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'K'KKN AND TIIF llFi:" I'F riF\TF\l lii W nil', i.rn'i; \in^ wf kisi'duk ,\i. ■;i;i.(', iii'.'.i'.Mi'.Ki.' i Mil. \^'''''<- \\\ l)l{. W .1. ANDIKSON lAlC S F I'lilM'KD I.V Mll)|il.l.l<'N' A \>\\\-^'^'. \\ nil'. ■CA/.i'.TT (;KNKii \i, i'lMM IN'. i:s' \ri.i--ii>!i'.Ni', • • '♦• . f^- W^l -»^];VjLy;51J BI M»-^ * ».»" i .«l-.'-"^"mj B' U<' r.'(Mi . CANADIAN HISTORY ^m BIOGRAPHY, AND PASSAGES IN THE LIVES OF -A BRmSH PRINCE AND A CANADIAN SEIGNEUR : THE FATHER OP THE QUEEN AND THE HERO OF CHATEAUGUAY. » ^ » A PAPER READ BEFORE THE LITERARY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY OP QUEBEC, DECEMBER 19th, 1866. BY DR. W. J. ANDERSON, L.R.C.S.E. PRINTED BY MIDDLETON & DAWSON, AT THE "GAZETTE" GENERAL PRINTING ESTABLISHMENT. 1861. A )S re ^ c "RTM Ar.PA'.VINC. I'.V ,11 MAMKL A!'TI-,H .-MI- MKl . .Hi Al, I'U I UR!?. a:' o'MA1,( CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. In an address delivered at Fort Popham, Mr. MoOee, in speaking of Canada, used the following language : — " France was ruled by a policy strictly martial to the last ; and though Richelieu, Colbert, De LeOallesonidre, and other supreme minds, saw in the 'New France' great commercial capabili- ties, the prevailing policy, especially under Louis XIV., was to malie and keep Canada a military colony." And Parkman, in his '' Pioneers of France in the New World," says : — ** These banded powers, pushing into the wilderness their indomitable soldiers and devoted priests, unveiled the secrets of the barbarous continent, pierced the forest, traced and mapped out the streams, planted their emblems, built their forts, and claimed all as their own. New France was all head ! Under Knight, Noble, and Jesuit, the lank, lean body would not thrive. £ven commerce wore the sword, decked itself with badges of nobility, aspired to forest seigniories and hosts of savage retainers. Here was a bold attempt to crush under the exaction of a grasping hierarchy, to stifle under the curbs and trappings of a feudal monarchy, a people compassed by influences of the wildest freedom — whbae schools were the forest and the sea, whose trade was an armed barter with savages, and whose daily life a lesson of lawless independence. But this fierce spirit had a vent. The story of New France is from the first a story of war — for so her friends believed — with the adversary of mankind, himself ; war with savage tribes, and potent forest commonwealths, and with the encroaching powers of Heresy and England. Her brave, unthinking people were stamped with the soldier's Tirtues and the soldier's faults ; and in their leaders were CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. displayed, on a grand and noble stage, the energies, aspira* tions and passions, which belong to hopes vast and vague, ill-restricted passions, and stations of command. The French dominion is a memory of the past, and when we wake its departed shades, they rise upon us from their graves in strange, romantic guise. Again their ghostly camp-iires seem to burn, and the fitful light is cast around on lord and vassal and black-robed priest, mingled with wild forms of savage war- riors, knit in close fellowship on the sam^ errand. A boundless vision grows upon us, an untamed continent ; vast wastes of forest verdure ; mountains silent in primeval sleep ; river, lake and glimmering pool ; wilderness oceans mingling with the sky. Such was the domain which France conquered for civilization. Plumed helmets gleamed in the shades of the forest, priestly vestments in its dens and fastnesses of ancient barbarism. Men steeped in antique learning, pale with the close breath of the cloister, here spent the noon and evening of their lives, ruled savage hordes with a mild paternal sway, and stood serene before the direst shapes of d6ath. Men of courtly nature, heirs to the polish of a far-reaching ancestry, here with their dauntless hardihood put to shame the boldest sons of toil." Here is the portrait and there stands the bust of the Pilot of St. Malo — the skilful and intrepid mariner, Jacques Cartiei ; his resolute countenance gives us "■ assurance of a man" bold and keen, with a spirit not apt to quail before the wrath of man or of the elements. He stands first among the Canadian immortals as the discoverer of Canada, and first in the estimation of all French Canadians. Yet, after the lapse of two centuries, the dispassionate student of history must note, that Canada first presented herself to him as a magnificent country, inhabited by a friendly, hospitable, and confiding people, who looked up to the strangers as a superior and beneficent race ; that he unjustifiably abused their confidence by the treacherous abduction of Donnacona, " The Lord of Canada," and his nine attendants. This was the great error of his life. Another, almost as fatal, was the mode of - 1 c ll R: ^, 'i ~ J -.'/ -si ^-- r- CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. colonising the country, by his third expedition with Roberval. The commission set forth the objects of the enterprise, viz., — discovery, settlement, and conversion of the Indians — men without knowledge of God, or use of reason. The machinery of conversion was questionable, gince he was empowered by the same commission to ransack the prisons for thieves and other malefactors, to complete his crew, and strengthen the colony. Can we be surprised that on his arrival in Canada, four years after the outrn 'v with only one of those whom he had abducted, and accompanied as I have described, he found a distrustful, if not a hostile people ; and that, on the failure of his high hopes, he returned to France a disappointed man — reporting " a rigorous climate, a savage people, a fatal disease, and a soil barren of gold," and carrying, as his sole trophies, a few quartz diamonds from Cap Rouge, and some sham gold from the slates of the adjoining rocks. " Thus pitifully," says Parkman, " closed the career of this noted discoverer. His discoveries had gained him a patent of nobility. He owned the seignorial mansion of Limoilou, a rude structure of stone, still standing. Here, and in the neigh- bouring town of St. Malo, where he also had a house, he seems to have lived for many years." Other writers, how- ever, state, that Cartier died soon after his relnrn, having sacrificed health and fortune in the cause of discovery. He left no descendants to inherit his name and fame ; but I have heard our distinguished fellow-colonist, Mr. G. E. Cartier, say, that his family claimed descent from a brother of Jacques Cartier. Some six years after the return of Cartier, the two Robervals, and an enterprising company of young men, sailed for Canada, but they were never afterwards beard of, and they were supposed to have perished at sea. " With these two," says Charlevoix, " fell every hope of an establishmentin America." In 1547 the Robervals were lost, and half a century elapsed before the next great actor appeared on the stage of Canadian history ; but in 1604 Samuel de Cbamplain, of a noble French 6 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. iamily, and an officer already distinguished in the royal navy, set out on his first voyage to New France, thus commencing a connexion which continued almost without interruption for nearly thirty years ; during which he conducted seven expedi- tions from France to the infant colony, and made many and great discoveries on this continent extending to the Far- west. In 1608 he founded Quebec, near the spot where Cartier had built his fort in 1541 ; and now he committed the great error of his life. To influence Indian councils, to hold the balance of power between adverse tribes, might have been a policy worthy of a statesman, and might have resulted in reciprocal benefit ; but when he embroiled himself in Indian warfare, by