
 d'intensit^ et de malignity plus grand qu'elles n'auraient dans toutf^s autres 
 circonstances. Quel que soit I'empressement de la Grande-Bretagne a se 
 dibarrasser de la surabondance de sa population pauvre, du moins dans I'int^rCt 
 de I'humanitd, par piti^ puur Ics soiift'rances de ceux de ses sujets qui sont i'orc6% 
 defuir du pays qui Ics vit paitie, ct par devoir et par justice pour les pays qui 
 
 Suisont sur leur passage ou qui les rccueillent, il n'v a pas k douter qu'elle ne 
 oive adopter des r6glemens plus strictes pour cmpilcncr un encombremcnt aussi 
 meurtrier que celui qui a ^ouvent lieu dans les vaisseaux qui laissent ses ports 
 pour cette Province, et pour assurer que leurs passagers auront i\ bord dea secours 
 m^dicaux n6cessaires, et pour toute la duree ue la travers^e une nourriture suffi< 
 samment saine et abondantc pour preveuir le danger parmi eux de la naissance, 
 du d<iveloppement et de I'aggravation des maladies pestilentielles et contagieuses. 
 Vos Petitionnaires prient done respectueuesenient vutre honorable Cliambrc 
 de faire aupriis du Gouvernement de Sa Majcstu les plus urgentes representations 
 pour qu'il adoptc desreglemens qui, en diminuant I'exc^s dessouifrancesqu'iprou- 
 vent trop souvent les Emigres, tendent^ pr(!'venir le retourdescalamit^s que nous 
 avons ^prouv^es cette annee, et emp^clieront aue nous et nos parens et nos 
 amis, et nos concitoyens, et des liommes nos semblables dans ce pays, et hors dc 
 cepays, ne soyonsannuellementsacrifi^s par milli'ers k I'avidit6, aux gains et aux 
 profits do ces proprietaires de vais^eaux, et k I'interet qu'ont ces corporations et 
 ces paroisses ae cesser de nourrir les pauvres qui sont a leur charge. 
 
 La cI6ture de la derni^re Session du Parlement a 6i€ accompagn^e de cir- 
 Constances p(-nibles et offensantes pour le pays. La Chambre d' As^embl^e, fiddle 
 i\ sa mission, attach^e aux principes Constitutionnelset en conformity aux vceux et 
 aux intcr^ts de ses constituans et k la ligne fixe deconduite qu'elle a constamment 
 suivie, n'a vote que pour rann(!'e courante les ddpenses qu'ellu a trouv6es jiistes ct 
 n^cessaires pour subvenir aux d6penses civiles du Gouvernement provincial. 
 Nous n'avons vu qu'avec peine et avec surprise Son Excellence le Gouverneur-en> 
 Chef prendre en consequence envers nos repr(!-sentans, envers une branchc co* 
 ordonnee et ind^pendante de la Lt-gislature, le ton amer du blilme et de la repri* 
 mande. Nous croyons que rien n'est plus propre i\ deconsiderer un Gouverne- 
 ment que ces altercations et ces termes oftensans ^'chang(!'s entre des autoritcs 
 constitutes. Des hommes qui nc demandent rien a un autre homme, ne dt^pen- 
 dent pas de lui, et de doivent ni ne peuvent souflrir sa censure. La provocation 
 entrainc inevitablement des reponses qui aussi ii leur tour seront sur le m£me ton 
 d'aigreur etdereproche. De graves inconv^niens n decoulent, mais le premier 
 aggresscur est toujours celui sur qui doit retomber ; i^;; le blame. Un Gouverneur 
 venu du dehors, momentanement en charge et transito rement au milieu de nous, 
 ne devrait point perdre dcvueque dans ces incriminations et recriminations reci- 
 proques entre lui et le corps nombreux des rcprtisentans, volontairement choisis et 
 elus par leurs concitoyens, la sympathie, la coniiance et le respect public iinissent 
 naturellement par se decider pour eux et contre lui. 
 
 C'est done avec plaisir que vos Pi^titionnaires peuvent opposer la sage con - 
 duite du Gouvernement Imperial en cette occasion i\ celle du Gouvernement 
 Provincial, cello des Ministres da Rciacellede son Gouverneur, dans la prompti- 
 tude etia cel6rite avec lesquelles ils ont immi^'diatemont renvoye avec la sanction 
 de sa tres-gracieuse Majesty I'Acte quipourvoit aux depcnsesde I'annde courante 
 se r(!'servant d peine, pour ainsi dire, entre sa reception ct son renvoi, le terns de 
 le considerer, rcconnaissant par la, que c'est au peupic qui paie I'imp6t u on 
 r^gler et contr6ler I'cmploi par ses repr(!sentans, et non k ceux qui les consu- 
 
 ment 
 
 •*Sta' 
 
\ 
 
 but to the Representatives of those who pay the same ( 
 
 of Assembly, to 
 
 who consumes them, 
 
 '* that all grants to His Majesty, arc the sole gift of the House 
 
 which alone belongs the right of reg^ulating, oirecting, and limiting by DilC the 
 
 ends, objects, considerations, conditions, limitations and qualifications, which 
 
 move it to make such grants, not tu bo altered by any other branch of the Le. 
 
 gislature." While the Represencative boJy is constitutionally interested with 
 
 this important privilege, its exercise should provoke no other observation than 
 
 the legal formality, " the King thanks his loyal Subjects, accepts their benevo* 
 
 lence, and sanctions the Bill." 
 
 The people of this country have already remonstrated- against the practice 
 and danger of the Imperial Parliament, in which they are not represented, inter- 
 meddling with our Acts of Legislation. The Honorable House of Assem- 
 bly has already persisted in its remonstrances, and the Ministers of the King 
 have admitted the justness of your complaint, and promised to remedy the evil. 
 The practice of which your Petitioners complain, is equally incompatible with 
 the degree of independence and the liberty tliat ought to belong; to the Colonial 
 Legislature ; the Members of which living amidst the people, sympathysing 
 witu them, knowing their necessities, participating^ in their welfare or misfor- 
 tune, knowing their wishes and their wants, are better qualified tu frame suita- 
 ble Laws than any authority placed in England. 
 
 It is with painful feeling your Petitioners observed at the termination of the 
 last Session of Parliament that a greater number of Bills were reserved for the 
 Royal sanction, than on any former occasion : if this practice prevail, the exist- 
 ence of a Colonial Legislature becomes null and illusive. Though the Consti- 
 tutional Act grants to the King the right of reserving our laws for his sanction, 
 we, nevertheless, conceive that such a right can be exercised only in rare and 
 unforseen cases; the daily recourse to the practice alluded to, would be des- 
 tructive of the natural rights of our Legislature, here, created to meet our wants 
 as they arise, or are felt. 
 
 ^ f 
 
 We therefore intreat Your Honorable House to remonstrate iigainst this 
 growing evil, which militates no less against our rights and privileges, than it is 
 found to be injurious in practice, in as much as the tardy sanction given to use- 
 ful Dills, renders them null, seeing that their period of operation had ceased be- 
 fore their confirmation ; also the benefit to be obtained from many other UilU 
 has been lost, owing either to the delays, or to the negligence of Colonial Clerks, 
 or to the multiplicity of business referred to that Office, or by the delays arising 
 out of enquiries from, and the explanations given of the Colonial Ofncers rela- 
 tive to Bills so referred. We are of opinion, however great the desire of Minis- 
 ters may be to do justice to the Colonists, he can only acquire insufficient and 
 incomplete knon'ledge, to enable him to judge of a state of society totally diffe- 
 rent from that of Europe ; this knowledge being derived through channels of 
 official despatches, unknown to the public, and consequently not subjected to 
 that public discussion, which alone is capable of correcting the errors into which 
 a Colonial Government is likely to full. From all those reasons your Petitioners 
 conclude, that the advantage to the public would be better consulted and pro- 
 moted were the sanction or refusal of such Bills as the Assembly might pass, be 
 left by His Maje&ty to His Gove.nors. 
 
 To 
 
 V^.^ 
 
ment : " Que toui octrois i\ Sa Majesty lont le leul don de U Chambre d'Auflm* 
 bl^e, A qui leule appartient le droit de dinger, ril'-gler, limiter dam sei Bills, les 
 fins, buts, considerations, conditions, limitations et qualifications, quila portent 
 A faire tels dons, qui ne peuvent i^tre altdr^s par les autres branches de la L6- 
 
 Sislature. Etque lorsque le corps repri^scntatif estconstitutionnellement rev£tu 
 cet important privilege, I'excrcice qu'il en fait ne devrait guire provoquer 
 d'autres observations que la formule If^gale. " Le Roi remercie ses loyaux 
 sujets, accepte leur benevolence ct Sanctionne ce Bill." 
 
 Que voB lY-titioniiairea remarqucnt ^-galcment avcc peine quel est le tris- 
 grand noinbrc do Bills qui ik la fin de la dornii^re Session, dans une plus forte 
 proportion qu'en aticunc autre Session, ont ct6 rC-scrv^-s pour la Sanction Koyalei 
 Que si cette pratique s'<-tablit ct s'etend davantage, elle rendrait nulle et illu* 
 scire I'existence de la Legislature Colouiale. Le peuple de ce Pays a dijh fait 
 entendre aupr^s du Gouvernemcnt de la Mttropole ses reclamations centre la 
 pratique et le danger de voir le Parlement Imperial, dans lequel il n'cst pas 
 represent^, s'iinmiscer duns les Actes du legislation interne pour cette Province. 
 L' Honorable Chambre d'Assenibl^e a appuy6 ces reclamations et repute cea 
 plaintes et le Mini<tre a reconnu leur justcssc et promis de les faire cesser, 
 manmoins la pratique dont sc plaigncnt vos Petitionnaires est ^galement in* 
 compaiible avee le degre d'indepcndanco et do liberte qui doit apparteuir k la 
 Legislature Coloniale, dont les Membres siegeant au milieu du peuple de cette 
 Province, sympathisant avec lui, cntendant ses demandes, participant A son 
 bien-^trc ou \ son malaise, connaissant ses vceux et ses besoins, sont roieux 
 qualifit'S A faire des Lois qui lui conviennent que quelqu'autorite que ce soit qui 
 »era plactfe en Angleterre. Quoique le droit de reserver ainsi des Bills soit 
 rehcrve A Sa Majeste par I'Acte Constitutionnel, I'on an^antit notre droit na- 
 ture! d'avoir ici une Legislature, qui subvienne A nus besoins au moment oik 
 ils nai.sscnt ct sc font scntir. 
 
 Nous prions done Votro Honorable Chambre de r^clamer centre cet abus 
 qui va croissant ; qui ne milite pas seulcment en theoric contre vos droits et vos 
 
 firivileges qui sont les n6tres ; mois qui dans la pratique a i-te 9CCompagne plusicurs 
 bis de graves inconveniens ; la Sanction donnee A plusieurs Bills utiles n'ayant 
 produit aucun eflTet, parce qu'elle a ete donnde si tard qu'elle n'a pu etre signifid 
 dans le deiai 6x6 par la Loi ; ct le bien quon uurait obtenu de plusieurs autres 
 Bills, ayant dans d'autres occasions (:i6 trop retard^, soit par la negligence des 
 employes dansle Bureau Colonial, soit par la multiplicite ties affaires qui y sont 
 renvoytfes, soit par les lenteurs qui ont pu rdsulter des demandes faites dans ce 
 Bureau aux employes Coloniaux, d'explications et de renseignemens ulterieurs 
 sur la nature et les efTets des projets de Loi qui lui etaient renvoyds. Nous re- 
 marquerons de plus que mdmc dans les temps oh I'on aura dans ce Departement 
 le plus vif desir de rendre justice aux Colonies, il n'y pent jamais parvenir que 
 des renseignemens incomplcts et insuflisans pour y faire bien coroprendre les 
 besoins d'un etnt de Socidte tr^s-different de celui de I'Europe ; que ces rensei- 
 gnemens n'y pu'x enant que par lu voie secrete des Depeches Oflicielles, n'y 
 peuvent dtre suumis A ces discussions amples et utiles, qui resulteraient de leur 
 publicite, la seule des precautions qui, en general, pourrait etre suffisante et 
 eflicace contre les erreurs dans-lcsquclles peuvent tombcr les Administrations 
 Coloniales. Par toutes ces raisons vos Petitionnaires croient que I'interet public 
 sera consulte et promu, si le Gouvernement de Sa Majeste laisseaux Gou- 
 verneurs Coloniaux la responsabilite dc donner ou de refuser la Sanction Royale 
 aux projets de Loi qui leur seront offerts. 
 
 U 
 
 'N,^^ 
 
To (hat part of the Constitution which ii bnied on theiocial state of the eoun< 
 try, and out of which has grown olmost universal siiffVaffe, seeing that nearly every 
 fntlier of a family is a proprietor, and consequently an elector, your Petitioners are 
 sincere) V attached. They cannot say so much ot other dis|>oaitions of that Act, 
 especially of that part which vests in His Majesty the extraordinary and obsolete 
 power of creating one entire branch of the Legislature, a power repugnant to 
 the idea of a free, mixed and balanced government. If out of the three integral 
 purtR of which a legislature may be cumposcd, one hss the right of choosing the 
 other, that choice will inevitably be made to favor the views of the chooser. 
 The iilca of leaving one man the right of composing one entire branch 
 o( the legislature, the Members of which being named for life, soon And 
 themselves sheltered from the contest of public opiition, and perfectly 
 irresponsible for their errors, must appear to a British subject as incompatible 
 with sound legislation, and the good of society, as would be Htrango the idea of 
 leaving to one man, whoever he might be, the right of choosikig a jury to hin 
 fancy. And so it has turned out, for the composition of the Legislative Coun. 
 cil has been the cause of complaints and remonstrances, so frequently repeated 
 by the country, that on enquiry by a Committee of the House of Commons, that 
 Committee expressed its opinion of the utility of that body in the following 
 words, " Your Committee strongly recommend that a more independent ehurac- 
 tcr should be given to those bodies ; that the majority of their Members should 
 not consist of persons holding offices at the pleasure of the Crown, and that 
 any other measures that may tend to connect more intimately this branch of 
 the constitution with the interest of the Colonies, would be attended with the 
 greatest advantages.'* 
 
 ir 
 
 J 
 
 These complaints made many years since, by 87,000 inhabitants of Canada, 
 having been proved and admitted as well founded, by so great an authority, 
 and the composition of the Council so judiciously and solemnly condemned, your 
 petitioners enjoyed the hope, that so great an abuse, thus denounced, would soon 
 nave been corrected- They were deceived, — for, with the exception of three 
 puisne Jndges, no other person holding office during pleasure from the Crown, 
 were invited to withdraw from the deliberations of the Legislative Council. By 
 inexcusable delays, four Sessions of the Provincial Parliament have elapsed, each 
 one suffering the unfitness of this Council, so accused and condemned by 
 the unanimous voice of the people of this Province, and also by the report of 
 the Committee of the House of Commons, to be assembled witnout any other 
 modification than the insuflicient introduction of three new Members only. 
 