personally taking the part of the liurons and Algonquins against the Iroquois, he sowed the seed which produced a prolific crop of troubles to the colonists, bearing havoc and flames to unborn^generations. In 1610 he made his fourth voyage, and founded Montreal. In 1615 he made his fifth voyage, when he was accompanied by four RecoUet Fathers— ^the commencement of what he considered the vital principle of propagandism, to which, ever after, the military as well as the commercial character of the colony were subordinated. In 1620 he brought his family to Canada. Up io this time no child of French parents had been born in the colony ; but in 1621, on the 20ih of May, a son was born in Quebec, to Abraham Martin and Margaret Langlois, who was christened ' Eustache.' In 1627 the Company of One Hundred Associates was projected by Richelieu, and approved by Champlain. This Company engaged to supply settlers with food, clothing and implements for three years, and then give them sufficient land to support themselves, cleared to a certain extent ; but all must be natives of France, and no strangers or heretics were to be permitted to immigrate. In 1628 Champlain had the mortification to be compelled to surrender Quebec to the Kertk expedition, and was carried a prisoner to England ; the population of the city at the time being only one hundred and five. In 1633 he had the happiness to return to Canada. CANADIAN HI8TORT AND BIOGRAPHY. Champlain is universally acknowledged as the father ot New France : he ennbodied her religious zeal and romantic spirit of adventure, and before the close of his career she took the posture which she held to the day of her death, purged of heresy, and in the one hand the crucifix, in the other the sword. His zeal for the propagation of the faith was so great that he said — " The salvation of one soul was of more value than the conquest of an empire." In Champlain alone, says Parkman, was the life of New France ! By instinct and temperament he was impelled to the adventurous toils of exploration rather than to the duller task of building colonies. The profits of trade had value in his eyes only as means to these ends, and settlements were important only as bases of discovery. Two great objects eclipsed all others — to find a route to the Indies, and to bring the heathen tribes into the embraces of the Church ; since, when he cared little for their bodies, bis solicitude for their souls knew no bounds. " Christmas-day, 1635, was a dark day in the annals of New France : in a chamber of the fort,' breathless and cold, lay the hardy frame, which wur, the wilderness and the sea had buffeted so long in vain. After two months and a half of illness, Champlain, at the age of 68, was dead. His last cares were for his colony, and the succour of its suffering families. Jesuits, officers, soldiers, traders, and the few settlers of Quebec, followed his remains to the church, LeJeune pro- nounced his eulogy, and the feeble community built a tomb to his honor." A soldier from his youth, in an age of unbounded licence, when the principles of religion and morality were neither fully understood nor faithfully practised, he stood out a bright example of purity and fidelity. An enthusiastic, intrepid, persevering and successful explorer ; an undaunted soldier ; a pious and sincere, though bigoted, member of the Church of Rome ; never thinking of self, but always of his great purpose, he was in everything truthful. " With the life of this faithful soldier," says Parkman, " closes the opening period of New 8 CANADIAN HISrrORY AND IIOORAMIT. Prance. Heroes of another stamp succeed ; and it remains hereafter to tell the story of their devotedness, their fault?, their follies, and their virtues." Before closing this part of my subject, I must allude to the interest recently excited, by the alleged discovery of the tomb of Ohamplain. Should this be an actual discovery, wh«t a lesson does it teach us of the vanity of all human greatness ! In the city which he had founded and fostered, the tomb of the great discoverer and propagandist had been so neglected as to be utterly lost sight of, and the place that once knew him knew him no more ; and for nearly a century strangers and heretics unwittingly have daily trampled his dust under foot. But dust to dust, and the spirit to God who gave it. The earthly tomb has vanished, and its place had been blotted out of the memory of man ; but Champlain has erected for himself a monument more imperishable than brass. He has left no heir of his body ; but his name will live for ever, and his fame will spread to the utmost bound of civilization. « COMMENCEMENT OF THE SECOND PERIOD. Mr. LeMoine, in his very interesting " Maple Leaves," gives an account of the most important efiort ever made by the French Crown in connexion with Canada — an effort the results of which are visible at the present day. He points out, among other things, how the names of several of the leading minds of France were associated with the fortunes of the colony, and that among the galaxy of young noblemen, who alone, in the days of privilege, could claim as a right com- missions in the French regiments serving in Canada, we will find the historical names of the reign of the great monarch Louis XIV. In 1664 he sent out to Quebec the most brilliant emigration that ever sailed from France : consisting of a Viceroy, a Governor-General, an Intendant, and other neces- sary officers of the Civil Government ; and the Regiment of Carignan, commanded by Col. DeSallidres, and officered by sixty or seventy French gentlemen, most of whom were t remains eir faulty, ade to the f the tomb ry, what a fatness ! le tomb of neglected that once a century mpled his > God who place had nplain has table than name will it bound of ; Leaves," r made by 1 effort the I points out, the leading me 8 of the ,emen, who right com- lanada, we lat monarch ost brilliant i sling of a ither neces- legiment of )fficered by trhom were CANA0IAW HISTOKY AND BIOORAPHY. 9 connected with the noblesse. The strength of the regiment exceeded one thousand ; and, in a^ddition, there was a oon- siderable body of artizaos and agriculturists, with horses and cattle ; — an accession exceeding in numbers all the settlers already in the colony. Many of the officers settled in the colony, and having obtained concessions of lands, became the noblesse or seigneurs of Canada, and were the founders oC the best French Canadian families of the present day. " This infusion," says Mr. LeMoine, " of superior blood, educations and accomplishments, operated beneficially as regards the social and domestic manners of the colonists, previously devoted to the humblest occupations of trade. Liberal tastes were encouraged, and sentiments of honor and genero&ity pervading the higher ranks, were f^lt through every class of the inhabitants." On referring to " Titles and Documents relating to the Seigniorial Tenure," published by order of the House of Assembly in 1852, there will be found one to the Sieur De Chambly, as follows : — " JiAir Taloh, King's Councillor of State, &c. To all, &c. *' His Majesty having at all times sought with care and the zeal suitable to his just title of the eldest son of thft church, the means of making known in the most unknown countries, by the propagation of the Faith and the diffusion of the Gospel, the glory of God and the Christian name, first and principal object of the establishment of the French colony in Canada, and accessorily of making known to the parts of the earth remotest from intercourse with civilized men, the greatness of hit name and the power of his arms ; and having judged that there were uo surer means to that effe(;i, than to compose this colony of men fit, by their personal qualities, properly to fill up, to extend by their labour and applicalion to agricuU ture, and to maintain it by a vigorous defence against the insults and attacks to which it might be hereafter exposed ; has sent to this country a number of his faithful subjects, officers of his troops in the regiment of Carignan, and others, most of them, agreeably to the great and pious designs of his B 10 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHY. > Majesty, bring willing to connect themnelves with this country by forming therein settlements and seigniories of an extent proportionate to their means; and the SieurdeChambly, captain in the said regiment, and commander of the troops in Canada, having petitioned us to grant liim a portion of land : We, in consideration of the good, useful and praiseworthy services which he has rendered to his Majesty in difFeront places, as well in Old as in New France, since he came here by his Majesty's order." Then follows a grant of the Seigniory of Chambly, to be held agreeably to the Coutume du Paris, " subject to the conditions that he shall continue to keep and cause to be kept house and home on his said Seigniory ; and that he shall stipulate in the title deeds which he may give to his tenants, that they shall be held within one year to reside and keep house and home on the lands which he may grant or have granted to them." The grant reserves all oak timber for ship building, and all mines of gold, &c. This grant Is dated at Quebec, 29th October, 1672. Provision was thus made for the permanent settlement of the country and cultivation of the land ; but concessions were also made to the Sieur Denis Riverin and his Company, at Cap Chat and elsewhere, for the establishment of fisheries *' for the catching of cod, whales, and other fish," and with the right of hunting and trading with the Indians. But the most important concessions, and what have exer- cised the most prominent influence on the colony, existing at the present moment in the fullest vigor, were those made to the Jesuits and other religious bodies, male nnd female, for the propagation of the Faith, and the education of the children of the Indians, and of Frenchmen residing in the colony. These grants were . so extensive, and the land was selected with such judgment, that in Quebec and Montreal the religious corporations are at this day extremely wealthy, being, in fact, in possession of the best parts of these cities, and owning the most valuable lands in their vicinity. CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOQHAI'IIT. tl this of an imbly, popt) in land : i^orthy Id'erent le lie re In 1G68 there was great scarcity of worn n, and several hundreds were in consequence sent from France ; on whose arrival it was advertised that a supply had been sent over, and that such as had the means o( supporting a wife, should have the first choice. Within a formight the whole lot was disposed of. In 1720-1 Charlevoix says he found about 7,000 inhabitants in Quebec ; society agreeable ; the military officers and noblesse very poor, but elegant and polished. " Agriculture and commerce were little attended to." Three Rivers con- tained about 800 ; and the inhabitants of Montreal did ndl amount to more than one-half of Quebec. The polity inaugurated in 1664, was maintained in com- parative integrity till the conquest by the British in 1759. Its success, however, was not very marked, for during the pro- gress of a century the population had only increased to 65,000 : consisting chiefly of cermtairea or cultivators — a frugal, industrious and moral race ; and seigneurs or noblesse, who, though poor, were very much respected ; and a large, equally respected, and at least as powerful, body of clergy ; also a considerable number of Indians, converted to the Catholic faith. With the conquest closed the second period oi Canadian history. i COMMENCEMENT OF THIRD PERIOD. Some time before the conquest, there came to Canada, in command of a French frigate, a cadet of a noble family in Du Pays des Basque, called DeSalaberry. He was of her- culean frame, and distinguished for his bravery during all the operations immediately preceding and terminating with the conquest. He had married Mademoiselle Duchesnay De St. Dennis, daughter of the Seignior of Beauport. The issue of this marriage was a son and two daughters. After the conquest he remained in Canada, cheerfully transferring his allegiance to the new sovereign. Indeed, the terms in favor of the French colonists were so liberal, civil and religious liberty was so fully granted and so faithfully observed, that 12 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOOIlAPHY. the great body of Canadians were well content to come under British rule, and in a short time proved themselves loyatand attached subjects. Of the two daughters ol M . DeSalaberry, one married a Fterlch gentleman, whom she accompanied to Old France ; the other, alter the manner of many high-born ladies, dedicated herself to God, by entering the Convent of the General 'Hos- pital in this city, where she was long known and revered ^aia Sister St. Catherine. The son, Louis-Ignace, at the agfe bf seven, witnessed tb6 'battle on the heights of Abraham, from the General Hospital ; went to France in 1760 to prosecute his education, and reiutned to Quebec in 1768 to complete it, at the Quebec Seminary. He had inherited a handsome person, tall, and strong as Hercules. His midn was dignified, and he had ft ' motst Courteous and polished address. He soon 'became most popular with 'his fellow-countrymen. In 1775, during the American war, he joitied the Britreih army as a volunteer, and served at the siege of St. Johns, ■where he was twice seriously wounded. DeGrasp^, ih his delightful " Memoires," relates that during this siege a shell was thrown into the barrack occupied by DeSalaberry and other officers, all of whom, but he, had time to escape befo'/e it exploded. After the explosion, his friends returned, fully expecting to find nothing but a mangled corpse ; but, to their great surprise, they found the second Sampson, more fortunate than the first, sustaining on his broad shoulders the whole weight of the edifice ! The gouts of blood Which he for a long time afterwards occasionally expectorated, testified to the strain his system had undergone. In the following year he served in Captain DeRouville's Company, and was wounded by a musket ball in the knee. He cdntinued to serve to the close of the war in 1783 ; but he had, in February, 1778, married Mademoiselle Catherine DeHertdl ; and, on the con- clusion of the war, he retired to his home, and subsequently received half-pay as Lieutenant. The issue df his marriage was four sons and three daughters. le under \aya.t and larried a ' France ; ledicated ^ral Hos- ^vered :as lessed the loBpital; lion, and Quebec tall, and he had ft ame most le Britfeih St. Johns, sp§, in his ^e a shell bei'ry atid ipe befoire ned, fully It, to their 'idrtnnate the whole for a long id to thb g year he Wounded fe to the ry, 1778, I the con- jequently marriage CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOOAAPHY. }$ While he was living -happily in the bosom of his faioily, at fads mansion at Beauport, in 1791, H. R. H. Prince Edward, ufteirwards Duke of Kent, arrived in Canada, in command of the 60th Regt., and there at once sprung up an intimacy be- tween the Prinoe and Seignior only terminated by death, and which had a Tdost important iniluenoe on the career of the young DeSalabenrrys. The Prince became a frequent, almost a constant, visitor at Beaaport ; he became warmly attached both to M. and Madanne DeSaiaberry, and look a deep interest in the welfare of their children, which shewed itself in every possible way, and subsequently led to all the four sons seeking a profession in the British army. In 1794 the Prinoe was transferred to Halifax, Nova Scotia ; and then commenced a correspondence between him and the members