 Other nominations to serve in the approaching Session are talked of, but 
 they are not calculated to chanse the character of the Legislative Council, nor 
 consequently to cause the complaints of the Country to cease. Your Petitioners 
 are ready to acknowledge, that among these nominations they find the names of 
 some persons dear to the Country, not less so by their sentiments ofpatriotisno, than 
 by the extent of their fixed proper^, thus narrowly united by affection and inte- 
 rest with the mass of the people. But for the future, as it has been for the past, 
 the rule appears to be, to make a bad choice, the exception a good one. Those 
 Councillors whose nomination deserves public applause, men who had alreadv 
 received marks of public confidence, having been elected by their fellow citi- 
 zens, as Members of Parliament, in wliich capacity they gave proof of their de- 
 votedness to their Country, and acquired the habits of legislative labor, are few 
 in number. Forming but a small minority, they will feel the inutility of their 
 
 efforts 
 
II ent lino partie Ae leur Cnnitittilion k laquell« vol P<:titionnaire« iionti«}n< 
 ct^remcnt atlnch^s : c'cst cello qui ungement ba«(''o lur iVtat social du Fayn, ou 
 prcique toui Ici chef!* de ramillo lont I'roprit^-tairei, a nuiti rendu prciqu'uni- 
 vcncl le droit de siiiTragc, pour I'lClcction dcs Membrei de lu ChHinlirc d'At> 
 lambl^e. lis n'en peuvent pas dire autant dcs autres dispositions de I'Acte qui 
 a constitu6 to Oouvurnement Provincial. Celle qui rev^t Sa MsyesK^ du pouvoir 
 extraordinaire, insoliteot contraire aux principes<le la Constitution firitunnique, 
 dc crt'xr et de composer unc branche toute cntiore de la L^'gislature, est opposC'e 
 i\ toiito id6e dun (iouverncmcnt libre, mixtc et bttlanci:. Hi dcs trois parties 
 intif-prantesdonton pr^tcndait composer le pouvoir Lrgislatif, Tunc a le droit dc 
 choisir la leconde, son choix se fera inivitablcment dans le but de so 
 I'udioindre et de s'en fortifler, so fern dans l'int^-r(^t cxcliisif de celui qui a le droit 
 de Uire cc choix. I/id<;c do lai«ser u un scul homine, le droit do composer a 
 inn gr^- toute une branche de la Legislature, dont les Membrcs non^.mcs k vie, sc 
 trouvent A I'abri de tout controle dc I'opinion pubiique, et parfaitement irrespon> 
 lobles, quels ques soientleurs hearts ct leurs erreurs, doit pnraitre t\ tout Sujuts 
 Dritanniqueiaussi Strange, aussi incompatible avec une L^-gislation tiainc et suge, 
 avec lebonheur dela Socii t(^, que lo serait I'id6e de laisier i un seul homme quel 
 qu'il fut, le droit de choisir a son grii tons les Jur6s qui auront i\ prononccr dans 
 les causes publiques ou privies. Aussi cc qui avait etc pr^dit u (it6 v6riH6 par 
 I'^ivincmcnt. Le Conscil Ltgislntifa <;tt- compost dc mani^re k exciter les plaintes 
 et les reclamations constantes du Pays, iuiqu'ii ce qu'enfin ccs plaintes r^'it<^r6es 
 miscs devant un Comitd de la Chauibre des Communes, I'aient port£ k exprimcr 
 •es lentimens et la juste appreciation qu'il faisait de I'utilit^ dont avait pu titre ce 
 corps, en rapportant, *'qu il recuir/mar.dait fortement qu'un caract^rc plus ind^- 
 pendant tut donn6 Ice corps; que lu mojorit^ de ses Memh'-os ne duvait pas 
 le composer de pcrsonnes tenant do la Couronne leurs chaises durnnt plaisir, 
 et que tout autre mesurequi tcndrait it tier plus ^troitcment cette branche de la 
 Legislature aux int^ri^ts de la Colonic serait productive des plus grands avan- 
 tnges." 
 
 Ces plaintes port^cs depuis plusieurs ann6es par 87,000 des Habitans du Ca- 
 nada ayanl ^\6 prouvt'-cs ct admises comme bien fondles par une si grande au- 
 torite, etia composition du Conseil ayant itc condamnee|d'une mani^re si judi- 
 cieuse et si sulonnelle, vos P6tiiionn<iires avaienteu IVspoir qu'un abus si grave 
 oinsi d^nonce, aurait 6t6 bient6t corrig^. lis ont M tromp(!'8, et h I'exception 
 dcs .Tuges Puisnes nulle autre personne tenant de In Couronne sa charge du- 
 rant plaisir, n'a hi invit6e k to retirer des deliberations du Conseil Lrgislatif. 
 Des lenteurs inexcusables ont permis nue quatrc Sessions du Parlement Provincial 
 scsoientecouKesavecrinconvenientdc r/'unir ce mOme Conseil, ainsi accus^ et 
 condamne pir la presqu'unanimit6 du peupio de la Province, et par le Rapport 
 du Comit6 delu Cbambre dcs Communes, sans niicune modih'cation efficace et 
 nvec introduction insuflisante dc trois nouveaux Mriiil)rrs seulement. 
 
 Qu'i\ la virile des nominations plus nombreuses sont onnonc^es pour la 
 prochnine Session du Parlement, mais qu'elles ne sont pas propres k changer le 
 caract(?rc qu'a toujours eu le Conseil LegislatiT, ni dcs lors k faire cesser les 
 plaintes du Pays. Que vos Petitionnaires reconnaissent volontiers qu'au nombre 
 do CCS nominations se trouvent cellcs de plusieurs hommeschers au Pays, qui non 
 moins par leurs sentimenH patriotiques bien connus, que par la nature et I'eten- 
 duede leurs propri^t^s fonciires, sont etroitement li^s dinter^ts et d'affeclion 
 avcc la gen^ralite des Habitans dc la Province. Mais pour I'avenir comme par le 
 passC", la rtgle parait avoir <;te de faire de mauvais choix, I'exception d'en faire 
 de bons. Ces Conseillers dont la nomination m^rite des applaudissemens du 
 public, qui avaient re^u des marques de sa confiance pour avoir ^te ulns et del^- 
 gu^s par leurs concitoyens k la Chambre d'AssembUe, qui y avaient fait preuve 
 de d^vouement au droits et aux int^rfits de leurs constituans, qui y ont acquis 
 B . . I'habitude 
 
 ■t 
 
 i 
 
10 
 
 efforts to do goodi and like their predecessors who carried into the Council the 
 same virtues, they will become disgusted and retire from a situation, replete with 
 painful sacrifices to themselves, and inutility to tiseir Country. The majority of 
 the new nominations it composed of men, for ever lost to the public confidence, 
 by having shown themselvn the blind and passionate partizans of every abusa 
 committed by the Executive ; they hnving encouraged the violence committed 
 under the fatal administration of Lord Dalhousie ; having unceasingly abused the 
 representatives of the Country. The most strange amongst these nominations, are 
 those of young men, almost unknown, and but a few years among us ; men who 
 appear to be without fixed property in the Country, however great may be (heir 
 credit, their commerce, or pernaps property out of the country, the interest in 
 which may be in England, Upper- Canada, or elsewhere, but it is nevertheless 
 very trifling in Lower- Canada. They are men who have never been deleg<)ted to 
 the Assembly ; who have never given public proof of their ability tu fill the 
 functions of Legislatures ; but who suddenly leaving their counters, by the 
 favor or partiality of a Governor, or the recommendation to the Colonial Office 
 by some stranger to the country, to be elevated to a situation where they may 
 have an influence during their whole life, on the legislation and fate of a Pro. 
 vince, the laws and institutiuns of which have ever been objects of tlieir animad- 
 version and hatred. 
 
 When the law, which gave to this country a representative form of Go- 
 vernment, came into operation, the new Legislative Council was recomposed, but 
 of the same men who formed the ancient Council, men who had strongly and • 
 openly opposed, and was known to be the enemies of the representative system ; 
 consequently that body were found ready ordained for its operation ; not to tend 
 to the same end, and co-operate with the representatives of tiie people, to pre- 
 serve and defend its liberties and privileges, to repress abuses, to punish delin- 
 quents, to facilitate the diffusion of knowledge and instruction, to render the 
 Eeoplemore jealous of its rights, and more capable to protect and defend them ; 
 ut on the contrary, blind to all liberal views, to leave the country as they 
 found it in 1792! 'From this.tinie onwards, as it became necessary to add new 
 Members to this body, thus viciously composed, the persons so nuincd were 
 those who, participating in the same prejudices and views, amalgamating and 
 identifying themselves with the majority which had recommended their nomina- 
 tion ; thus placing themselves in a position of constant collision, animosity and 
 recrimination against the House of Assembly and the people it rc|)rcseuted ; 
 drawing most Governors into league with themselves, thereby grasping to them- 
 selves, to their relations and creatures, all public offices, herein giving a cal- 
 culated preference to strangers rather than to natives, to those who were odious 
 to the people, and not enjoying public conlidence, and also profiting by this 
 concentration within their own hands of all power, to excite persecutions 
 and violence againt popular men. 
 
 The evils which have gone by, menace us for the future, unless wc obtain 
 a radical change in the constitution of the Council. Be it remembered that 
 no such body is to be found in any other British Colony, than in the two Cana- 
 das ; it can only be looked upon as a novel and unhappy experiment, from 
 which evil in place of good has ever proceeded. The inhabitants of the coun- 
 try, who have enjoyed an influence so direct, and so entire in the choice of 
 Members to represent themselves in the Assembly, have never had directly or 
 indirectly, through the interposition of their representatives, or other body, on 
 
 the 
 
II- 
 
 I'habitude de suivre les affaires et les travaux de la legislation, ne sont qu'en petit 
 nombre ; ne formant qu'une faible minorltei iU sentiront I'inutilit^ de leurs ef- 
 forts pour faire le bien, et coinme ceiix de leura devanciers qui ont port^ les 
 in^mes vertus dans le Conseil, ils se degoiiteront et se retireront d'une situation 
 
 5|ui n'entraine pour eux que de p^nibles sacrifices, sans aucun avantage pour la 
 'atrie. Quant i\ la majority des nouvelles nominations, elle se compose d'hom- 
 mes riii ont perdu sans retour la confiance publique, pour s'^tre montr^s de 
 tons temps les partisans aveugles, et passionn^s de tous les abus du pouvoir ; pour 
 avoir encourage toutes les violences commises sons {'Administration funeste du 
 Comte de Dalhousie, pour avoir sans cesse outrage la representation et le peupla 
 du Pays. Mais les plus I'tranges de cts nominations, sont celles de jeunes gens, 
 pour ainsi dire inconnus, depuis pen d'ann^es au milieu de nous, c]ui ne parais- 
 sent avoir aucune propricte fonci^re dans le Pays, quelque considerable que 
 puissent ^tre leur credit, Icur commerce, leur propriete peut-6tre hors du Pays, 
 et dont les intt^rC'ts peuvent 6tre grands en Angleterre, dans ie Haut-Canada, 
 ou ailleurs, mais sont tr^s-faibles dans le Bas-Canada ; mii n'y ont jamais dte.de- 
 legues k I'Assemblee, qui n'ont jamais eu occasion ae 4(»iiier aucune preuve 
 politique de leur aptitude h remplir les fonctions de l^gisjateurs, et qui tout Sl 
 coi:p surgissent de la poussiere de leurs coraptoirs, etre devcs par la faveur 
 ct lapartialited'un Gouverneur, ou par quelqucs recommandations au Bureau 
 Colonial de la part de personnes ctrang^res au Pays, ;"l une situation ou ils pour- 
 ront influerduranttout le cotirsde leur vie, sur la legislation et surle sort d'une 
 Province, dont les Lois et les Institutiond ont de tous temps et6 les objets de leur 
 animadversion et dc leur liaine. 
 
 Le Conseil L6^i::latiflors de sa premitre formation sous I'opdration de la 
 pr^sente Constitution fut renipli des Membres de I'ancicn Conseil L^gls- 
 lalif, qui presque tous avaient fortement ct ouvertement et6 opposes a son 
 octroi ; qui ittaient les ennemis avoucs et connus de I'iutroduction du syst^me 
 representatif dans co Pays ; et qui des lors se trouvaient organises, non pour 
 tendre au nieme but et co-opercr avec leis rcpr(^'sentaiis du peuple, a preserver 
 etd6t'endre ses liberies et scs privileges, li r^prinier les abus, a punir les ddin- 
 quaos, afaciliter ladiflusion des lumii^reset de I'instructiun, pour que le peuple 
 fut plus jaloux de ses droits, plus capable de les proteger et de les dc'iendre, 
 mais au contraire pour contrarier en toutes les raesures lib6raics, nt laisser le 
 Pays stationnaire au point ou ils I'avaient trouve eti 1792. Qne depuis celte 
 »';poque le plus grand nohibre des aggregations qui ont ete de temps a autre 
 ajoutees a cc corps, ainsi vicieusementconstitue, ont ete do persoiuies qui par- 
 tageant les mcmes prejug<js et les memes vues, s'amalgamant et s'identinant 
 avec la majority qui avait recommande leur nomination, se sont plac^es dans 
 un ctat constant de c >liision, d'animosite, d'incrimination contre la Chambre 
 d'Assembl^e et le peuple qu'elle repr^sente ; ont entraine la plupart des Gou- 
 verninirs h se liguer avec eux, et leur ont fait remplir presque exclusivement 
 tous les D6partemen8, par leurs parens et leurs creatures, a donner ainsi dans 
 tousles emplois une pref«rence calculde et systematique aux etraiigers, sur les 
 natureis, a ceuxqui etaient odicux au peuple, surccux qui avaient sa confiance, 
 a profiter de cette concentration entre leurs mains de tous les pouvoirs pour 
 susciter des p?rscculions et exercer des violences contre les honimes les plus 
 populaires. 
 
 Que les maux que nous avons souifcrts par le passe, nous menaccnt dans I'a- 
 vcnir, si nous n'obtenons pas un ehangement radical dans la constitution m^me du 
 Conseil Legisldtif. Nous rappelons a votre Honorable Chambre qu'il n'a jamais 
 existe un tel corps pour aucune autre Colonic Anglaise que pom- les deux Ca- 
 nadas ; qu'il doit done netre regarde que comme une experience nouvelle, un cs- 
 sni funeste qui n'aproduit que du mal sans aucun melange de bien. Les liabi- 
 tansdupnys, qui en general ont joui d'une influence si directe et si enti^re dans 
 le cboix des Membres de I'Assembk'e, n'en ont jamais eu aucune ni directe ni in- 
 
 directe, 
 
1« 
 
 the choice of a Member called to compose the other constituted branches of 
 the country. Hence the people have found sympathy only in the Assembly, 
 all elsewhere nothing but disdain, antipathy, perseoution, and plots formed to 
 overturn their institutions and laws. Such a state of things forces them to 
 loolt to an elective system for redress. Your Honorable House will recollect 
 that several British Colonies, anterior to their separation from the dominion of 
 England, enjoyed an infinitely higher degree of liberty, than is allowed to 
 Canada j they had a direct influence by election, on the Council and Judiciary 
 departments, on the choice of Militia Officers, and in some Colonies even on 
 the choice of their Governor. Such a system is perfectly conformable to the 
 wants, wishes and habits of the people, and the social state of America, as is 
 dcmonstiated by the unanimity with which all the neighbouring States, with 
 slight exception, have adopted in practice. We see that it there affords the 
 greatest degree of happiness, industry and prosperity, political and moral, to 
 those who enjoy it. It therefore appears to us, that the wise observation made 
 and so often repeated in the Imperial Parliament " that the Canadians should 
 have nothing to envy the United States of America," ought to convince all men 
 without prejudice, that the time has come, when the advantages of the Elec* 
 tivc System ought to be more extended than heretofore. 
 
 We conceive that the Colonial Legis,lature is competent to enact bv Bill, all 
 measures likely to procure peace and happiness to the Province; and that the 
 propusition of rendering the Government elective in all its departments, if that 
 could be done with efficacy, would be the means of procuring to this Province, 
 as part of Great Britain, a long* and happy state of peace, prosperity and con- 
 tentment. As such a change cannot be effected without the consent and con- 
 currence of the Imperial Government, your Petitioners pray that your Honor* 
 able House will make strong and energetic representations to solicit this advan- 
 tage : but your Petitioners think proper to suggest that the most prudent 
 method of operating this change would be, not that the Parliament of Great 
 Britain should modify the Constitutional Act of this Country ; but that it should 
 authorize the convocation of an Elective Convention, to which would be en- 
 trusted the power of so modifying the said Act, as to meet our wants, and 
 thereby ensure the gratitude and attachment of the people to the Mother Country, 
 in return for so inestimable a benefit. 
 