of the DeSalaberry family, which was only termi- nated by his death. I have had the advantage of studying the whole of it, and there remains the impression itbat a correspondence more creditable to the heads and hearts of the parties could not have taken place. The letters addressed to the elder DeSalaberry are in French— those written to the younger are in English ; but one and all, from beginning to end, exhibit, on the part of the Prince, great good sense, bnt warmed with a heart overflowing with generous, considerate and practical kindness, and endeavouring to anticipate every wish. Neither time, absence, change of place nor fortune, pioduced change in him, but be remained faithful to the last. It, is my intention at a future time, and possibly in another way, to make use of these letters ; in the meantime, in the course of this paper, I shall introduce such passages as are best calculated to elucidate and to interest. It is anticipating, bat J think it better here to introduce cob or two anecdotes, as told by DeG-asp6 : — '* Without being rich," says he, ** he pracdsed a generous hospitality, and his house was open daily to such as desired to pass an agreeable evening with his amiable family, around the tea-table. He loved, and was boloved, by the young, and w-as amused and delighted by their society, and encouraged frequent re-unionm. 14 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. He was deeply impressed with religious faith, and the scene was most impressive when, at the last sound of the bell, the father and mother, and their seven beautiful children, advanced to participate in the communion." It is pleasant, also, to read De6asp§'s account of the manner in which, in his more advanced years, he was received in passing along the streets of Quebec. He was universally saluted as one loved and esteemed ; even the children had learned to revere him, and it was remarked that the dignified and venerable Seignior was as marked in returning their salutation as that of the most prominent member of the community. His feeling of loyalty made it a point of duty to present himself at the levees of the representative of his sovereign. In 1819, when, he was far advanced in life, being then in his sixty-seventh year, the Uulte of Richmond was appointed Governor-General. Shortly after his arrival, he gave a soiree, at which the ladies were to be presented. DeSalaborry appeared, dressed in the full costume of the Court of Louis XVI., taking his proper position before the arrival of the Governor. It tiius happened that the guests, as they entered (not having as yet seen the Governor), led away by the richness of his dress, and his imposing person, mistook him for the Governor, and made profound obeisance, which he returned with all the dignity of a prince, and in good faith, not knowing there was any mistake. In 1796 Lord Dorchester determined to raise a Canadian regiment, and called upon M. Joseph de Longueuil, M. (je Sataberry, and M. Dambourges, to aid him. The Baron de Longueuil was Colonel ; DeSalaberry, who had shewn great energy and had raised his company in a very short time, was appointed Major, and Dambourges was appointed Captain, of the Grenadier Company. The regiment, " Lea Voluntaires Canadiens" was six hundred strong, and had on its colours the device, " Try us." It served, successively, two years in Montreal, two at Sorel, and two at Quebec, when it was disbanded. The biographer of Dambourges asserts that it was frequently short of pay and supplies, and that Colonel ol bl CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHT. 15 [he scene bell, the idvanced |t, also, to his more Ihe streets loved and him, and Seignior lat of the to present 3reign. In len in his appointed ve a soiree, )eSalaborry irt of Louis ival of the hey entered the richness liim for the he returned lot knowing I Canadian leuil, M. 4^ B Baron de shewn great rt time, was ed Captain, Voluntaires its colours wo years in ^hen it was sorts that it hat Colonel Longuenil actually sustained it, for a very considerable time, out of his own revenue, and writes indignantly that, notwith- standing the sacrifices made by both ofRcers and men, the Duke of Portland had forwarded a despatch, in 1801, to Governor Sir R. N. Milnes, containing this unjust expression : " But before I proceed further, I cannot help expressing to you my surprise that the establishment of the Canadian Battalion in Lower Canada, the principal object of which was to draw the Canadian gentlemen from their indolent and- inactive habits and attach them to the King's service, should have met with no greater success." M. L. DeSalaberry was twice elected to the Provincial Parliament, and was subsequently called to tho Legislative Council. He was President of the great Committee of Quebec, and was chosen to. carry the address, signed by 70,00'\ against the Union of the Provinces. Under the administration of Sir James Craig, he would not consent to stand a poll in support of that measure ; and when threatened by him with deprivation of office, replied, " You may take from me the bread of my family, but shall never deprive me of honor ! " On the eve of the war of 1813, DeSalaberry and General DeRottenburg, by desire, wrote a joint memorial to Sir Geo. Prevost, pointing out the necessity of employing the Canadians in defence of the country ; and it was that confidential com- munication, so favorable to the character of the Canadians, which determined Sir George to throw himself into their arms. He was subsequently named Commandant of the 1st Battalion Incorporated Militia. He enjoyed the full confidence of the men, who followed him to L'Acadie with enthusiasm ; but being struck with paralysis in the right leg, he was com- pelled to resign the command. He lived to mourn the loss of his three younger, and to witness the triumph of his eldest son in the service of their country, having survived till 1828. His four sons, Charles, Maurice, Louis and Edward, through the influence of the Duke of Kent, obtained commissions in the British army. Maurice and Louis, after a brief but 'i . f 1 ! ' ■ 111 ' vf 16 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHY. honorable career, died on active aervioe in India ; while Edward, the youngest, the godson of the Duke of Kent, fell, at the head of the forlorn hope of his company, at the storming of Badajos. i shall incidentally, before the close of this paper, have occasion to advert to these again ; but I will now leave them, and direct your attention to their elder and more distin- guished brother, Charles Michel, the '^ Heroof Chateaviguay." Under t^^e auspices of the Duke of Kent, he entered the army some time in 1794, having received a commission ia the Duke's ovn regiment, now known as the GOth Rifles; his first services were in the West Indies, where he served eleven years. He was present, under General Prescott, at the siege of Fort Matilda, and though scarcely sixteen years of age, the Q^meral selected him, with his Grenadiers, to cover the evacuation, which he did so as to meet the marked appro- bation of his chief. In command of the same company of Grenadiers, he served during the Dominica campaign in 1795. It was during his services in the West Indies, while he was stationed at Jamaica, that there occurred what may be called, not the great error, but the great misfortune, of his life. The story has been well told by DeGaspe : — " The officers of the 60th Regiment, of which Charles-Michel DeSalaberry was lieutenant, were of different nationalities, English, Prussians, Swiss, Hanoverians, and two French Canadians, Lieutenants DeSalaberry and Des Rivieres. It was difficult to preserve harmony among them — the Germans especially being pas- sionate, quarrelsome, and duellists. One morning, DeSala- berry was sitting at breakfast with tome of his brother officers, when one of the Germans entered, and looking at him with an insulting air, said, *' I have just come from sending a French Canadian to the other world !" meaning that he had jnst killed Des Rivieres in a duel. DeSalaberry sprang like a tiger from his seat ; but instantly calming himself, said, " We will finish breakfast, and then you shall have the plea- sure of finishing another French Canadian." They fought, as was then the custom, with swords ; both were noted for their great skill, and the contest was loqg an4 obstinate. De a ; while (Cent, fell, i storming ihis paper, low leave tote diatin- eawguay." i the army ion in the Rifles; hia ■ved eleven kt the siege of age, the cover the rked appro- company of ign in 1795. ^hile he was ly be called, IS life. The flicers of the ilaberry was h, Prussians, , Lieutenants t to preserve y being pas- ling, DeSala- ■other officers, at him with im sending a r that he had ry sprang like himself, said, have the plea- :hey (ought, as noted for their obstinate. Pe 1 1 1a:: l! IF I' .- F "^ li ■^■ 1' CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 17 Salaberry was very young ; his antagonist more aged, and a rough bully. The young Canadian received a wound on his forehead, which time never eflfaced, and as it bled freely and interfered with his sight, friends attempted to stop the conflict ; but he would not consent, but binding his handkerchief round his head, recommenced the fight with greater fury. At length his adversary fell mortally wounded." How thankful ought we to be that, in our day, this barbarous practice of duelling has been discountenanced. We may not blame DeSalaberry : viewed in the light of the moral code, and the code of honor, of the time, he was in the eyes of the world, not only justified, but worthy of all commendation ; fo^' be acted under a just indignation and the generous impulsq of youth ; the provocation was great, and the punishment not more than adequate. We have said that this was the great misfortune of his life, and we have reason to know that he felt it 80 himself. Like all brave men, he never talked of his own achievements ; but many years after this event, when hQ was happily married, and a father, his son, who had heard of his exploits, said, " Father, you were in a great many battles ; were you ever wounded i" " No, my boy !" was the answer* " What, then," was the rejoinder, " is that mark on your forehead ?" The father staggered as if he had been shot, and getting up left the room, followed by his wife, who, on her return, explained to her son, requesting him never again to levert to the subject, as any allusion to it alway « gave bis father great pain. I have had before me numerous letters, written in French, by the Prince Edward, while he was in command at Halifax, to the elder DeSalaberry ; they all express the deepest concern for the welfare of his family, and describe plans for their advancement. Time will not permit me to read them ; but I shall give a short extract from one, dated *' Kensington Palace," 9th April, 1799, immediately after his arrival in England. Having described the unpleasant passage encoun tered from Halifax, he says : — " On my return, I was received in the most flattering manner by their Majesties, and ali my c t8 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOOBAPHY. i: n I' ^"^ family. My establishment has pasHed bi)tli Inmaes of Parlia^ uent anil bfis received the Royal assent, and I have reason to know that, in a few days, I shall be created Duke of Kent. It is bis Majesty's pleasure that I shall remain for th^ pr»seat on service in England, my head-quarters being at the centre of Hampshire, and I am to command the troops which ajre in camp for the defence of Portsmouth and the Ule of Wighl." It may be remarked here, that the Prince had served with distinction during the campaigns in the West Indies, having, at the capture of Guadaloupe, in 1794, led the first division in such a way '* as to do the officer who commanded, and every dfKoer and soldier under him, more honor than words can convey." Both houses of the Imperial Parliament passed him a vote of thanks, ^ lor his gallant conduct and meritorious services." Yet, though he was now 27 years of age, having been born 2nd November, 1767, and though the Duke of York had obtained his settlement at the age of 21, and the Duke of Clarence at 24, we find that the King safleied him to remain unprovided for, and in known pecuniary difficulty, till h't» S2nd year ; and then, with marked partiality, caused at the same time an allowance to be voted to- his younger brother, the Duke of Cumberland. Parliament granted him £12,000 a-year, but, stmnge to say, no ** pecuniary assistance** lo aid him in setting up an establishment, as had been tbe ease with the Duke of Clarence. He subsequently pressed his claims on the King and Ministry, and though pledgee were given, they were never fulfilled. Why ? it may be asked. The only apparent answer is — his political tendencies were liberal ; an offence which, in the eyes of George the Third, and his Ministry, would excuse any act of injustice. The Prince had an impression oi his own, which he has recorded in a letter, in which he alludes to his career in the West Indies, ^* The wish entertained about me, in oertaia quarters, when serving there, was, tliat 1 might ftUi!^ , ! However, at the time he wrote the letter quotf d, and oqe on the 10th June, 1799, he appeared satisfied with his prospects. Pariiox I reason to oi Kent. 10 present Ihs centra |jch aie in |Tvcd with s, having, livision in and eveiy 'ords can nt passed eritorious :e, having ke of YoriE teDttke of ' to remain ty, till h't» eanaed at « youngwr Nited him ssistance** lt>een tbe ly pressed b pledges t may be endenoies ieorge the injustice. 3li be has iet in the in oeitnia nd oqe on prospects. CAIfAMAir HierORt and BIOOMAPIir. 1» In the last letter, he says, ** The reception I received on my arrival here proves the advantageous opinion which the King entertains of me. He has advanced me to the grade of General, and honored me with the post of Commander-itt'Chi^f in British North America ; and I have now to inform you that I will set out for my command in three weeks." He Adds, ** On account of the conAiet between General Prewoit and his Council, his Majesty has lesotvvd to recall him, and appoint me his successor in his military function.'* He came out in thtt month of July ; but his health gate way^ and he was obiiged to ratum to England in the autumn. In further illustration of the undeviating interest taken by the Duke in the career of hiii protegees, I shall give a few more extracts from hlo letters : — "•■■(•••'• '•'' ' ' ' ' ■ " Kensington Palace, 6th Feb., 1807. , "Dear DeSalaberry,<— I have gi«at pleasure in informing you that your brother Edward parsed his examinatioti at Marlow, in my presence, with credit lo himself, on Tuesday, and that I left him there in charge of a very worthy man, Captain McDermott, who has promised me that he would take the same care of him as if he were his own son ; so that yon may write your good father and your excellent mother, that all the roughest of bis labour is over, and ihat I trust there is now none but the most pleasant prospect before us." On the 18th April, 1807, MaUriee and Louis sailed for India, attached to the 2nd Battalion of the Royals, and on the 21st the Duke wrote announcing their departure ; and the letter contains the following extract : — " As yet I do not know who will go to command the forces in Canada ; but whenever I find it is decided, I will strive to get you nominated to their staff, knowing what a gratification it must be to your parents to have one of their sons so near them. But even if that should fail, I will be on the watch to avail myself of anything else that may offer for your advantage, of which, rest assured, 1 never will be unmindful." 