 As a natural and necessary consequence of the rights and institutions gua- 
 ranteed to His Majesty's Canadian subjects, by capitulation and treaty, in virtue 
 of which they become members of this great Empire, and by Act of Parliament, 
 in the 14th year of His late Majesty Geo. III. chap. 83, was conferred the right 
 of establishing themselves and their posterity, on the non-conceded lands which 
 surround on all sides the old concessions. This privilege became to them the more 
 precious, this being their only Country, which they could not leave without ex. 
 posing themselves to legal incapacities, and without renouncing all that consti- 
 tuted them a PEOPLE, and all that was dear tothem as a People- 
 
 The hope of being able to perpetuate tliemselves, became then the more 
 certain, by the passing of the Act 31st Geo. HI. chap. 31, which by means of 
 the causes above stnted, excluded them in fact from the New Province of Upper- 
 Canada, seemed particularly to give them Lower-Canada, in common with 
 those other subjects of the Empire, that might be disposed to settle here. This 
 wise and liberal policy, which it tended separately, to lead to the glory and 
 
 prosperity 
 
 4-^.^'- 
 
 !^ 
 
IS 
 
 ' 4«:::i^Ij!!_4i.. st*^ 
 
 direct*, par rentremise de leurs reprdsentans, ou d'aucun autre corps populaire, 
 S'-T ' tuix d'aucnn des Membres qtii ont compost toiites les autrcs autcritds 
 coii- ^{'68 dans le Pays. La consequence en a 6t6 qu'ils n'ont jamais trouvd de 
 syr-ip; <iies pour eux que dans le scin de rAssemblde, que partout ailleurs ils n'ont 
 trouv^ que le dedain, I'antipathie, la persecution, les complots pour attaquer et 
 bouleverser leurs lois et leurs institutions. Cet 6tat de dnoses doit les attacher 
 fortement au syst6me dectif. Ils rappelcnt a voire Honoi-able Chambre que dans 
 pluaieurs des anciennes Colonies du Continent Am^ricain, avant leur s6par<ftion 
 d'avec I'Angleterre, leurs habitants jouissaient d'un infiniment plushautdegre de 
 libertd, qn'iln'en est laisse i\ ceux du Canada ; qu'ils avaient une influence di- 
 recte p^ir la voie de lelection sur la coin osition des conseils et des departemens 
 judiciaires, Rur le choix desotliciers de milice, et dans quelques*unes mSmes sur 
 celui de leur Gouverneur. Ce syt^me est parfaitement conforme aux besoins, aux 
 vceux, auxniccurs, i\ I'etat social de I'Ameiique, comme le ddmontre Tunanimitd 
 arec laquelle les diflerens Etats voisins, sous quelques moditications peu im- 
 portantesj'ont adopld dans la pratique. Nousvoyons qu'il procure le plus haut 
 degrd de bonheur et de prosp^rite industrielle, politique et morale, <\ ceux qui 
 en jouissent, et nouscroyons que la sage observation si souvent repet^c, dans I'en* 
 ceintedu parlement Britannique, "qu'il f'allaitque les Canadas n'eussent rien k 
 envier aux Etats-Unisd'Amt^rique," doit faire sentir i\ tout homme sans pr6juges, 
 que I'tpoque est vcnu oCi les avantages du syst^me electif doivent ^tre infiniment 
 plus etendus qu'ils ne I'ont^te par ie passe. 
 
 Nous concevons que la Legislature Coloniale est competente k proposer par 
 bill, toute mesure propre i\ procurer la paix etle bien etre de la Province, et que 
 la proposition de rendre le Gouvernement dlectif dans tous ses dC'parternens, si 
 clle pouvait 6trc faite avec eflicacit6, serait le nioyen assur^ de procurer k la 
 •Province, et sous la protection de la Graude-Bretagne, un lon^r avenirde prospe- 
 rite, de paix et de contentement. Ce cliangement ne pouvant s'eftcctuer facile- 
 ment, qu'avcc le concourset le consentemcnt du Gouvernement de la Metropolc, 
 vos Pt'titionnaires prient votre Honorable Chambre de faire les plus fortes et les 
 plus urgcntts representations pour solliciter cet avantage, et croient devoir sug- 
 gerer que lemoyen le plus prudent de I operer ne serait pas de solliciter que le 
 Parlement de la Grande- Brefagne modifiut lui-incma I'Acte Constitutionnel, mais 
 qu'il autorisdt la convocation dune convention toutc elective, a laquelle serait 
 coni'hc le pouvoir de proposer au d.t a( te, tels amendemens qui lui paraitraient 
 les plus propresa faire naitre et procurer le bon Gouvernement de la Province, et 
 par h\ m^me assurer sa reconnaissance, ct la duree de son attachement pour la 
 Metropole qui lui auruit confi^rc un aussi inestimable bienfait. 
 
 Que comme suite naturelle et nccessaire des droits et institutions garantis aux 
 sujcts Canadiens de Sa Miijcsti-, par les capitulations et les traitcs en vertu des. 
 quels ils devinrent membres de ce jjU'ssant Empire, et par Acte du Parlement 
 lie la Grande-Bretagnede la lie. anncc de Sa feue Majeste le Roi George IIL 
 Chap. 83, dccoulait le privil'ge de pouvoir s'etablir ainsi que leur postdrit^, et 
 avec ses droits et scsinstilutions, dans les vastcs parties de terres en friche et non 
 conci'd6es qui environnaient de loutes parts les anciens (itablissemens : privilege 
 d'autant plus pr^cieux pour eux, que bien que les vastes domaines de I'Empire leur 
 fussent nominalemenl ouverts, ct pays etait en eflfet leur seule patrie, dont ils ne 
 pouvaient sortir sans s'exposer a des incapacites legaleset sans renoncer a tout ce 
 qui les constituait comme peuple, A toutce qui leur 6lait cher comme individus. 
 
 Que le dusir dese perp(^tuer ainsi dans leur patrie a drt etre considerablement 
 nccru pour les ditssujets Canadiens par la passation dans le meme Parlement de la 
 Grande-Bretagne, de I'Acte de la 31e. annce du meme rdgne, chap. 31, qui en 
 les excluant de fait et pour les causes exprimdes ci-dessus, de la Province du Haut- 
 Canada, semblait leur destiner plus specialement ccllc du Bas-Canada, en com> 
 mun avec les autres sujets de I'Empire disposes ;\ s*y fixer et avec les nit>mes fa- 
 cilitcs : politique sage, grandc, liberale, qui en faisant concourir separement a la 
 
 gloire 
 
prosperity of the state, every national energy, promised at tlie same time to main^ 
 lain bappy and free populations. However, by reason of a viciuus application of 
 this last Act, and sundry executive measures adopted here or in England, rela> 
 tive to those lands, also by the enactment in the Imperial Parliament of sundry 
 other laws, your Petitioners, as well as their felluw subjects of the same 
 origin, find themselves, os it were, excluded from such lands, while their co< 
 subjects from elsewhere, suffer these disabilities in a less decree, and are in some 
 measure compensated by facilities that are not afforded to all. 
 
 A fertile subject of complaint, but without foundation, is the inju- 
 rious manner the authorities have parcelled out the waste lands. In place of 
 an examination on the spot, in order to find out the natural limits of Townships, 
 the work has been done by a geometrical division on paper, regardless of those 
 boundaries which naturally exist, such as creeks, rivers. Fakes and mountains ; 
 also, regardless of the Road Laws in existence, the incapability of their applica- 
 tion to the size of the lots, or the facility of communicating with parts already 
 established. Your Petitioners now abstain from commenting on tiie principle 
 which, in the said Act, singles out 2-7th of the whole land, as Crown and Clergy 
 Reserve), set apart for particular purposes, but so intermixed among, the dispo- 
 sable lots, as to increase the value of the former a\ the expense of the settler, 
 who, moreover, has no leeal means of availing himself of the Laws of the 
 country, which compel neighbours to participate in road making, water courses, 
 ditches, fences, and such other rural servitudes. These obstacles have borne 
 indifi'erently on ail classes of settlers, and have been the subject of complaint, 
 even from such of our ro subject** above mentioned, who otherwise found some 
 facility to settle there. These obstacles have been so numerous, as greatly to 
 have diminished the value of those lands, so much so, that militia men who had 
 obtained small lots gratuitously, for their services during the last war, have been 
 unable to turn them to any value, or even to discover their situation, and thus 
 they have fallen into the hands of speculators. 
 
 After the passing of the Act referred to, aW the waste land, adjoining the 
 Seigniories, was squared out into Townships, the name given to that patchwork, 
 .at a time when there Mas no spare population to settle them. The h,\&te dis- 
 played on that occasion hy the parties concerned, is readily accounted for by 
 the result ; they having caused large tracts of the said lands to be gratuitous- 
 Jy granted to themselves, to Members of the Administration, to their friends 
 here and in England, all of them persons unknown to the mass of the 
 inhabitants of the country, the latter not having the means of becoming ac- 
 quainted wiih the former. Tiiis hurry in portioning out the said lands, has 
 proved to be an uusurmountabic barrier to your Petitioners acquiring a share 
 of the same ; besides which, the inconvenuuce growing out of the difference 
 of language between many of them and most of the grantees ; moreover no 
 obligation having been imposed on the latter to make the necessary ameliora- 
 tions whereat the neighbouring inhabitants might apply fur suitable conces- 
 sions. In which act and subsequent transaction no regard has been had in fa- 
 vor of the inhabitants, as was the case under the ancient government, which 
 gave to the people the right of obtaining lands on easy terms from the gran- 
 tees of the Crown, who then held their lands in reality, or to serve ths ra- 
 pid advancement of the Colony, and the advantage oP all The mass of the 
 people have then been foreclosed access to the said lands, nor have they been 
 able to establish themselves near each other (de 2»'oclic en prochej with the 
 necessary neighbourly sijrcours required by new settlers. 
 
 From 
 
 t 
 
IS 
 
 Sloire et k la proBp6rit6 de I'etat toute I'^nergie nationale ct toutes les existences 
 ecea Colonies, promettaiten m£ine terns dymaintenirdes populations heureuses 
 et libres. 
 
 Que cependant, par suite de I'application vicieuses des dispositions de ce der- 
 nier acte, de diverses mesures administratives adoptees en Angleterre on dans la 
 Colonie k I'^gard des dites terres, et de divers autres actes passes depuis par le 
 Parlement du Koyaume>Uni, Vos Petitionnaires, ainsi que leurs concitoyens de 
 tn^me origine, se trouvent dans I'impossibilit^ presque absolue d'avoir accds 
 aux dites terres, pendant que leurs co-sujets venus du dehors ne soufirent qu'en 
 partie de ces inconv(^'nienB, rachct^s d'ailleurs pour euxpar des facilites qui ue sont 
 pas trouv^es^tre les md-mes par tons. 
 
 Que lesy&tdinejudicieux d'apri^s lequel on a prdalablement et sans visite 
 des lieux, divis^ geom^tiiquement en lots sur le papier, les terres destinies h £tre 
 octroyees en franc et commun soccage, sans 6gard aux divisions naturelles si im* 
 portaiites dans un pays entrecoupc de montagnes de lacs et de rivieres, non plus 
 qu'a la facility des communications aveu- les anciens ^tablissemens, ni ik la possi* 
 bilit6 d'appliquer les lois de voierie a!or8 et encore en vigueur aux dimensions 
 donn^es a ccs lots ; et la manieredont on a rcparti les deux septitimes de toute 
 r^tendue des dites terres reservees dans le (lit Acte pour des fins particuli^res, sur 
 lesquelles Vos Pi^titionnaircs s'abstienncnt de commenter maintenant en tant que 
 de principes, en les intercalant entre les lots disponibles de mani^re k leur faire 
 acqu{!'rir de la valour par les sueurs des colons voisins,qui en outre ne peuve.nt trou- 
 ver aucun recours pour contraindre ^ I'ouverture et 4 I'entretien deschemins, ou 
 aux cuurs d'eau, foss(f'S, cidtures, d^couverts, et autres servitudes rurales uu de 
 voierie, Stabiles par les lois du pays, ont ^t& du nombre des obstacles qui 
 ont pes6 indistinctementsur tous les colons disposes k s'y (itablir, et que ceux de 
 nos co-sujets ci-dessus qui ont trouve d'ailleurs quelques facilites k s'y fixer font 
 constamment un sujet de plainte di.s dommages et des inconv^niens qui sont re- 
 suites poureux de ces deux causes : inconveniens assez gtaves pour avoir diminu£ 
 de beaucoup de la valeur des dites terres, au point meme que les miliciens qui 
 avaient servi pendant la derni^re gaerre, et qui en avaicnt oStenu gratuitement 
 de petits lots, n'ont j)u en grande partie les metlrc en valeur ni meme en decou- 
 vrir la position, par suite dc quoi ils sont tombes en agiotage. 
 
 Que Tempressement avec lequel on a, dans les annees qui ont suivi la passa- 
 tion du dit Acte, cadastr^ en townships, nom qu'on a donii6 aux divisions alors 
 ^tablies, la plus grande partie des terres qui avoisinaient les anciens etablissemens 
 seigneuriaux.et ce a unc 6poque ou il n'y avait pas assez de bras pour coloniser des 
 contr^es aussi ^tenducs, afin de les octroyer ensuitc gratuitement ct par grands 
 partis, aux membres des administiations d'alors et ^ leurs amis icieten An- 
 gletcrre, tous inconnus a la masse des habitant du pays qui n'avaitaucunmoyen 
 de se meltre en rapport avec eux, a ^tc pour vos dits Petitionnaires et leurs co- 
 sujets de m^me origine un empt)chenient majeur et particulier, en ce qu'outre ce 
 dcfaut de rapports il rcsultait encore* pour eux beaucoup d'inconveniens de la dif- 
 ference de langage entre eux et laplupartdesditsconcessionnaires; eten cequ'en 
 outre on n'avait impose k ces derniers aucune obligation de faire des ameliorations 
 sur les lieux de mani^re k ce que les habitans du voisinage sussentou s'adresser 
 pourobtenir des concessions de mediocre ^tendue ; et qu'on n'avait fait aucunes . 
 reserves du droit des habitans du pays en g6n6ral 6tabli sous lancien gouvernc- 
 ment d'obtenir dc telles concessions k des terres faciles, des grands concession- 
 naires de la couronne, qui ne tenaient alors leuis terres en r^alit6 que pour I'a- 
 vanccmcnt rapide de la colonie et L'avantage de tous. Qu'en consequence la 
 masse du pCuple a 6t6 forclosed'avoir acc^s aux dites terres, et n'a pu s'y etablir 
 de proche en proche avec les secours de f amille necessaires k de jeunes colons, 
 ni nulle part autrement. 
 
 - - . ; "Que 
 
16 
 
 From the time mentioned until the recent establishment of a Land Office 
 appointed in England, no »ystem has been adopted to facilitate the immediate 
 concession of the said lands in small lots, to the inhabitants of the country, ei. ■ 
 ther by gratuitous or owners titles. The names of persons havp been burrowed, 
 with the knowledge of the Government and the Public, only to serve the views 
 of speculators to obtain the aforementioned arants. 
 
 The establishment of the said land omce, owing to the circumstance of 
 keeping that office independent of the Provincial Legislature, rendering it unac- 
 cessible to the people, — the secrecy in which its operations are buried even from 
 the Members of the Assembly who attempted enquires, but in vain, has as yet 
 offered but a trifling relieve from the grievances complained of The annual 
 sales made at that office, besides being too limited, affecting only the distant 
 parts belonging to the general domain, and by being set up where strangers alone 
 reside, and the extravagance of the upset price ; aUo by reason of the dis- 
 tance of the place of sale, and the want of knowledge, to the natives of the loca* 
 lity and value of the said lots, — all these facts are barriers to the rest of the popu< 
 lation becoming purchasers. Your Petitioners cannot here pass over in silence 
 the disposal in England or in the Colony, of the money so raised, without the 
 sanction or control of the Provincial Legislature ; — the same remark may be 
 made regarding the monies levied by the sale of timber; all these grievances are 
 in contravention of the act of the Imperial Parliament 1 8ih Geo. III. Chap. 12,' 
 and of the rights of the People as anciently established the acquisition of land 
 on easy conditions, to render which more onerous belongs to, thereby to raiss 
 funds belonging to the Province, is a right belonging to our Legislature. 
 
 Many Townships have also been placed at the disposal of the said board, 
 or similar establishments, dependent on the same authorities, for the use of Emi- 
 grants from the United Kingdom, while the Provincial Legislature being kept at 
 a distance from any control of said Lands is rendered incapable of aftording to the 
 inhabitants of the country a similar advantage. 
 
 i 
 
 Access to the said lands has also been prohibited to the inhabitants of the 
 country, by certain parts of that Act of the Parliament of the United King- 
 dom, SGeo. IV. Chap. 119i and by another passed in the same Reign, Chap. 
 59, commonly the Canada Trade Act and Tenures Act. Ihese Acts without the 
 demand or partiripation of the people of this country, but on the contrary, to 
 the great disadvantage of all classes among them, have endowed the lands con- 
 ceded in free and common soccage, that is to say, with trifling and circumsiancial 
 exceptionii, all the conceded lands, even those nearly laid out, (cadastr^es) since 
 the change of dominion, even those nearly laid out, (cadastr^es,) and of those 
 hereafter conceded under the same tenure as exclusively adopted by the Colonial 
 Administrations — with an unknown right, minutious and embarrassing in its ap. 
 plication, altogether contrary to the laws vhich have regulated and governed 
 the country since its establisliment, — and to those which rule greater part of the 
 sea-coast country, (Limitrophes,)— and repugnant to the views of all classes 
 of inhabitants, as well as to ihe physical circumstance of the country, have 
 created innumerable difficulties in the lands heretofore settled uuder the former 
 tenure, and placing the Courts of Justice in an uncertainty with regard to the 
 extent of that change, and to the application of certain laws passed at different 
 times in the country, affecting lands subjected to that tenure. ' ^ ' ' '■ 
 
 The said Acts have thus disinherited the Canadian people from their 
 right to settle on the said lands with their laws and institutions ; but 
 also compromised the future existence of their institutions in the old Settle- 
 ments, by their tending sooner or later to bring about a compulsory change 
 
 in 
 
 «» 
 
17 
 
 Que depuiscette dpoque jusqu'a r^tablissetnent recent d'un bureau de r^gie 
 del dites terres relevant des autorit^s de la Grande-Bretagne, il n'a 6t6 adopts 
 aucun syst^me pour faciliter aux habitans du pays, soit h litre gratuit ou onereux, 
 des concessions imm^diates de petits lots des ditcs terrcs ; et que dans nonibre 
 d'octrois qui ont (^t6 faits, les dits habitans n'6taient,au vu et 89U du gouvernement 
 commedu peuple, que des pr^te-noms qui servnient Ics vues desp^culateurs. 
 * Que ledit bureau de regie, par I'inik-pendance de la Legislature I'rovinciale 
 ou les dites autorit 'sent pr6tendu le maintcnir par ic manque de relations avec le ' 
 peuple qui en a 6t^ le r^sultat n^cessaire, par Ic secret dont ses opi!-rations ont 6t& 
 envelopp^cs, mCme aupr^s des representans du peuplequi ont chcrch^d enenquerir 
 n'a offertjusqu'a present que peu de soulagement aux griefs exposes ci-dessus j 
 et que les ventcs publiques annuelles fiiites par Ic dit bureau, outre qu'elles son t 
 trop liYnit(3es, devant se borner aux localitt's (!'loi<<;n(!-es ou il reste des terrcs au do* 
 maine general, etse faisant surles lieux ouil existeun noyau depopulation form*^ 
 par nos co-sujets venusdu dehors, le reste de la population est empeched'alleren- 
 ch(^'riraux dites ventes, tantpar rcloignement que par Ic defaut de connaissances 
 sur la situation et la valeur des lots ainsi mis k I'cnchere : qu'en outre le prix 
 de de'part des dites encheres est souvcnt trts-elcve. Vos Petitionnaircs ne peu- 
 vent non plus passer ici sous silence, rcmpioi en Anglcterreou dans la colonic, 
 liorsdu contr61e et de I'autorisation de la Legislature Provinciale, du revenii 
 des dites ventes, ainsi que des autres sommes prelevees dans la province pour 
 vente des bois et d'une maniere quelcunquc par le dit bureau ; en contravention 
 aux droits atrcienncmcnt etablis pour Ic peuple d'avoir des tcrres u des conditions 
 i'aciles, qu il appartieiit a la dite Legislature scule derendre plus oncrcuses pour 
 en appliquer le produit k I'avantage de la piovincu, et en outre en contrevan- 
 tion a I'actedu Parlementde la GranJeBretagne, de la ISenie George IIL ch. 12. 
 Que divers townships ont aussi etc pour I'avantage des sujets de Sa Majeste 
 emigres dediffircntes parties du iluyaume-Uni, mis a la disposition du dit bureau, 
 ou d'aulres ctablissemens analogues relevant des autcrites mentionnees ci-dessus ; 
 tandis (|ue la Legislature Provinciale par Tcloignement ou on la tenait de tout ce 
 qui avait rapport aux dites terres s'est trouvt^e dans I'impossibilite de faciliter les 
 mcmes avantages aux colons ancienncment etablis. 
 
 Que I'acccs aux dites terres a etc de plus ferme aux dits sujets Canadiens, 
 par certaines parties de I'acte du Parlement du Royaume-Uni de la 3e. 
 annee de feu Sa Majjstc George IV. ch. 119, et par un autre Actc 
 de la 6e. ann<'e du mcme rt'gne, cliap. 59, coir.munemeiU appelis Acte 
 - du commerce du Canada, et Actc des tenures, qui sans la demande 011 
 la participation des habitans du pays, mais au contraire au grand detriment 
 de toutes les classes d'iceux, ont dote les tenes conccdees en franc et com- 
 mon soccage, c'est-a-dire, avec des exceptions trus rainimef et circonstantielle^, la 
 tota'itc des terres concedees et memo simplemcnt cadastrecs depuis le change- 
 nient dc domination, et de cellts qui sero:.t conct dees ci-apr^s sous la ml^me te- 
 nure que les a'Iministiationscoloniales adoptent exclusivement, dun droit ignor^, 
 minutieux et embarrassant dans I'appli'cation, tout a fait contraire \ celui qui a 
 regi les proprietcs dans !e pays depuis son etablissement, et a celui qui riigne 
 dans la plusgrandepartie des pays limitrophes, et ripugnant aux V(eux (\e toutes 
 les classes des habitans autant qu'aux circonstanccs physiques du pays ; et que la 
 dite mesure ayant ^te adoptee sans une connaissance approfundie des dispositions 
 et des eflets des lois du pays, a cree des difficultes sans nombre dans les terres ci- 
 devant Stabiles sous la dite tenure, et mis les tribunaux dans I'iHcertitude quant A 
 i'e'tendue de ce changement, et h I'application aux terres qui y sont mises, de 
 certaines lois passtes <\ diverses cpoques dans le pays. 
 
 Que les dits Actes ont ainsi non seulcment d^shdrite les Sujets Canadiens 
 de leurs droits a s"6tablir sur les dites terres avec leurs Lois et leurs institutions, 
 niais ont compromis I'avenir des meines Institutions dans les anciens etablisse- 
 iTiens, par leur tendance a amener tot ou tard un changement force dans les Lois 
 
 C de 
 
18 
 
 in the Uwi of property ; more particularly by that disposition which clothes in 
 an absolute manner the Seigneurs, who may have obtained a mutation of te- 
 nure u specified in the said Acts, with the unconceded parts of their seigniories 
 at the same time no reserve being made for the rights of colonists disposed to 
 take concessions ; by this fact of mutation, subjecting the said lands to the new 
 laws above mentioned. 
 
 Your Petitioners have seen with alarm, that a company of speculators in 
 England, are soliciting and in the hope of obtaining from his Majesty's Go- 
 vernmenttextensiye and unusual privileges to monopolize the land of thisProvince. 
 Every grant or privilege accorded with said Company tending to diminish 
 its legal obligations, after a transaction ; or giving to it the means of making 
 a second hand trade of the land now in the possession of Government, or may 
 hereafter become such, would be a violation of His Majesty's subjects in 
 this Province, and would again in a more aggravate deprive them of their 
 right of settling on the lands of their own country, while the subjects of other 
 parts of the empire, by their multiplied facilities and relations With the jobbers, 
 would be at liberty to procure them. 
 
 It is the duty of the Provincial Legislature to interpose its weight to cause 
 the rights of the people to be respected as far as regards the foregoing enume- 
 rated objects, to avert the evil which threatens them ; to cause the Tenures 
 Act and that part of the Trade Act of Canada relating to lands, to be re- 
 pealed. 
 
 In order to assure to the inhabitants of the country without distinction, 
 and their posterity, the meaKS of establishing themselves on the forest lands of this 
 Province, it is necessary, besides the said interposition and final success, a 
 law be immediately passed by the Legislature of this Province, placing all things 
 relative to the concession of said lands under its control. To wipe away, as 
 much as can be compatible with the riehts of individuals, the inconveniences 
 which have already resulted from the said concessions ; giving to all His Majes- 
 ty's subjects a facility of establishing themselves ("de proc/ie en prochej on the 
 uninhabited lands, a better system of laying out the said lands than that 
 now in use ; an independent tenure moderate obligations, applicable and known 
 laws, in order to approach as much as may be, the tenure divisions and laws 
 of other parts of the country. 
 
 ^4 |— »M >« 
 
 Your Petitioners have tlie honor Jurther to represent to you : 
 
 That the Canadians of French origin, forming nearly nine-tenths of the popu- 
 lation are contributors towards the production of the Public Revenues in the 
 same proportion, yet that by the partiality cf the Provincial Government, which 
 never considers, with respect to them, the rulesof distributive justice, they scarce- 
 ly participate in the proportion of one-tenth io the repartition of those revenues. 
 This offensive partiality wounds no less the feelings than the interests of that 
 part of the population which is the object of it, and induces them to feel much 
 more the burthen of maintaining the Government, than to congratulate themselves 
 for its protection. This diminishes amongst them the motives for obtaining In- 
 struction, their spirit of enterprise and emulation ; and, always as active as it is 
 apparent, has had the deplorable effect of giving to those national distinctions 
 which naturally exist, and which arise from the differences of the Religion, the 
 
 Language 
 
 i 
 
19 ^ 
 
 tie propri£t^, et priiicipaiement par la disposition qui rev£t d'une mani^re ab- 
 solue, les Seigneurs qui auront obtenu une mutation de tenure en la maniire 
 inontionn^e aux dits Actes, de la propri^t^ des parties non conc^d^es de leurs 
 Seigneuries, sans aucunes r6serves des droits des Colons disposes ii les prendre 
 en Concession, et soumcttant les dites terres, par le fait Di£me de cette muta- 
 tion, aux nouvelles lois de propri6t6 ci-haut mentionn^es. 
 
 Que vos P^titionnaires ont vu avec alarme qu'une Compagnie de specula- 
 teurs dans le Royaume>Uni, snilicitait et espdrait obtenir du Gouvernement de 
 Sa Majesty des privileges ^tendus et inusit^s pour se livrer au monopole des terres 
 de cette Province ; et que touto transaction, octroi ou privilege accordd k la 
 dite Compagnie, tendant i, diminuer pour clle les obligations l^gales qui suivent 
 1 :8 transactions, ou illui donner les moyens de fairc un Commerce de seconde 
 main des terres qui sont maintenant en la possession du Gouvernement ou qui 
 
 Reuvent y rentrer ci-apr^s, serait une violation des droits des sujets de Sa 
 lajeste en cette Province, et les priverait d'une manitVe encore plus aggra- 
 vante de s'^tablir sur les terres de leur Pays, pendant que les vujets des autres 
 parties de I'Empire, par leurs relations muUipliees et faciles avec les agioteurs, 
 •eraient k m^me de se les procurer. 
 
 Qu'il est du devoir de la Liigislature provinciale de s'interposer pour faire 
 respecter les droits des Habitansdu Pays en ce que dessus, pour d^tourner les 
 maux qui les menacent, pour obtenir le rappel de I'Acte des Tenures et de la 
 partie de I'Acte du Commerce du Canada qui a rapport aux terres. 
 
 Que pour assurer aux Habitans du Pays sans distinction, et i\ leur poste- 
 rity, les moyens de Kctablir sur tes terres encore en friche en cette Province, 
 il est de toute n^cessit^ qu'en outre de la dite interposition, et de son succ^s 
 final, ilsoit pass^ au plut6t par la Legislature de cette Province un Acte qui 
 mette sous son contrdle toutce quia rapport ^b r6gieeti\ la concession des terres, 
 qui fasse disparaitre autant qu'il est compatible avec les droits particuliers les in. 
 conv6ni'ens provenus du syt^me de Concessions ci-devant adopts, et qui donne k 
 tous les sujets de Sa Majesty indistinctement, et au peuple de cette Province, 
 au moyen d'insUtutions convenables, des facility's pour s'6tablir de proche en 
 proche sur les terres non encore habit6es, avec un cadastrement applicable, une 
 tenure ind^pendante, des obligations niod£r6es, et des Lois de propri6t6 faciles 
 et connues, de mani^re k se rapprocher autant que possible des divisions de la 
 tenure, et des Lois des autres parties du Pays. 
 
 Vos Pititionnaires ont rkonneur de vous reprSsenter de plus :— 
 
 Que les Canadiens d'origine Fran9aise, forment prds de neuf-dixi^mes de 
 la population, sontlescontributeurs i\ la formation du revenu public dans cette 
 proportion, mais que par la partiality du Gouvernement Provincial, qui ne 
 respecte jamais envers eux les regies de la justice distributive, ils ne participent 
 gu^res qu'en la proportion d'un dixi^me dans la repartition de ce revenu. Cette 
 partiality offensante ne blesse pas moins dans sa sensibility que dans ses int6r£ts 
 fa partie dela population qui en est robjet,et est propre k lui faire sentir le fardeau 
 de soutenir son Gouvernement bien plus qu'^ lui laisser I'occasion de se feiiciter 
 de sa protection. Ellediminue pour elle les motifs de s'instruire, I'esprit d'en- 
 treprise et d'emulation, et toujours aussi active qu'apparente, elle a eu I'effet 
 deplorable de donner aux distinctions nationales qui existent naturellement et 
 qui proviennent de la diversite de la religion, de la langue et des Lois propres 
 
 /i 
 
Mi 
 
 ^■1 
 
 Language and the Laws specially belonging to this Province, varying from those 
 of our fellow Citizens of ditfurtut origin, a peculiar chiiractcruf reciprocal mis- 
 trust and bitterness, that would never have arisen under a more judicious nnd 
 more equitable system of Adminititriition. The accuiiiulution of all otHces which 
 confer power, honor and profit, iiaving fallen into tiic hands of the minority, they 
 soon liciievcd that they were untitled of lull right to rule over the majority*. The 
 most unanimous remonstrant es on the part of the people and of their Ueprescn- 
 tatives against abuses, have, for the most part, remained unproductive of any 
 measures to cause them to cease, and almost always without any etflrc, as to the 
 punishment of those who were guilty of those abuses. Thr torts and oficnccs oi 
 one Functionary who has been accused, became the common torts and oHencc!* 
 of all the constituted authorities, in virtue of the zeal into which they were led 
 to defend him, not in consideration of his merits or demerits, but from conside- 
 ' rations of relationshij), friendship, or natiouaiity. Places hein^ almost exclu- 
 sively given to Kuropeans, of whom the number in the Province is comparative- 
 ly small, the consequence has been that the most of those who have not yet ob- 
 tained situations have tics of intimacy, relatiotiship, or of expected patronage 
 with the public Functionaries or claiiiis to ti, I all the otiices and oil the possible 
 vacancies, as sonn as they have the least op[)ortun !ty of urging those claims upon 
 a Governor. Hence likewise arises that practice of flattery, com))laisance, and 
 servilitv, which lias become a distinctive feature of a large number of such im 
 arc of british origin, 'i'his singularity, so foreign to the noble indepemlence of 
 character, and to the constant and ccairagcoiis attachment to their constitutional 
 liberties, which the English nation have at'all times displayed, convinces the Ca- 
 nadians that the hatred which is borne towards them nmst be very inveterate, 
 so to chhngc the natures of those who, here applaud what is most odiously ar- 
 bitrary, whilst, if on the other side of the ocean, they wuuld not patiently sub- 
 mit to the slightest abuse of power. 
 