10 CANADIAN HIHTORY AND BIOOBAPHY. X X. ' M P V Extraol from a lelter, 3rd August, 1807 : — i . • , • , : *' I hud the pleasure uf conducting your brother Edward to Great Marlow, on Saturday last, after having spent a month at Castle-hill Lodge ; and I have infmile gratification in assuring you that his conduct has been so much everything that I could wish, during the whole time, that it quite went against me to part with him ; and I am sure his godmother " etait au moin de moitu" in the same sentiments. Madaine de St. Laurent, who knows that I am writing to you, bids me assure you of her kind remembrance, and thanks you for your recollection of her; and, as for myself, you must be sensible, I am ever, with the most friendly regard, ,,.,,,... , , I. . . " Dear DeSalaberry, " Edward." In 1808 Charles-Michel, being then Brigade-Major, and stationed at Ashford, in Kent, obtained leave to visit a relative in Ireland ; and it was thus his fate to fall a victim to that passion which so often turns the " young and tcr i-^r wit to folly." Yet what could be more natural : the young officer was handsome and accomplished, and the lady, young, beau- tiful and gentle ; and in every respect but fortune they were suited for each other. They loved, and wished to marry ; but, before taking so grave a step, DeSalaberry thought it his duty to consult his patron and guardian. I have not seen his letter ; but I subjoin the Duke's reply, which DeSalaberry has left thus endorsed : " Advice to me on the subject of marry- ing — paying me a very handsome compliment as a soldier." This composition is a "chef d'oeuvre." . „, " Kensington Palace, Ist Nov., 1806. " My Dear DeSalaberry, — Having now replied to every point contained in your letter to me, I have to advert to that you have written to Madame De St. Laurent, under date of the 30th ultimo, which she communicated to me immediately on the receipt ot it last night, and will endeavour to give you my sentiments on its contents with all that candour which my friendship for your excellent parents, as well as yourself, of so many years' standing, give:^ you every right toexpect from mo. pdward to It a month ication in jverything luite went Igodinother Madaino )u, bids me [ou for your sensible, •■"■li ,\'\ DWARD." Major, and 'sit a relative ctim to that !cr Jor wit to yoang officer young, beau- le they were id to marry ; thought it his e not seen his Salaberry has »ct of marry- a a soldier." *ov., 1806. lied to every dvert to that under dale of immediately tr to give you )ur which my rourself, of so pect from mo. CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPRY. II ** From the long experience I have now had of the service of the regiments of the line, I am satisfied that no situation is so unenviable uh that of a married officer, even when he pos* sesses an independent fortune to enable him to support his wife and family in the style in which a gentleman (such as the profession should make every one who holds the King^s commission) not only would wish, but ought to do. Of course, tlierefol^, when the married officer has not the aid of private fortune to add to the small pittance which the regimental pay afl'ords him, in these dear times, his situation must be deplorable, being obliged either to see his wife and family want those comforts, without which their life must be a burden to them, or to run in debt to procure them. You, my dear DeSalaberry, at this moment, possess about twenty shil- lings a-day pay, exclusive of those allowances which are not more than adequate to furnish and support your equipage at* a staff officer. But the moment you get promotion, which naturally must be your first object, yon will be reduced to fifteen shillings ; for you cannot expect that, with my interest only to support you (which literally at this time is worse than none), you will be appointed to any situation on the staff, while your very advancement must make you vacate the Brrgade-majorship you now hold ; — that being the case, I leave it to your own good sense to judge whether, upon that small stipend, it would eittier be right or honorable to take away a young woman, for whom you have a regard, from those comforts she has been used to at home, to share the wretched accommodation of, at most, two barrack-rooms, if you are so situated as to be enabled to have her with you ; Or, if the imperious call of duty separates you, to vegetate in some obscure lodging, on the few shillings which, I contend, yoa can ill spare from your scanty pay. Were I to write volumes, I could not express my sentiments more fully than I have done in the three foregoing pages : from which you will easily see that the sum of my opinion is, you ought not and cannot think of marrying your cousin ; indeed, I would go further, and say, you ought to shun the very thought of matrimony, situated CANADIAlt NlvrORT ANO ■lOONAPflT. H8 yun are ; but if, tinder any cirenniBtaneet, It can be right Tor yoa to think of it, It woald be if ohanoe ttirew In yonr way H woman of respectable ehnraoter, who Is enabled to give yon, the day you nanry her, that Independence which there !■ iitile pronpect of your being ever i^le to give her. After Haying this, let me adviee yon, de prendre wr toM, to be ekpliolt without loss of time, for honor, good sense, and every consideration, require It ; and believe me, when you have done this, yon will, to the last hour of your existence, feel gratpful to me for having given you this counsel ; for to be a good soldier (for which highly honorable qualification no man possesses more the requisite than yourself). It is absolutely necessary for a man to be independent, and with a wife and the prospect of a family. It is impossible for you to be so. ** Ae you cannot doubt my friendship, I am sure yott wilt ascribe every word I have said to the only motive that conid guide me — ihai of your welfare and future prospects. I shall not therefore attempt to apologize for the freedom with which I have spoken, but conclude here by assuring you of the warm sentiments of regard with which I Mver am, " Dear DeSalaberry, yours folthfully, ** EnwAao. " P.S.—Madame De St. Laurent desires me to say, that t will return you ydtar letlera to your friend. Captain Leveiy, being eonvinced that you will now see the necessity of writing one of another eomplexlon ; in doing which yon have my foil sanction to say that you have consulted me, and to ooramunioate the advice I have felt It my duty to give you.*' In 1809 DeSaiaberry accompanied his regiment on the unfortunate Walcheren expedition ; and, on the 19th July, the Doke wrote him as under :— ** I shall rely on your promise to write by every opportunity that offers, and that you will desire Captain Smith, who is with Brigadier General Brown, to do the same, as it is always interesting to receive accounts from two different hands, of events of the nature of those you are likely to encounter." *' Madame De St. Laurent and I most cordially unite in every wish for your success, honor, and advancement." CANADIAM MIITORY AND BIOGRAPHY. II be right yoarway fo give ich th«re i» ler. After F) to be I, and every jtm heve itence, feei ; lor to be a tlon no man I absolutely a wife and to be 80. ire yon wilt e that conid tcts. I shall I with which I of the warm "y, * Edward. to say, that I ptain Leveiy, necessity of hich yoti have d me, and to to give you.