 There is also another subject of conipla nt with which your Petitioners 
 would not (iceupy themselves, namely, ihe dismemberni' nt of this Province, by 
 means of cutting oil' from it the Capiial of this extensive and flourishing Dis- 
 trict, tog. tlier with a c. ntral portion of its popuLatiou, in order to annex the 
 same to the Province of Upper Canada, were it not that the audacity of those 
 who foment natioir.il distinctions, and tiie enemies of the people ot Lower ca- 
 liada, in shewing that they anticipate such an event, did not prove that they are 
 capable of eni|)ioying all means whatever to bring it to pass. Ik'^ides that sucii 
 a measure could be of no benefit, in the financial and cunmiercial respects, wliicii 
 serve as a pretext for it, but, on tiu- contrary, would produce the most serious 
 inconveniences; it woiiltl be tiiu social and jjolitical death warrant of all the 
 InhabitaiUsuf tliis District, of which the City of Montreal is the centre, unique 
 in ail respects. Your Petitioners will not stop to enter into a detail of the mo- 
 tives which they pray Your iloiioiable f louse to make use of as reasons for main- 
 taining the integrity < f this I'roviiice, as established by the Constitutional Act. 
 Tiie same considerations whieii iiiduceil "\'our Honorable House solemnly to 
 defeiul and maintain that inte,t,Mity, at no very distant i)eriod, apply under th.' 
 present circumstances; and if, at any time, your interposition in this respect, 
 shoukUbecome necessary it wi!l utidoubteilly have all the weight, which the unan- 
 imous opinions of the Uepresentatives of an entire people cannot fail to give to 
 a just cause. 
 
 ilie liberty of the Press is an essential attribute of every Constitutional Go- 
 vernment. A Representative system whereby the people directly and periodi- 
 cally constitute an integral and princijjal part of their Government, and wherein 
 their Representatives must render account to them of their principles and of their 
 public conduct, — necessarily and consequently carries with it the greatest pos- 
 sibie latitude in the freedom and publicity of political discussions, and in the re- 
 view of all the Acts of the Legislature and of the Administtation. For a great 
 
 number 
 
h cette Province ct difTtirentes dc colics do nos concitoycnn d'nulre originc, un 
 cnrnctt^ro particulier dediifinnco ct d'digreurrc^-ciproques qu'elle n'aurnit jnniaiH 
 piis NUUA un ayst^me d'Administrution plus judicieux ul pluH i'(|(iit:iblc. L'ac« 
 (MipnremcMit do tous Icn empluiN qui donnotit du pouvuir, dc la considcrution ct 
 d(! Ill t'ui'tunc etant toinli^- eiitro Ics mains do la minority, die K'cst bicnt<^t cru 
 appcl^e dc picin droit a dumincr hi mujoriti'. Lcs rcprcscntntions IcHpliis unit' 
 ntmosdc Inpnrt du pouplu ct de scs rcprmMitnus contrc ha nhiis sont (lcnicuri''A 
 le plus Houvcnt sans ctHcacilC* pour lcs (aire cesser, prostpic toujours s:\nn efi'ct 
 pour t'airc punir les cou|inblcs. Ijc tort ct ic dtlit d'un lonctionnsiiru nccusC* sont 
 dcvenuslo tortctle d<>lit cominun de toutcs lcs uutoritus coiistiturcs pur I'ardiiur 
 uveclaqiielle ellcs ont <!t£ cnlraitices k Ic diTeiulrc, non d'uprCs la considcrutioti 
 dc sou mrrite ou de sou dcincritc, inais d'upris dcs cousidi! rations de parcnte, 
 d'intimitu ou de nationalitc coniinuncs. Lcs cmplois ctant prcsqu'cxcliisivcmcnt 
 diinni's aux Europd'cns, dont Ic nombrc est comparativcincnt petit dans la Pro- 
 vince, il en est r^sultc que la plupart dc ccux d'cntr'cu^ (pii nc soiit pas cncoru 
 place's, ont dcs liaisons d'intimittv dc parcntu oil dc protection attciiduc avcc Ks 
 tbnctionnaires public ou dcs pretentions ii rcmplir toutcs lcs charg' s ct toutes lcs 
 yncunces jiossibles, diis qii'ils out la nioindrc occasion dc fairc valoir ces titrcs 
 unpr^s d'un Gouvcrneur. Do 1^ encore cet esprit d'adulation, dc complaisance et 
 deservilitt! qui estdevcnu le tiait distinctif d'un tics-grand nombre dc ceux qui 
 sont d'originc Britannique. Cettc singularitc si ctrangerc a la noble indepcn- 
 dance de caract^re et au constant ctcouragcnx attaclicnicnt u scs libcrt(!'s Consti- 
 tutionnellcs qii'a dc tous temps deploy^: lu pcupic Anglais persuade aux Cann* 
 dicns qu'il faut que la haine qii'on leur portc soit bicn invctirc'c pour du'.iaturcr 
 ainsi ceux qui applaudisscnt ici a llarbitraire Ic plus odieux, qu;ind dc I'autrc 
 cute de I'Ocean ilj n'auraicnt pas patiommcnt supporte lcs plus Irgers iibus. 
 
 II estim autre sujet de plaintc dont vos IVtitionnaircs ne s'occiipcraicntpas, 
 savoir le dt^membrement dc cctte Province iiu inoyen du rctranclieincnt ilc la 
 Capitalc dc ce District ctendu et florissant, ct d line partie ceiitraie do sa jiopii- 
 lation pour I'ajoiitcr ala I'rovincu du llaut-Canada, si I'audacc ixwc laquclle les 
 tiiuteiirs dcs divisions natioiiales et les cunciiiis du peuplu du Uas-Canada anti- 
 cipent un pared 6vc'nement, nc les dcmontiait capables d'cmployv r toutes lcs 
 voies pour y parvcnir. Outre qi^e cette niesurcnc serait d'aiicun avantagc sous 
 les rapports financiers ctcommerciaux qniy servcnt de prctcxtj, niais qii'au con- 
 traire clle am^nerait en cc genie les incoiivcniens les plus graves, ellc serait 
 Tarret de mort social ct politique de tons les Haliitans Jo co District dont la 
 (;ite do Montreal est ic centre unique .\ tous I'gards. Vos I'etitionnaircs nc 
 s'arriHent pas a dcvcloppcr lcs motifs qu'ils supplient votre llonoiabie Cliainbrc 
 dc iiiire valoir au souticn de Tintrgritt de cetic Province, telle qu'ctablio par 
 I'Acte Constitutionnel. Les mcmes considerations qui out eiigagi^ Votre Hono- 
 rable Chambre a la dcfendre solenncllemtnt dans un temps pen reculc sont ap- 
 plicnblesdans la circonstanceactuelle, ct si a unc cpoque quelcoiiqiic, votre in- 
 terposition a cet cgard dovenait ntcessaire, cllc aurait indiii)itablement tout le 
 poids qu'ajoute a une juste cause I'opinion iinanime des lepreseiitans de tout un 
 pcuple. 
 
 La liberty de la presse est un attribut esscntiel de tout Gouvcrncmcnt Cons- 
 titutionnel. Le systime sepresentatii'ou le peuple constituo directement et pcrio- 
 diquement une partie intC'grante et principale de son Gouvernement, et ou ses 
 roandataires lui doivent compte de leurs principes ct de letns actes publics, 
 cntraine par une consequence nccessairc la plus grande latitude possible dc libertc 
 et de piiblicitu dans les discussions politiques, et dans I'examen dc tous les Actcb 
 de legislation et d'administration. Depuis un grand nombre d'annees la Chambre 
 
 d Assembh'e 
 
number of yoari the Ilouio of Aiiembly carried into practice the highMt rrii* 
 ucct for this invioliabic right, enduring with an imperturbable cooincM, and with 
 Indifleronce and contempt, oiTeniive writings which daily appeared against them 
 in those iiapcrii whose Publishers were under the special protection, and enjoyed 
 the favour of the Legislative Council, as likewise thu profits arising from the print* 
 ing oi their Journals, of the official advertisements, committed them by the Ex* 
 ccdtivo (lovernment, and even of tho!«e Icgnl notices which were assured h} 
 illegal Proclamations, to those favoured papers, in violation of the rights ot pv-j. 
 perty, and of tlif Laws of the Province. This mmlcrato conduct on the part 
 of the .Assembly had no other effect than that of raising them, more and more, 
 in the conHdencc and esteem of the Public. Those principles and this exam- 
 ple ought to have combined, therefore to induce the Legislative Council to pur- 
 sue the same judicious line of conduct. It was not therefore without extreme 
 surprise that your Petitioners beheld, during the last Session of Parliament, that 
 same t'ouncil, whom eighty seven thousand of the Inhabitants of this country 
 had accused, and whom a Committee of the House of Commons of England had 
 justly censured, afler a solemn enquiry, suddenly shew themselves ooth sus« 
 ceptibic and irascible on the occasion of remarks that were published upon their 
 proceedings. As that body does not derive its existence from any thing but 
 from the Provisions of an Act of Parliament, and not at all from the principles 
 of the Constitution or of the Public Law of England, how can those who con- 
 sider these provisions evil in themselves, without comparison, nnd which are not 
 to be found any where but in our Constitution, demand the amendment diul 
 correction of them, if they cannot, without danger, point out the numerous in* 
 conveniences that arise from and arc attached to the existence of such an isolated 
 instance of a created authority ? At the time when the House of Assembly were 
 engaged in the solemn enquiry, whether the liegislative Council' ought to be abo- 
 lished or be made' elective, it was natural that the same questions should be dis- 
 cussed by means of the Press. The Minerve and tlie Vindicator did so with 
 freciloni, but not in an offensive manner, and assuredly more moderately, than sallies 
 were issued daily and with impunity, against the Assembly by the Printers fa* 
 votired by the Legislative Council. That body, however, resolved to punish as 
 libellous, and as an infringement of their privdegcs, writings which in no wise 
 partook of that character. Your Petitu, iters believe, therefore, that these Reso* 
 solutions were taken less with the view of inflicting punishment for an infringe- 
 ment of, or for defending privilege'; which were not compromised by those wri- 
 tings, than in the hopes ot ruining and crushing by vexatious proceedings, free 
 and independent Presses. This wns following up the system which had been 
 pursued against the same presses with so much heat and obstinacy, during the 
 Administration of the Earl of Dalhousie, by a tyrannical system ot indictments 
 for libel, brought by the Attorney General, and cunducted in such a spirit of 
 persecution and partiality so disgraceful, that the Administrator, Sir James Kempt, 
 hi-i' nd it just and necessary to cause all of them to be discontinued. It was the 
 s;...e men who had advised those violent proceedings, who renewed them, and 
 resumed their old part of persecutors of liberal ideas, under a new dress, when 
 metamorphosed into Legislative Councillor. By an equal division of that body, 
 carried solely by the casting voice of their Speaker, the Chief *.s:icr of thr> Pro- 
 vince, and that at the same time when t'lc Minister to excuse fiis Ihm<. "resent 
 there, had giv^) assurances that instructions should be given > r- '. i. 'take 
 part in measures which might draw him on to take a part i:. i . j<.>liticui ques- 
 tions, it was resolved that various writings published in the two before named 
 pai^ers, should be declared infractions of the privileges of the Council, and Mes- 
 »it'i'<'3 Ludger Duvernay and Daniel Tracy, the printers of the same, were arrested 
 and impr'soncd for a very long period, that is to say, until the termination of 
 the last Sc. i'.n '>f Parliament. They might reasonably entertain the belief, that 
 that tvrra:;''*' '.^ of the Session would be sufficiently long to appease the thirst 
 
 of 
 
d'AHembl^fl avkit dam l« pratique porl^ au plus haut degrd le reipect pour c« 
 droit pr^cieiix, e' soiiflVant avec une froiiie impasNibilit^ ou avoc indiflfti-rence et 
 dddaln d«i Merita oHi'Dsani, journcllrment lancet contreelle duni det feuiilea dont 
 lea Imprimeuri 6taient ioun la proioction ip^ciale, jouiitaient do la f»veur «Ju 
 Cornell L^'ttialatif, des piufits i\e limpreHion du net Joiirnaux, de cnix d'aver- 
 tisMmrnt otiicicU "^ leurenvuvat lu Ciuuvcrnemcnt Kx^cutif, i-t m/^in«« dies 
 notificatioiiB Ugalei assur/ut par des l'ri)rl.iinations illtgalcs a ces tciiiilc!* I'av«rii 
 a^ai tn violation n droit de 'pnete et dci Loin do In Province. Cette modi^- 
 ration de la part d>. I' Assembli e m avait en dVfl'et que (l« IV-l«ver do piiM en piu* 
 dam lacortflance ct I'citiinc publi(|uci. Le* |iriiicipeH ct I'cxcmplf hc rvunistaient 
 done pour porter le Conxol L^giiintif k suivrt> Id m<)inc condu'te jiidicieiise. 
 Auiiice norut paiaani uno > xtrome aurpiixe que vos l'( litionnuires unt vu durum 
 la derniiire Scuion du I'arlemcnt, cc roi'iii" (onseil que qualre-vingt supt millo 
 des Ilubitana du Pays nvalent ncctis^-, ct qu'un Coiiiit6 de la Chnmbre dcN 
 Cummuiica d'Angluterre avait justciiient eeOHur^ apr<\ umc uii(|ucte luleu- 
 nelle, se montror tout si coup extr(lmemcnt «usceptible i irnvciblu A I'occaiiwu 
 de rcinnrques publi<!cs sur icsproc^d^s. ("u corps ne tiran'. !«un existence qu^ 
 dc la disposition d'un Actc du Parlcment et non do^ ix-mcipes de la Constitu- 
 tiou et (lu droit public de la Grande-Urotaxnc ; cumniiMit coux qui (.-roient 
 vicicusc cL'tte disposition snns excmple, et particulit-re a notre Acto Constitu- 
 tiunnel, pourraient-ils en demandcr raniendetnent ot hi correction s Hs ne 
 
 rouvent snns danger signaler los inconvd-niens nombreux qui sc rattucli' ' * A 
 existence du cetto cr^iation insolitc. Dans le temps uu lu Clitimbrc d'Asser jI^u 
 cxaniinait ffolenncllement s'il fallait abolir Ic Con<>eil lii-^islatlf ou le rei.dri: 
 <':lectiO il etait nuturni que Upresse discutiU lesmnnes qucrslions. La Mincrvc 
 ct Ic Vindicator lo firent avec liberty-, mais non I'une maniere oft'onsanto et 
 assur^mcnt avec plus de modi-ration que n'en mc' aient juurnellement dans 
 lenrs sorties contre l'Asscmbl6e, ctavecpleine impun te k-s Iinprimeurs favoris^s 
 par Ic Cunseil L^gislatif. Cc corps rdsolut nvanmoins de punir pour infraction 
 de ses privileges et comme libelles des (Merits qui ti'avaient nullement ctt 
 caractiire. 
 
 Vus P<;titionnairc8 croicnt done que ces Kd'solutionR urent prises moins en vue 
 dc di'fendre del privileges qui nYtaient pas comproinis par ces Merits que, dans 
 I'espoir de ruiner ct de faire tomber par des vexations, des presses librch et 
 ind^'pendantes. C'<Jtait donner suite i\ ce projet qui avait te poursuivi centre les 
 ni^mes presses avec tant d'ardeur et d'opiniutret^ sous I'Aitininistrution du Coiutc 
 de Dalnousie, par un systiime tyrannique d'accusations pour libelles portecs par 
 le Procureur-G^n^ral ct conduites dans un esprit de pcrs( cution et de partialitu 
 ni di'hont^es que I'Administrateur Sir James Kempt, troi. ^u juste et n^cessairu 
 de les faire toutes discontinuer. CYtaient les mt^mes hommes qui avaient con- 
 scille ces violences qui les renouvelaient ct qui reprenaietit leur ancien r6le de 
 pcrs(:;cuteurs des idees lib(^-ralcs sous un nuuveau costume, '.t sous la m^tamor- 
 pbose de Conseillers L<;gislatif's. Par une division i'ga\e emportue par la seule 
 voix pruponddrante de I'Orateur de ce corps, Juge en Chef i ie la Province dans 
 Ic temps mi'me ou le Ministre poury excuscr sa presence, as- irait quil lui scrait 
 donn6 en instruction dc ne sc pas engager dans ces niesures qui pouvaient Ten- 
 trainer h prendre parti dans les questions poiitiques, differens Jcrits publics dans 
 les deux Journaux ci-devant nomm^s furent declares contraircs aux privileges du 
 Conscil, et Messieurs Ludger Duvernay et Daniel Tracey, ours Imprimeurs, 
 furent arr^tes et cmprisonnes pendant tr^s-longtemps et jusqu' i la tin de la der^ 
 niere Session. lis devaicnt cruire que cc terme en mettrait un a leurs souifrances 
 ct qu'ellcs avaient etc nssez longues pour assouvir la soif d a vengeance dont 
 brulaicnt leurs adversaires : ils se trompaient. Ces derniers {-piaicnt I'occasion de 
 la faire tomber de nouveau sur des hommes que leur honorable termete a souflVir 
 pour la defense delalibert(ide la Presse avait popularises dans !a meme propor- 
 tion que Iccaract^re odieux de pers^cuteur depreciait ceux qui avaient ordonne 
 
 leur 
 
of revenge, which their Adversaries entertained ; tliey deceived themselves. — 
 These Adversaries < 'atched for an opportunity of precipitating it a fresh upon 
 men whose honorable firmness in suiiering in the defence of the liberty of the 
 Press had rendered them popular in the same proportion as the hateful charac- 
 ter of their Prosecutors had depreciated those who had sanctioned their incarce- , 
 tion. This opportunity they soon found, in the election of a Representative for 
 tile West Ward of the City of Montreal. Mr. Tracy, whose patriotism, talents, 
 enlightened views, the principles whicii he had constantly sufiported in his pa- 
 per, together witli the recent persecution he had undergone, had recommended 
 to the approbation of a large nuiiilxr of his fellow-citizens, was installed by 
 them as a Candidate. Those who had before unjustly put them in prison, could 
 not coolly view this mark of respect and approbation bestowed upon their vic- 
 tim ; it was equal to the strongest censure against them. Leaping over the 
 bounds of Constitutionality, and Parliamentary Law, and forgetting that those 
 who constitute ah entire liranch of the Legislature ought not to presume to 
 master the others, by introducing into them creatures of their own, and by in- 
 fluencing Elections, certain Legislative Councillors did unduly intermeddle in 
 that Election, shewing themselves the vindictive Antagonists of Mr. Tracy, 
 and the active Partizans of Mr. Bagg, the Candidate on the opposite side. — 
 They abused their power, by having recourse on behalf of their favorite Candi- 
 date, Mr. Bagg, in concert with the other Justices of the Peace of the said City, 
 tiiat is to say the majority of the same, to a well followed up system of intimida- 
 tion and of violence, hitherto unknown, and the impunity of which would snatch 
 the right of choosing Representatives for the City of AJontreal, from the Elec- 
 tors, to convey it to the body of the Magistrates. 
 
 Before this Election began, and iii the Meetini^s of Citizens assembled for con- 
 considtring it, certain Ji^stices of tlie Peace, openly opposed the proposal to present 
 Mr. Tracy with a degree of passion and violence that did not fail to shew from that 
 time forward, that shoulil they, in the course of the Election, and of their othcial 
 duty, be called upon to Act, they would do so without discretion, having con- 
 stituted themselves into Judges and'party, and in fact into Judges irritated against 
 the adverse party. 
 
 At the commencement of the Election, on the ^jth of April last, Mr. Bagg 
 ]):cscnted himself at the hustings, accompanied by a crowd of bullies, some of' 
 whom had suffered tiie sentences of a Court ofjustice, who applauded him, and 
 interrupted by their vociferations, the other Candidate and his friends who ad- 
 dressed the Electors. From this period the inability or the partiality of the Re- 
 poiting Officer became evident, who did not repress these first disorderly proceed- 
 ings, as well as his ignorance of the duties, the poweis, and the rights of his office ; 
 .is did his carelessness, both in exercising those rights himself, and in compelling 
 others to respect, those rights. This Ofticer is clothed by the Law with the most 
 ample powers. He is invested with every necessary authority to keep the peace 
 at the hustings and during the Poll, and to cause the Police of his Court to be 
 observed and respected. He made no use of that power, and, within his view 
 and knowledge, the bullies which have already been mentioned, did from the 
 first day of the I'oll, disperse by force and violence, the Electors who supported 
 Mr. Tracy, and it was by these means that Mr. Tracy was left, at the period of 
 the first adjournment, in a minority. 
 
 These disorders did not in any way excite either the observation or the 
 remarks of the Returning Officer, and still less of the Justices of the Peace, 
 who rejoiced in the success of the Candidate whom they favoured, without pay- 
 ing any regard to the danger and the illegality of the means put in practice for 
 obtaining this ephemeral advantage. 
 
 On the next day, certain Electors, fathers of families, respectable Citizens 
 and Proprietors in easy circumstances, much more interested in the matter than 
 those who make a traflic of tlieir arms in support of order and of the public peace, 
 
 found 
 
 I 
 
95 
 
 leur incarceration. lis trouv^rent bient6t cette occasion dans I'Election d'un 
 Ilepr6sentant pour le Quartier Quest de la Cit6 de Montr(!'al. M. Tracey, que 
 son patriotisme, scs talens, ses lumi^res, les principes qu'il avait constatnment 
 d^fendus dans son Journal, et la persecution r^cente qu'll venait d'esuyer, re- 
 commandaient h I'estime d'un grand nombre de ses concitoyens fut porte par 
 cux!\la Candidature. Ceux qui I'avaient nagu6re injustement eniprisonne, ne 
 purent voir de £ang froid cette marque de respect et d'approbation pour leur 
 victime ; elle coinportoit une censure trop forte contre eux. Sortant des 
 bornes de laconstitutionnnlit^ et du droit parlementaire etoubliant que ceux qui 
 jouisscnt d'un aussi immense avantage que celui de composer toute une branclie 
 de la Legislature ne doivent pas pr^tendre maitriser I'autre, en y jetant des 
 creatures de leur cboix et en influant dans les Elections, des Conseillers L^« 
 gislatifs rcsidans dans Montreal se sont inducment immisces dans cette Election, 
 se montrant les antagonistes vindicatifs de M. Traeey, et les partisans 
 deM. Uagg, le Candidat adverse, lis ont abuse de leur charge pour avoir re- 
 rours en fiivcur de leur Candidat favori, dc concert avcc la mujorite des autres 
 Juges de Paix de la Cite il un systeme suivi d'inlimidatiou et de violence, inoui 
 jnsqu'alors etdont I'impunite cnl^verait aux Electeurs le droit de nommer des 
 llepr^scntans pour la Cit6 de Montrclal, pour le faire passer au corps de la Ma- 
 gistrature. 
 
 Avant que cette Election commen^at et dans les Assemblies de Citoycns 
 n'lunispnurla preparer, des Jugcs de Paix s'oppos^rent onvortcment i\ la propo- 
 sition d'ofiiir M. Tracey comme Candidat avcc un degre de passion et de 
 violence qui luissait entrevoir d^s lors que si dans le cours de I'Election ils 
 etaient appcles a agir en leur capacity otficielle, ils le feraient sans discr(!'tion, 
 s'etant d'avance constitucs Juges et partie et Juges irritf^s coutre leur partie 
 adverse. 
 
 Au debut do lelection du 25 d'Avril dernier, M. Bagg se presenta aux 
 hustings oil une foule de fiers A bras (bullies J dont quelques-nns avaitnt etc fle- 
 tris dans les Cours de Justice, lui faisaicnt cortege, rn|)plaudissaieni et interrom- 
 paient par leurs vociferations I'autre candidat et ses amis lorsqu'ils s'adresserent 
 aux electeurs D^s ce moment eclata la preuve de I'imperitieou de la partialite 
 de rOfticier- Rapporteur, qui ne reprima pas ces premiers desordres, de son igno- 
 ranee des devoirs et des droits de sa charge ou de son insouciance ;\ remplir lui- 
 meme ces devoirs et a forcer les autres a respecter ses droits. Cet officierest rc- 
 vetu parla loi des plus amples pouvoirs. II a toute I'aotorite necessaire pour 
 mdintenir la paix aux luistinq[s et dans le Poll et fuire respecter la police de sa 
 Cour. II nen fit pas usage et ;\ son vii et S9U et des le premier jour du Poll, les 
 bullies dont iladt'ja ete question dispersorent parla force et par la violence les 
 electeurs qui soutenaienl M. Tracey, et parce moyen, le laisstrent lors de ce pre- 
 mier ajournement, dans la minoritt'. 
 
 Ces cxces n'excitiirent nuUement les plaintes de I'Officier-Rapporteur, en- 
 core moins des Juges de Paix qui se rejouissaient des succes du Candidat qu'ils fa- 
 vorisaient, sans faire attention an danger et a I'illegalite des moyens employes 
 pour obtenircet avantage cph^mere. 
 
 •—.-.* 
 
m 
 
 found themselves compelled to resist the violence of hose who had maltreated 
 thetn the Evening before, and in their turn, to disperse them, in order to ensure 
 a free access to the Poll, and to maintain their own rights as Electors, when they 
 found that the Returning Officer, either did not know them, or would not sup- 
 port them. The scene was then changed. The Justices of the Peace, Parti- 
 zans ot Mr. Bagg, who, the day before, had remained indifferent as to the dis- 
 orders committed on the side on which their passions were engaged, and of the 
 party they had espoused, began, of themselves, and without waiting for the re- 
 quisition of the Returning Officer, to constitute themselves, late in the evening, 
 into an extra meeting ; to mix themselves up, in their public quality, in this 
 Election; to usurp the direction of it; to send, at a late hour of the night a 
 Summons to the Returning Office, who, instead of being thus made their play- 
 thing and subservient to their orders, was invested with the authority of giving 
 hia orders to them. They then made to him a spontaueous offer ot aid, and to 
 assist him with all the aid th it it was in the power of the Magistrates to afford 
 him. 
 
 These steps, which would, no doubt, have given offence to a Returning 
 Officer who was duly qualified to fulfil that important function with impartiality 
 and independence, could not but have the effect of predominating over so weak 
 a man, and one who was so incapable as this was, no doubt, looking at the 
 profits attached to his situation, had had the presumption of soliciting it. Never- 
 theless, and notwithstanding the pressing solicitations of the Magistrates, he, at 
 the moment, refused to comply with them. Notwithstanding this refusal. Jus. 
 tices of the Peace, Legislative Councillors, began, from that moment, to swear 
 in Special Constables, many of whom, were those bullies who had commenced 
 the disorders on the first day of the Election. On the next da^ the same operation 
 was continued, although no requisition had been made for their interference, which 
 did not take place till the twenty eighth of April. 
 
 After this period and during the whole time of the Election, the Justices of 
 the Peace continued to cause summonses to be issued to individuals to come be- 
 fore them, under a penalty of a fine of five pounds, in order to be sworn in as 
 Special Constables, so that before the close of the Election, more than three hun- 
 red persons had been sworn in, in that quality, chiefly taken from amongst the 
 active partisans of Mr. Bagg, and of whom the voters saw, every day of the Elec- 
 tion, a greater or larger number parade about, headed and directed, sometimes by 
 Legislative Counsellors and sometimes by other Justices of the Peace. 
 
 These Justices of the Peace, could not but be looked upon by such of the 
 voters as were not intimidated by their proceedings, in ai\y other light than as 
 agents promoting tumult and disorder, since they did, by such extraordinary means 
 do all in their power, not by the way of persuasion and of reason, but by fear and 
 terror, to obtain the return of the Candidate, who was the object of their predi- 
 lection, and thereby insulted those of the Electors who considered themselves at 
 liberty to support another Candidate, without that either the judiciary or adminis- 
 trative authorities had any right to shew their dissatisfaction or opposition thereto. 
 
 In their great zeal for keeping the peace, and supporting the liberty ot Elec- 
 tion, those of the Magistrates who headed these troops of Special Constables, who 
 were, for the most part, violent partisans of one of the Candidates, armed them, 
 not with the long poles which arc put into the hands of ordinary Constables as 
 signs of their authority and not as means of aggression, but with short and heavy 
 bludgeons, real knock-down clubs, offensive weapons which the care with which 
 they are wielded might be made murderous. 
 
 The law is clear, and one of easy execution. All disturbance and every vio- 
 lence committed in the presence of the Returning Officer, ought to be instantly 
 repressed by him. Legislative Counsellors, Justices of the Peace, Electors, all 
 individuals who are present at thePoll, all indiscriminately, owe him obedience, and 
 
 he 
 
 \ 
 
 
 
 j 
 
 i 
 
de ceux qui les avaient tnaltrait^s la veille et de les disperser k leur tourpour as- 
 surer un libres accds au poll et preserver leur droit d'^Iecteurs quand I'Officier- 
 Rapporteur ne le savait pas ou ne le voulait pas faire. Alors la scdne changea. 
 Les Juges de Paix partisans de M. Bagg qui le jour pr^c^dent ^talent demeur6s in- 
 diii(§rens aux d^sordres cominis dans I'int^r^t de leurs passions et du parti qu'ils 
 avaient ^pous6, commenc^rent d'eux-m£mcs sans la demande de I'Officier-Rap- 
 porteur k se former tard dans la soiree en assembl^e extraordinaire, k s'immiscer 
 en leur capacity publique dans cette ^-lection, i\ s'emparer de sa direction, k en- 
 voyer sommer^t requ£rir k une heure avanc^e de )a nuit la pr6sence de I'Officier- 
 Rapporteur quiau lieu d'dtre ainsi leurjouetet k leurordre ^tait rev£tu de I'auto- 
 rit£ de leur donner les siens. lis lui firent I'oifre spontan^e de I'aider et de lui 
 pr6ter toute I'assistance qu'il serait au pouvoir des Magistrats de lui fournir. 
 
 T-'liivK 
 
 
 Ces demarches qui auraient ofTens^ un Oflficier-Rapporteur duement qualifie 
 u exercer cette importante fonction avec impartialite et ind^pendance devaient 
 avoir I'effet de dominer un homme aussi faible, aussi incapable que celui qui, en 
 vue sans doute des profits attaches A sa charge, avait eu la prdsomption de la re- 
 chercher. N^anmoinset malgre de pressantes soliicitations il se refusa pour le 
 moment i^ ^intervention de la magistrature. Malgr6 ce refus, des Juges de Paix. 
 Conseillers L^gislatifs, commencerent d^s ce moment k assermenter des Conne- 
 tables Speciaux dont plusieurs etaient ces bullies qui avaient commence le ddsor- 
 dre le premier jour de I'dlection. Le lendemain la m6me op6ration se continua 
 encore quoiqu'il n'y edt pasde demande de leur intervention qui ne fut enfin re- 
 quise que le vingt-nuit d'Avril. 
 
 Apr^s cette ^poque et pendant tousle cours de I'^lection, les Juges de Paixont 
 continue ^ faire sommer des individus il se rendredevant euxsous peine de cinq 
 louis d'amende pour etre assermentes comme Connetables Sp<!'ciaax, en sorte qu'a- 
 vant la fin dc I'election, plus de trois cents perscnnes avaient ete asserment^es en 
 cette qualite, choisies pour la plupart parmi les partisans actifs de M. Bagg et dont 
 les ^lecteurs voyaient paraderchuquc jour de I'election un plus ou moins grand 
 nombre, pr^sid^s etdirig6stant6t par des Conseillers L6gislatifs tantdt pard'au- 
 tres Juges de Paix. 
 
 Ces Juges de Pai\ ne pouvaient Hre regardes par ceux des 6Iecteurs qui n'e- 
 taient pas intimidds par leur demarches que comme des agens provocateurs du trou- 
 ble et de d^sordre, puisque par des moycns si extraurdinaires ils s'effor^aient par 
 lacrainte, non paries voiesde la persuasion ct de la discussion de faire reussirle 
 Candidat, objet de leur predilection et insultaient ainsi tons ceux des electeurs 
 qui se croyaient libres dc soutenir un autre Candidat sans que les autorites judi- 
 ciaires ou administratlves eussent droit d'en manifester leur mecontentement et 
 leur opposition. 
 