*' ment on the le 10th July, yonr promise ihat you will •neral Brown, elve accounts I of those you ?nt and I most IS, honor, and From all the Duke's leltcrM, it is evident, he anticipated nothing but disappointment fri)in the blundering and inca^ paolty which pervaded the management of the expedition. I shall give one or two further extracts. Under date 18th September, 1809, he writes t — *' But,— exclusive of certain apprehensions which I was led to entertain (from reports which were in circulation here, of a degree of jealousy existing at your head^quarters, in regard to those officers who cor- responded with me), and which made roe feel backward in writing to you, for fear of its doing you disservice there,— I cannot help expressing my regret at the misapplication o| the noble army that has been so uselessly employed upon a service the result of which, so far from being commensurate with the extent ol the means employed upon it, could hardly be justified, even if two'thirds less force had done so little." On the 25lh September, he wrote : — ^^ It would really seem as i( thote fettowa (for I have no patience to call them any- thing else) were paid by the enemy to do everything against our troops, iostcad of being supported at a heavy expense by our own OoverooMnl, to provide for their wants. ^' ** Madame De Sl Laurent desires me to say how sincerely she unites with nte in every wish for your welfare and happiness ; and that I should inform yoo, for the honor of Muuriee and Chevalier (Lewis), that we heard yesterday, by a letter from Mih Hale, that these two brothers of yours had transmitted to your excellent father one husidred guineas, the rasuU of their Uule savings Mnoe they had embarked for I adia. Such traits, she observes, ought to be engraved la iodelihle obaraolara,, m»d so they wilt be i» our hearli.^^ > . . Oo the U)th November following, he wrote : — ^ There ase vjsiy uapleasant romours about a mutiny ia the garrison of Floshiogv among our troops, ia consequence of two or three severe, though, I have no doubt, very proper examples having been made of some soldiers who were caught pi undering and maraading> Chxi grant it may not be true, and, above all, that.my regiment is not among the faulty. Perhaps ftp*m«nrow yoa, will be able to tell me sometiung further about iti" li,., } !1 I ' 94 CAIfADTAN HISTORY AND BlOCRAPHY. It: ■^ And : — " All now to be hoped is, either that such a change will take place in administration as will lead to the imme- diate adoption of the only feasible plan which in onr present situation can be thought of — that of evacuating Walcheren, after razing or blowing up all its defences ; or, that the exist- ing Ministry will have the candour to avow the egregious error they have committed, and take that step without which we have nothing to look forward to, but the annihilation of those unfortunate corps, who are destined to encounter the plestilential sickness of that aguish climate." And : — ** No- thing can be more distressing than the details yon give me of the extent uf the sickness, or be more bitter than the reflection, that so many poor fellows should have been so wantonly sacrificed. In the number of those who have fallen, there is none I more sincerely regret than my old, worthy friend, Major Hill, who was one of the few standards of the old stock, of which now, alas ! there are bat few remaining ; I feel, too, much for his poor wife, whose situation, I apprehend, will be rendered most lamentable by bis loss. \Vhat a scandalous shame it is, that when your commissariat had the power in their hands, as you tell me they had, of procuring' you an abundant supply of fresh provisions, they should have neglected that most important point, and that, through that neglect on their part, you should now be reduced to the sad alternative, in the midst of all your sickness, of being fed six days in the week on salt provisions." it, Mil \n'.A:-^ ut i.ioy Captain De Salaberry, who had landed at the head of the Light Brigade, as aide>de-camp to General DeRott6nbUi^, served during the whole campaign, being at the advanced posts before Flushing during the whole of the siege. After the evacuation he was transferred to Canada, and placed on the St;? of General De Rottcnburg. , It was while he was on duty at Quebec, he received the following letter, which I must give in extenso :— - , " Kensington Palace, Aug. 6, 1810. , oi " Dear DeSalaberry,— It Was my intention on the receipt of the annexed truly afflicting letter from your brother Lewis, a change he imme- inr present aicheren. It the exist- egregioos out which hilation- of lounter the id :— " No- i give me of e reflection, wantonly en, there is )rthy friend, 1 of the old emaining; I I apprehend, ». >Vfaat a' lariat bad the of procuring should have through that d to the sad being fed six 1 11;* I.' I ■/. > 1 ■■>>(;' head of th« leRottfenburg, he advanced siege. Aftfer id placed on le he was on which I must ig. 6, 1810., n, the receipt of rolher Lewis, 1' '\ ■: •y A- c ■3 -^ r *, c ^- t 'r -.\ x O '1,1 ftl CAITADIAK HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 36 ixrhich reached me on the 9th ultimo, to have transmitted it to you, that you might be apprised of the melancholy event of which it contains the relation, and to have commissioned you to break it to your good parents aod your sisters ; but being unfortunately obliged) ao no official report had reached the Horse Guards of your poor brother Maurice's demise, to transmit Lewis' letter to Lieutenant-Colonel Torrens, it was^ throagh *ome oversight in the Military Secretary's Office, not returned to me until yesterday ; so that it was out of ray power to seild it to you sooner. Fortunately, the departure of your friend) Dr. Keith's protegi^ Mr. Morris, for Quebec (for whom I have obtained an Ensigncy in the 49th Infantry), affords me an opportunity of sending it, and I hope and trust it will currive in time to prevent the account of the sad catastrophe from reaching your parents before this comes to hand, and enable you to prepare them for it. " To yoti) Who know how attached I am to your whole family, and how particularly partial I ever have been to poor Maurice, I need not attempt to express all I feel upon this distressing loss ; but I shall depend upon you to say every- thing for me that is most consoling to both your parents, and yoiir sisters, Upon communicating the circumstance to them, and to assure them that were he my own brother, I could not lament bis loss more sincerely than I do. I fear that it will be a very severe blow, particularly to your mother. However, she is a thoroughly religious, good woman, and I trust she will in time overcome it, though, I am well aware, it will be ft sad task. ! . " No change has taken place in niy situation since you left thi^, exeept a severe and most inopportune blow to my finances, which the failure of my bankers, Messrs. Devaynes & Co., has just given them — ^not from any actual loss, per- haps. Which I have eventually to apprehend, but as leading to an udavoidable and immediate deprivation of some of those oomiorts which we have hitherto always been used to ; however, I have been long accustomed to disappointment, and 1 hope I know how to meet this fresh and unforeseen one as I D / 26 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. t 3 t - t 'r m \ -J I'X ought. Could I get out to Gibraltar, all would soon be right again, but I do not apprehend that so much good fortune is in store for me. " Remember me to Col. Hale most particularly, and tell him that the first leisure hour I have, I will answer his letters up to the 11th of April (the last of them), which reached me on the 24th June, I shall devote to him. " I had nearly foigotten observing lo you, that now Baron De Rottenburg has attained the rank of Major-General, it will be in his power, without putting himself under an obligation to any one, to retain you with him as his aide-de-camp, which, I have no doubt, he will himself do, on being apprised of it. " I remain ever, with the most friendly regard, " Faithfully yours, dear DeSalaberry, " Edward." This letter requires no comment. Some time before the declaration of war by the Americans Sir George Prevost urgently solicited DeSalaberry to raise the " Canadian Voltigeurs." The rapid levy ; the equally rapid