 Dans leur zele extreme pour le mainticn de la paix et de la liberty de I'elec- 
 tion, ceux des Magistrats qui conduisaient ces troupes de Connetables Speciaux,en 
 grande majorit6 partisans violens de I'un des Candidats, les avaient armes non des 
 batons longs qui sont places entre les mains des Conn6tablcs ordinaires comme 
 signe de leur autorite et non comme d'agression, mais de batons courts et pesans, 
 veritablcs assommoirs, armes offensives que leur jeu facile pouvait rendre meur- 
 tritires. 
 
 La loi est claire et d'une ex6cution facile. Tout trouble et toute violence 
 commis en la presence de I'Oflicier-Rapporteur doivent a I'instant etre r^primes 
 par lui. Lei Conseillers L^gislatifs, les Juges dc Paix, les Electeurs, les simples 
 
 Citoyens 
 
28 
 
 he may require and command whomsoever be chooses from amongst them, what- 
 ever be his station or rank, to give him assistance, by force of arms, for the purpose 
 of conveying to the common gaol, on the instant, all who shall occasion, distur- 
 bance in his Court. As to such outrages as may be committed without his 
 knowledge and beyond ihe extent of his Court, by assault and battery between any 
 individuals, they are beyond his cognizance, and fall under the ordinary juris- 
 diction of the Justices of the Peace. If they are in their offices, if they are 
 vigilant and ready at all times, to fulfil the duties of their station, by taking the 
 depositions upon oath of those who have to complain of such assaults, they will 
 maintain legally, and with much greater surety, the public peace by sending to 
 
 Erison, or taking sufficient bail from those against whom juridical complaints nave 
 een made, than by adopting the unusual steps which they took during the last 
 Election for the Westward of Montreal. 
 
 The partisans of Mr. Bagg, emboldened to give themselves up to the commit- 
 ting of outrages for which the constituted authorities gave them both the signal 
 and the example, did not hesitate to commit the most guilty excesses. They had 
 already had recourse to the use of fire-arms ; they had already shed blood in the 
 streets of Montreal before the twenty first of May- It was, say the Returning 
 Officer, and the Justices of the Peace, against the partisans of Mr. Tracey, that 
 these unusual precautions were taken, yet they do not name one single man of 
 his partisans who appeared in arms. On the contrary, we find them on every oc- 
 casion shot, wounded and made victims; yet it is in behalf of their antagonists, 
 on behalf of those who fired at them, that the partisans Justices of the Peace, pre- 
 tended to be alarmed, for whom they intervene, for whom they employ, not alone 
 the power which is given to them by the Laws, but that of physical force, for the 
 invention of which they had neither pretext nor legal authority, under the circum- 
 stances that occurred, from the beginning to the end of that Election in the way 
 they did. At last, after having so overtly and so illegally committed themselves 
 by so many outrages contrary to the Laws, and to the freedom of fc lection, and 
 seeing they were on the eve of losing the advantage which they flattered themselves 
 they would obtain, nahiely the subjection of the majority of the Electors, to their 
 determination in favor of the Candidate of their choice, those same Legislative 
 Counsellors and other Justices of thcPeace, finding their civil troops insutficient,and 
 without the knowledge, or participation of the lieturning Officer, whom they did 
 not induce to plunge himself along with them into the de|)th of crime, conspired 
 and resolved amongst themselves, on Stinday the 20th May of last, to procure the 
 helpof an arnu'd force on the next day. y\t eleven o'clock at night, they depu- 
 ted a Legislative Counsellor, who a few weeks previous had directed the incarce- 
 ration of Mr. Tracey, and another Justice of the Peace to wait on Lieutenant 
 Colonel Mcintosh, then quartered in the City of Montreal, and commanding the 
 15th Regiment of foot, and the garrison of the place, requesting him to keep the 
 troops under his orders in readiness to repair on Monday to the place of the Poll, 
 at their demand. 
 
 This Resolution entered into by the Partisans of one of the Candidates 
 was to be kept from the knowludge of the Electors who wore Partisans of 
 the other Candidate. That part of the Magistracy, (now in cousert with the 
 military force,) by whose guilty excesses the catastrophe of thet^lst of May 
 occurred, prepared in secret their means of vengeance. Notwithstanding their 
 foresight the tranquility of the Poll had been no how interrupted on Monday 
 the 21st of May from eight o'clock in the morning till about three o'clock in 
 the afternoon. ' The troops, notwithstanding a very heavy rain, had been kept 
 under arms for several hours on the Champ de Mars, at u sufficient distance from 
 the Poll, not to excite the attention or the apprehensions of the voters, col- 
 lected ill great numbers, and who were without any alarm, and without any 
 suspicion that in a short time afterwards they were to be shot in the Streets. 
 
 About 
 
 •>!■ 
 
 ^ •^MartdHSSSi.^A 
 
 1 
 
89 
 
 Citoyens qui te trouvent pr^sens aii Poll, tous indi»tinctement lui doivcnt 
 ob^issance et il peut requ^rir qui bon lui semble d'entr'eux, quel que soit 
 son rang tie lui donner astistance et main-forte pour conduire sur le 
 champ en prison celui qui trouble I'ordre de sa Cour. Quant aux violences 
 qui peuvent se commcttre k son ins^Ui hors de sa Cour, par des assauts et 
 batteries contre quelques particuliers, elles ne le concernent pas ; elles tombent 
 sous la jurisdiction ordinaire des Jugesde Paix. S'ils sont A leurs bureaux, s'ils 
 sont vigilans et pr£ts en tout terns h remplir Ics devoirs de leur charge, enrere- 
 vant les depositions soussennent deceux qui ont a se plaindre de tels assauts, ils 
 maintiennent legalement et bien plus sCirement la paix publique en envoyant en 
 prison et pla^ant sous des cautionnemens suffisans ceux contre qui ils *ont re^u 
 des plaintes juridiques que par les voics inusit^es qu'ils adoptiirent dans la dernii^re 
 election de.Quartier Quest de Montreal. 
 
 Les partisans de M. Baggenhardis ase livrer i\ des violences dont des auto- 
 rites constitutes leur donnaient le signal et I'excmple, ne tard^rent pas <\ se porter 
 aux -plus coupables exc^s. lis avaient deja fait usage d'armes a feu ; d^ji\ ils 
 avaient ensanglante les rues de Montreal avant le vingt-un Mai. C'est contre les 
 })artisans de M. Tracey que I'Oificier-Uapporteur et les Juges de Paix prenaient, 
 disaient-ils, tant de pr^-cautions inusit^rs, et ils ne nomment pas un seul de scs par- 
 tisans qui ait paru arm^. Ils sont au contraire, partout tir^s, bless(-s et victimes, et 
 c'est pour leurs antagonistes, pour ceux qui les fusillent que des Juges de Paix 
 partisans, feignent dc s'alarmcr, pour qui ils interviennent, pour qui ils deploient, 
 outre tous les pouvoirs que leur donnent les lois, celui de la force physique, qu'i!s 
 n'eurent jamais ni pr^texte ni autoritu legale depuis le commencement jusqu'a la 
 fin de cette election de faire intervenir dans les circon$tances ou ils I'ont fait. £n> 
 fin apres s'etre si ouvertement et si illegalement compromis par tant d'outragcs 
 contraires aux lois et a la liberty de I'^lection, se voyant a la veille de perdre le 
 fniit quils s'en etaient promis, Passer vissement de la majority des 6lecteurs A leur 
 determination de faire 61ire le Candidat dcleur choix, ces m6mes Conseillers L^- 
 gislatifs et autres Juges dc Paix troiivant insutfisantes leurs troupes civiles a 
 l'ins9U et sans la participation de I'Otficier Rapporteur qu'ils n'entruinfjrent 
 pas a se plonger comma eux dans ce dernier degre du crime, comploterent re- 
 solurent entre eux, Dimanche le 20 Mai dernier, des'aider de la force arm^e le 
 lendemain. A onze heures dans la nuit ils deput^rent un Conseiller Lcgislatif 
 (qui quelques semaines plus t6t avait ordonn6 I incarc(!'ration de M. Tracey) et 
 quelque autre Jiige de Paix vers Lieut. Col. Mcintosh alors rcsidant dans la 
 Cite de Montreal et commandant le 15e Regiment d'Infanterie et la garnisonde 
 la ville pour demander de tenir les troupes sous b^s ordres pretes a accourir le lundi 
 au lieu du Poll a leur demtinde. 
 
 Cette resolution prise par les partisans de I'un des Candidafs dut demeurer 
 ignor^e aux clecteurs partisans de I'autre Candidut. — Dans le secret et mainte- 
 nant de concert avec la force armee la portion de la Magistrature dont les coupa- 
 bles exc^s devaient amener la castastrophe du Ql Mai, pr^parait scs moyens dc 
 vengeance. Malgre sa prevoyance, la tranquillite du Poll n'avait nullementete 
 interrompue le lundi 21 Mai de huit heures du matin jusqu'^ vers les trois heures 
 de I'apr^s-midi. Les troupes malgr^ une pluie battante 6taient retenues sous les 
 armes depuis plusieurs heures au Champ de Mars, A une assez grande distance 
 dulieu du poll, pour n'exciter ni Tattention ni I apprehension deselecteurs rciuiis 
 en grand nombre, sans alarme, sans soupgon qu'ils allaienl un peu plus tard ttre 
 fusillcs dans les rues. 
 
 Vers 
 
■ ij m 
 
 30 
 
 N 
 
 n 
 
 1^ 
 
 About three o'clock, one of Mr. Bagg't partisans, by accident or inten- 
 tionally, jostled a partisan of Mr. Tracey, who repulsed the aggression. This 
 accident set a fray on foot between some men of both parties who were 
 unarmed, and who interchanged some blows with the fist. At the first mo- 
 ment some one had gone off in all hnste to require the military to come for« 
 ward. In less than ten minutes the Lieutenant Colonel and a party ot troops 
 arrived at the public square in front of the place where the Pull was held. 
 A Magistrate who had the foresight to borrow a copy of the Riot Act, hasten- 
 ed to read it once, either entire or in part, at one spot of a large public square 
 filled with people. One quarter of an hour afler the first disturbanee, order 
 and tranquility were restored ; and their was neither, cause, occasion or time to 
 read it a second time at any other part of this legal assemblage of people. 
 
 The Returning Officer ignorant of these surprising precautions, declares 
 that they were taken without his participation. Being required on the part of 
 the Magistrates to put an end to the Election, he refused to do so, and by keep> 
 iugit open without difficulty and without interruption, until five o'clock, he de> 
 layed for a short time the spilling of human blood, which appears to have been 
 irrevocably decreed. At the adjournment of the Poll Mr. Tracey had the ma- 
 jority, and the cries of rejoicing, the mere huzzaing of his partisans, who had 
 a legal right to repeat as loudly and as often as they liked, those cries and huzzas, 
 without any apprehension of punishment or violence fur this legal act on their 
 part, appear to have been looked uponns an insult to the Magistracy, to the 
 Honorable Legislative Councillors who were then present, and to the numerous 
 Special Constables ranged under their orders. 
 
 In fact, as soon as the Poll was closed, Mr. Tracey took his way towards 
 his home, accompanied by the greater number of his partisans, who went to es- 
 cort him. Mr. Bagg with his took an opposite direction ; both had left the 
 Cublic square in front of the Poll, and all occasion for a conflict appeared to 
 ave been done away with for that day. A small number of persons who re- 
 mained behind, continued to cry out and huzza for Tracey. Nothing more was 
 required to provoke the ragcof the Bullies, and tlie Special Constables who re- 
 mained on the spot, headed by the Magistrates, and they threw themselves 
 violently upon those who so cried out, knocked down several of them with their 
 staves, and pursued tho others into Sr. Jacques Street. Those who were thus 
 pursued having called for assistance from their frien. s who bad followed Mr. 
 Tracey, apait of them came back. The street had iately been macadamized. 
 The as^ailors and the assailed took up the broken stones that were under their 
 feet, and threw them at each other; and in their turn the ,) ustices of the Peace 
 and their Special Constables were repulsed and put to flight. A House which 
 was in the line of direction of their flight, and in that of the stones which they threw, 
 and were thrown at them, had some panes of glass broken. Here terminated all 
 the danger, that was run, and all the damage that was suffered, by property in 
 Montreal. At this instant, Co!onel Macintosh despatched one of the Officers 
 under his command with orders for the rest of the Regiment which remained un- 
 der arn.s on the Champ de Mars, to advance and join him, and hastening him- 
 self to the aid of the Special Constables, he left with his troops, the vestibule of 
 the Parochial Church, crossed the Place d'Armes, in double quick time, till became 
 opposite to Dr. Arnoldi's House, and there he halted, formed and arranged his 
 armed soldiers. Having done so he again traversed, in double quick time, the 
 Place d'Armes to the other side, pursuing people who were flying and unarmed, 
 electors of whom the greatest part had got away by the lateral issue of St. Jacques 
 Street, which St. rian9ois Xavier Street, and St. Pierre Street, offered to them, 
 and he halted opposite to the house of Dr. Robertson, there with criminal pre- 
 cipitation, and such as is without any example on any occasion when the military 
 have been called in to disperse unarmed citizens, without previous notice, with- 
 out reading the lliot Act, without firing blank cartridges, without any feigned 
 
 charge 
 
 \, 
 
m 
 
 Vers trois heurs, vn partisan de M. Bagg, par m^garde ou intention^ment; heurta 
 un partisan de M. Tracey qui repoussa I'aggresseur. Cet accident mit aux prises 
 quelques hommes des deux partis doni aucun n'6tait arm6 et qui 6cliangtirent 
 quelques coups de poing. Au premier instant, quelqu'un setait d^tach^ en toute 
 hiUe pour alter detnander <\ ia force arni6e d'accourir. Sous moins de dix minutes 
 le Lieut.-Colonel et un jiarti de troupes (^taient rendus sur la place publique en 
 front du lieu oi") se tenait lopoll. Un Magistrat priivoyantqui avait emprunt6 
 une copiedcl'Acte contre les Emeutes (Riot) s'utait empress^ dans une seule 
 
 f>artie d'une place publique ctendue et remplie de monde d'en faire une seule 
 ecture, Un quart d'heure apr^s le premier bruit, tout ctait rentr6 dans I'ordre et 
 la tranquillity : il n'y avait eu ni motif, ni occasion ni le tcms de le lire une se- 
 conde fois ii aucune autre partie de ce rassemblement I6gal. 
 
 L'OtHcier-Rnpporteur Stranger u toutes ces utonnantes pr6cautions declare 
 qu'elles (Jtaient prises san»participation. Requis de la part des IVlagistrats dedis* 
 continuer son Election, il s'y rcfusa, et la continua sans uifficulte et sans interrup- 
 tion jusqu'i\ cinq heures, ilretardadequelque momens, I'efiusion du sang humam 
 qui ce semble avait 6t6 irrevocablement dccr^t^e. A I'ajournement du I'oll, M. 
 Tracey se trouvait en majorite et les cris de rdjouissance, les simple huzzas que 
 ses partisans avaient le droit legal de r^piter aussi haut et aussi souvent que bon 
 leur semblait sans avoir i\ craiiulre de punition ni de violence pour cet Acte licite 
 de leur part, fut en apparence regardce comme une insulte de la magistrature, aux 
 Honorables Conseillers L^'gislatifs alors pr^'sens, et aux nombreux conn6tables 
 sp^ciaux rang<;8 sous leurs ordres. 
 
 En effet aus8it6t le Poll clos, un peu aprcs cinq henres, M. Tracey pritia 
 route de an demeure avec le plus grand nombre de ses partisans, qui I'y aliaient 
 reconduire. M. Bagg avec lessiens prit la mute opposee ; — les uns et les autres 
 <;taient sortis de la place publique en face du Poll, et toute occasion de conflit 
 paraissait Hte ccss^epour cejour. Un tr^s petit nombre de personnes demeurees 
 en arri^re des autres continuerent i\ crier et a donner des huzzas pour Tracey. II 
 n'en fallut pas davantage pour provoquer la colore des bullies et des Conndtables 
 Sp^ciaux demeuri^'sen grand nombre, guides par des Magistrats sur la place, ils se 
 precipit^rent avec violence sur ceux qui criaient ainsi, en renvers^reut plusieurs 
 a coups debAton et poursuivirent les autres dans la rue St. Jacques. Ceux qui 
 6taient ainsi poursuivis'ayant appel6 i\ leur secours leurs amis qui suivaient Af . 
 Tracey, une partie d'entr'eux revint sur ses pas. La rue etait nouvellemep*- 
 empierr^e. Assai'ians et assaillis, se saisirent des pierres concass^es qui ^taient 
 sous leurs pieds, seles lanciirent reciproquement, et ^ leur tour les Juges de P»i"- 
 et les Conn^tables speciaux fuient repousses et mis en fuite. Une maison qui 
 ctait dans la ligne de direction de leur fuite et dans celle du jet des pierres qu'ils 
 lanfaient, et de celles qu'ils recevaient eut quelques vitres de cassees ; — L^ s» 
 terraina tout le danger que courut, tout le mal que souftrit la propri^te dans 
 Montreal. A I'instant le Colonel Mcintosh d^peche un des Otiiciers sous ses 
 ordres pour donner au reste du Regiment demeurti sous les armesau Champ de 
 Mars, d'accourir lerejoindreetse precipitant avecardeur au soutien des Conne- 
 tables speciaux, il sort avec ses troupes du portiuue de I'Eglise Paroissiale, 
 traverse a pas redoubU's la Place d'Armes jusque vis-a-vis la demeure du Dr. Ar« 
 noldi, et la s'arr^te pour former et ranger ses soldats armes. Ce soin accompli 
 il repartau pas de charge traverse I'autre c6te de la Place d'Armes et poursuivant 
 desgens en fuite et sans armes, des ilecteurs dont le plus grand nombre s'ctait 
 ^coule paries issues lat6rales i\ la rue St. Jacques, que leur avaient offert les rues 
 St. Francois Xavier et St. Pierre il fit halte vis-a-vis la maison du Dr. Robertson. 
 Lik, avec une precipitation criminelle et sans exemple dans aucunes des occasions 
 ou le militaire a ^t^ appel6 <\ disperser les Citoyens ddsarm^s, sans avis prealable, 
 sans lecture de I'Acte de Riot, sans decharge a poudre, sans charge simul^e A la 
 bayonnctte, ce qui aurait assure le seul objet que I'on auraitpu sepermettre 
 
 d'avoir 
 
 ...^ 
 
32 
 
 y 
 
 charse of Bayonets, which would have ensured the only object which it could 
 be allowed to have in view, timt of dispersing the crowd, and not that of the cer- 
 tain and inevitable death of His Majesty's subjects, Lieutenant Colonel Mcintosh 
 ^ave orders for the ranks to open, in order to keep out of danger those whom he 
 protected. Having thus, by a cool calculation, ensured the separation of his 
 friends, from his enemies he gave orders to fire, and three peaceable citizens, the 
 rtccessnry support of their families, strangers to the agitation of theLlcction, attend- 
 ing to their own private business, were hit by the murderous bullets, and expired on 
 the spot. Several others were severely wounded. Let us ndd to this horrid picture, 
 that there is nothing that can more strongly prove the cruel haste with which Col. 
 Macintosh had determined to complete this sanguinary sacrifice, thiin the fact, that 
 scarelytenminuteselapcdbetween the close of the Poll, and the firing of theSoldiery, 
 who hud so trifling a risk to run.tlmt the nearest of the citizens who were killed was 
 moie than three hundred and seventy five feet distant frUm the armed force. The 
 day will come when human laws will revenge those outrages- The blood of our bro- 
 thers, our countrymen has been shed. Men in the use of those rights which are 
 common to all citizens, of the right which we conceive we may always exercise, 
 that of being thepartizans of one candidate rather than of another, without run- 
 ning the risk of being shot, have been killed. We do not acknowledge any 
 other authority upon earth that has the final right of declaring innocent of the 
 crime of murder, he who has taken the life of his fellow creature, but that of a 
 Petty Jury. He who willed the death of three citizens, and by whom their death 
 warrant, well or ill determined on, was executed, is known : it is Lieutenant 
 Colonel Mcintosh, and he has obtained leave of absence. He has left the Province ; 
 The Judges before whom he had been taken after his arrest, under an accusation 
 of wilful murder, have sut him at liberty, refusing even to bind him by the fetble 
 tie of a bail bond, at the moment even when they told him, as if it were to advise 
 him to escape, that a new Grand Jury might find a fresh Dill of indictment against 
 him. If there has been either i<>;nora nee or prevarication in thecourseof the pro. 
 ceedings which followed that fatal day, and which all seem to huve tended to prepare 
 this evasion from tht; country of him, who, after having sown deuth and destruction 
 in it, has not been confronted with tliose who accused him of having done su ma- 
 liciously and deliberately, of him who, after having killed others, lias deserted 
 the country, without waiting for an opportunity publicly to establish a justifica- 
 tion on account of his having only acted in a case of necessity and for the good 
 of the public^ what hope of justice, what recourse, can your alarmed Petitioners 
 entertain or fly to? what inducement have they net to fear the early return of as 
 great similar dangers at every succeeding election in the City ; and soon afterwards 
 perhaps even those in the country ? A sufficiency of weighty fact«, which are no- 
 torious, or have been publicly verified by the Coroner's Inqiiest, are now unfold- 
 ed to your Honorable House, to authorize your humble Petitioners confidently to 
 pray you to revise the laws relative to elections so as in future to ensure the electors 
 against the illegal interference of the Legislative Counsellors, or Justices of the 
 Peace who present themselves, not as mere Citizens Electors, or peaccabio spec- 
 tators, but in their quality as public functionaries, in order to influence the resuhs 
 of Elections by means of*^ powers that have been given to them for other purposes. 
 They demand that solemn enquiries be made in order to find out, and to punish 
 all those who have been guilty of malversation at the last Election for the West 
 Ward of the said City, and specially to enquire into the conduct of the Ileturning 
 Ofiicer, and that of the public functionaries who took part in the subsequent pro- 
 ceedings ; to introduce Bills to provide, in conformity with the laws of England, 
 that the military should in future be removed from the neighbourhood of the places 
 where Elections are held. They pray the Honorable House, to request of the 
 Government of England to provide for the wants of the families of tiiose innocent 
 citizens who have been killed or wounded by their troops. They pray also for an 
 examination, whether, as long as we have the misfortune to have military Gover- 
 
 iiors 
 
 \» 
 
s\ 
 
 S3 
 
 d'avoir en vue, celui de ditperser la Ibule et non celui de la mort certaine et 
 inevitable dea sujcts de Sa Majesty*, le Lieut. Col. Mcintosh donne ordre aux 
 langsde s'ouvrir pour sou(trairei\ toui danger ceiix qu'il prot/(re. Apr^s avoir 
 awurd- ainsi par un froid calcul la 8<:paration de ses amis d' sea cnnemis, il 
 donne ordre de (aire feu, et trois Citoyens paisiblcs, soutiens ne^. jsaires de leurs 
 families, Strangers h I'agitation de I'^lection, vaquant h leurs affaires privies sont 
 atteints par le plomb meurtiier et expirent sur Ic champ. Plusieurs autres sont 
 griivement bless(!'8. — Ajoutons a cu tableau d'horreur que rien ne pent plu4 
 fortement prouvcr le cruel empressement avec lequci le Colonel Mcintosh etait 
 ddciii^ ;\ consommer ce sacriflce sanglunt que ie tait qu'il s'est h peine ^coulc dix 
 minutes entre la cloture du Poll et le feu du soldat, qui avait si peu de risque a 
 courir que le plus rapprochc des Cito)^ens tu^s ttaicnt h plus de trois cent 
 soixanteet quinze pieds de distance do la force armce. Le jour viendra 06 les 
 Lois humaincs vengcront CCS outrages. Le sang de nos (r^res et de nos com- 
 patriotcs a cte r6pundu. Des hommcs qui usaient des droits communs A tons les 
 Citoyens, du droit quo nous pensons pouvoir tous exercer, celui d'etre partisans 
 d'un Candidat plut6tquc d'un autre, sans pour cela courir le risque d'etre fusill^s 
 out ite tues. Nous ne rcconnaissons nulle autre autorit^ sur la terre qui ait 
 Hualementle droit de declarer innocent du crime de meuitre celuiqui a arrach6 
 la vie i\ son semblabic, que celle d'un petit Jur^. Celui qui a voulu que trois 
 (Mtoyens (ussenttiics rt dont I'arrct dc mort par lui bien ou mal-:\-propos port^ a 
 £te execute est connu ; c'est le Lieutenant Colonel Mcintosh, et il est souscongd 
 d'absence. II estsoiti dcia Province ; les Jugcs devant qui il a 6te amene apr^s 
 son arrcstation sous accusation de meurtre volontnire, lout 6lnrgi, refusant de le 
 retenir par le fuible lien d'un cautionncmcnt, duns le moment meme 011 ils disaient 
 comme pom' lui conseiller de fuir, qu'un nouveau Grand Jure pourrait le mettre 
 de nouveau en accusation. S il y a eu ignoriincc ( u prevarication dans la suite et 
 I'enchainement des procedures qui ont suivi cette fatale journ.'e et qui toutes 
 sembient avoir tendu a preparer cette evasion hors du Pays, de celui qui apr^s 
 avoir sem6 la mort et la destruction, n'a pas ete confronti' avec ceux qui I'accusent 
 de I'avoir fait mulicicuscme nt et deliberd'ment, de celui qui aprls avoir tu6 a 
 dcserti^' du pays siuis y attendre I'occasion d'rtablir publiquement qu'il fiit justifi- 
 able, piU'ce qu'il n'aurait agi «]iie par ndcessite ou en vuede i'utilite publique, quel 
 espoir de justice, ()ucl refuge vos Pitilionnaircs alarmes peuvent-iis trouver, quel 
 motif leur restc-t-il pour ne pas ciaiiiHre le retour |)rocliain d'aussi grands dangers 
 dans tontes les Elections futures de iaville, et bientot apres dans celles memes des 
 Campngiics ? Ass. z de fails graves qui sont de notorit te ou qui ont etc publique- 
 ment tonstaies par I'enqurte faite devant Ic coronaire sont maintenant deroidds 
 devant votre Honoral:le Cliambre, pour (|ue vos humbltts Pctitionnaires lui dem^in- 
 dcnt avi c confiance de revoir les lois d'Electionetd'assurera I'avenir les electeurs 
 contre I'intervention iliegale de Conscillers Legislatifs ou de Jugcs de Paix qui 
 seprcscnteraient tion counne simples Citoyens electeurs ou spectateurs paisibles, 
 mais en leur qualitc de functiunnaires publics pour faire servir a influenccr les 
 rt'sultats des KIcclions une autorite qui leur etait attribuee :\ d'autros fins. lis 
 demamlent des enquetes soleruielles afiu de faire connuitre et punirtous ceux qui 
 ont prevariqu^' dans la derniere election du Quartier Ouest de la dito Cite, et 
 nomiiienient d'enqni'rir sur la condnite de lOthcicr Rapporteur et sur ceile des 
 icnctiunnaires publics qui out pris part aux procid s subseqnens, d'introduirc des 
 Kills I our (iu'en conformite aux Luis d'.Aiigk'terrc les soidats soient a I'avenir 
 eloigner ilu voisinage des lieux ou se tiendront Its Elections lis la prient de 
 demander(|ue Ic Gouvernen.ent Anglais subvieune aux besoins des families de 
 Citoyei;o innocens lues et bl, sses par ses troupes, d'cxaminer si aussi long-temps 
 que nous aurons le mallieur d'avoir des Gouverneurs Militains, il n'est pas ^ 
 craindre que le Commandant des forces n'ail toutes ses sympathies pour ses fr^res 
 d amies qui ont des liaisons et de I'infliiencc en Angleterre bien plus que I'our 
 rUumbleet paisibleSujet desarm^ nalifdu Canada, sans liaisons ni influence en 
 
 E Angleterre, 
 
34 
 
 
 mentof England to provide for the wants of the families of those innocent citizens 
 whohavebeenkiliedor wounded bjr their troops. They pray also for anexamination, 
 whether, as long as we have the misfortune to have Military (iovemors, it is not a 
 matter of apprehension that the Communiler of the Forces should not have all 
 his sympathies alive in favour of his brethren in arms, who have ties and inHuence 
 in England far above those of the humble, peaceable and unarmed subject<i, na- 
 tives of Canada, without connections or iuHncncc in Kngland, although the (lo- 
 vcrnor in his civil capacity is bound lo give equal protection to all iiidiscriminHte- 
 ly : lo examine why the Coroner adjourned his inquest without obtaining a 
 legal verdict : why bail, to so slight an amount that it appears to be more in de- 
 rision than in reality, was required from persons against whom, a little while ntier- 
 wards, the Crown Oflict^r produced Bills of IndiiMment for murder : why the Judges 
 of the Court of King's Dench camo to that strange decision, without citing any 
 legal authority, thus depriving the Judges, tlieir successors, of knowing whether 
 their judgment was supported by law, or was the result of favour; an example 
 to be followed or to be avoided. To examine, in tine, whether a law eminently 
 essential to the well being of society, has been properly observed, ur deliberately 
 violated, by the Sheriff, when, foreseeing that Bills of Indictment for murder 
 would be brought forward at the first term after the twenty first of May, he com- 
 posed the Grand Jury of sixteen persons of British origin and only eight of French 
 descent; of twelve Jurymen from so small a Parish as that of Lachine, and all 
 exclusively of British origin, and of oidy nine from so large a Parish as that of 
 Montreal, and finally of three from the Parish of Pointe Claire, nearly as pop.i 
 lous as that of Lachine. 
 
 Finally, that it may please your Honorable Mouse to pay serious attei:tie!i 
 to all the subjects of complaints enumerated in this Petition, and take the whole 
 into your favourable consideration, in order to apply such redress as you may 
 consider proper ; 
 
 And your Petitioners, as much from inclination as from duty, will ever 
 pray, &c. 
 
 %' 
 
 Montreal, November, 1832. 
 
35 
 
 Angleterre, quoiquele Oouverneur-en-Cherilani sa capacity civile doivp onner 
 protection ^>galo a toii^ indistinctcment : d'examiner pourquoi le Coronaire a 
 ajoiirn^ u Cour suns avoir obtcnu iin verdict Uga\ : Pourquoi un cautionnement hi 
 l(^gcrqti'il (:;tuit uiiit^t dt risoire que r^el fut reqiiis dc personnes contre qui un pun 
 plus tard les Otnciers do la Couronne ont produit des bills d'indictement pour 
 meuitres: Poui^uoi Ich Jugcsdu Hanc du lloi ont adopts cettc di^'cision extra- 
 ordinaire sans citer aucune uuturitu I6gale, privant ainsi leurs sucesseuri Jugei 
 d'examiner si leur d(;tcrmination ^tait appuyc^e en loi, ou si elle £tait le r^sultat de 
 la favour, un I'xempic ^ suivrc ou bien ii £viter, d'examiner enfin si une loi ^minem- 
 ment essentiellc a la surety dc la 80ci6l^ a ct^ judiciuuscment observ^e ou ddib^r^- 
 nicnt viol^>e par le Slieritf', lorsque pr^-voyant que dcs bills d'indictement pour 
 nieurtrc seraicnt produits aii premier termo aprt;s les (*v6nements du vingt*et-un 
 Mai, il composait Ic Grand Jur6 dc seize sujets d'origine Britannique, de huit 
 seuiement d'origine Frun9aise, dc douze jur^s, dune aussi petite paroisse que celle 
 de Lachinc it tous exclusivemcnt d'origine Britannique, et do neuf seuiement 
 d'une aussi grunde paroisse que celle dc Montreal, ct entin dc troisde la paroisse 
 delaPointc Claire prcsqu'aussi populeuse que celle de Lachine. 
 
 Enfin & cc qu'il plaisc i\ cettc Honorable Chambre de donner une attention 
 scrieuse <\tous les sujets de plaintes cnumiris en In pr^sente RequC>tect prendre 
 le tout en sa consideration bienvcillante, h Tett'et d'y apporter tel remade qu'elle 
 trouvera convenable. Et autant par inclination que par devoir, Vos P^tionnaires 
 ne ccsscront do prier. 
 
 Montreal, Novembre 1832. 
 
 k:«b.^»