formation of this corps ; their constant success against the enemy ; the good example which they always set to the other young corps and the militia in general — bespeak alike their value and the service rendered in raising them. On the advance of General Dearborn, with 10,000 men, to Odelltown, in November, 1812, Sir George Prevost sent him, with 400 men and some Indians, to dispute his entrance into L'Acadie. In this he completely succeeded, for the American general, after fruitless attempts to force him, decamped on the 23rd November. For this service he received thanks in the following General Order, which I copy in full, to shew that at this time there was a disposition to do justice :— *' Adjutant General's Office, " Head-quarters, La Prairie, 27th Nov., 1812. " G. 0. — His Excellency the Commander of the Forces takes this opportunity of expressing to Lieutenant-Colonel De Salaberry, his entire approbation of his conduct in the management of the advance, as well as the high sense he CANADIAN HISTORY AMD BIOGRAPHY. U1 fe right [tune is jtell him Iters ap me on |aron De will be fation to J, which, Id of it. ^ARD." lericans to raise ■ equally i against et to the ak alike > men, to ent him, nee into merican id on the s in the ew that 1812. Forces onel De in the mse he ' entertains of the alacrity with which the corps of the Volti- gours, Voyageurs, the Battalion of embodied Militia, Captain Piatt's troop of light Cavalry, and the Montreal Battalion of Volunteer Militia, and the flank companies 2nd and 3rd Bat- talioDS Montreal Militia, repaired to their different posts to repel the threatened invasion, and which, had it taken place, his Excellency feels confident, from the tried valour and discipline of his Majesty's regular forces, and from the enthusiastic loyalty and courage of all classes of his Majealy^s Canadian subjects^ would have terminated in the defeat and disgrace of the enemy. The extraordinary exertions which have been made on this occasion, and which thus calls forth his Excellency's notice and commendation, cannot fail from producing the most happy consequences to the future tran- quillity and prosperity of the country. The General Orders of this day, and the 27th current, are to be entered into the General Orderly Books, and read at the head of every corps on parade. (Signed,) " Edward Baynes, " Adjt.-General, N. A." In 1812 he married his cousin, Demoiselle Marianne Hertel de Rouville, a descendanr of that Sieur de Rouville to whom was first granted the Seigniory of Chambly. I have given a letter of the Duke's on a former intended marriage. I shall now give one written on his actual marriage : — (Copy.) " Kensington Palace, 8th August, 1813. " Dear DeSalaburry, — I have now before me your four letters of the 4th and 18th October last year, and of the 2nd of June of the present one, the former of which. I received on the 88th November, and the last on the 7th instant. The first of these letters being written in all the bitterness of your anguish upon receiving th;it large packet of mine which contained the melancholy details of the loss of all your poor brothers, I shall only observe on it, that if I have so long delayed in acknow- ledging it, it has arisen from an unwillingness on my part to rip up those sores, which, I am aware, for a length of time can be but slightly cicatrised ; and now that I resume my ■ I ! : i I i: 11 I- H [ i 3 t ■- a 98 CANADIAN HISTORir AKO BIOGHAPUr. pen, I do it with some degree of pleasuro, peroeiving tlml your last letter is written in so much better spirits, although it gives but a melancholy account of your good and valuable parents. ** Madame De St. Laurent and myself, who were delighted jlo hear, in the first place, of the very judicious marriage you have made, have also been highly gratified in learning that she has given you a son, and not a little pleased with the compliment you have paid her by naming him after her. You will therefore judge how cordially we both unite in the fervent prayer, that the name may prove more fortunate to him than It was to your poor brother Edward. ♦' The accounts which you sent me of your Battalion of VoltigeuTs, and the progress you make in bringing them forward in a state of discipline, prepared me for the very handsome but well-deserved compliment paid you, at a subsequent period, by the Commander of *he Forces, as well as to them. It was therefore a matter of veal satisfftotion to m9 to be able to sqcceed in getting you the permanent rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, which. I may in truth say, you so hardfy earnt ; but I hope now all painful recollections will be done away with, and that you will continue to serve with alacrity, so long as the war lasts — looking lorward to retire with honor, credit, and some advantage, at a peace ; unless we can succeed in securing you, at thai time, one of the principal statf situations in Canada. At the same time that I say this, if you could previously exchange into a permanent corps, you should not lose sight of it, as thereby establishing your right to sell out. " To revert for a moment to the melancholy event of poor Edward's death, I most fully subscribe to the propriety of your having kept back my letter announcing it to your poor father, which, of course, will now remain in your hands, to be made use of, or not, in course of time, as oironmstancea may require, i grieve much to find that your father's debilitated state should have rendered his resignation of the command of his Regiment of embodied Militia unavoidable. living thai I, although valuable delighted irriage you l^rniog that with the frher. You the fervent him than lattalion of iging them [or the very you, at a •068, as well tiefaotion to nanent rank say, you so lions will be 1 serve with ird to retire aoe ; unless one of the e time that I permanent istablishing sat of poor wopriety of your poor ir hands, to sumstancea ur father's tion of the lavoidable, OANAOUN HItTORV AND filOORAPHY. <0 as I fear that circumstances must necessarily have circum' scribed his comforiH. You have not mentioned, in your last letter, your good mother ; I fear, therefore, you had nothing comfortable to say of her. Pray do not fail, in your next, to name her, as well as all yourselves ; for Madame De St. Laurent and myself still preserve the same lively interest in their welfare, and desire to know everything about them. When I contrast the present melancholy scene of Beauport, with the recollection of what we formerly remember it, 1 own it depresses my spirits much, and therefore I am always ready to make every allowance for your ieelings on that head. " Should the war continue much longer, and you once attain the rank of Colonel, I trust you would obtain the clothing of your corps into your own hands ; and in that case 1 hope you will remember Carder for your clothier, and Mr. Kirkland for your agent. " I shall long to hear from you some account of my Ist Battalion, in case you should at any time come across them ; for after being separated as they were, for above eleven years, in the West Indies, I am fearful their appearance and dis- cipline cannot be much to their credit. " In general, all you tell me of the appearance of thingii in your vicinity, as to the present campaign, is extremely cheering, and I look forward with some degree of confidence to a succession of comfortable accounts from Canada during the remainder of the season. I have been doing all I can here to impress the necessity of doubling your number of seamen on the lakes, and sending you out a couple of thousand Highlanders yet this season ; but I am not able to say whether my counsel will be attended to or not. " I have recently met myself with an awkward accident, from my horse falling with me, as I was trotting briskly down tb9 hill between the gates of Caatle-hill and the bottom of Mr. Meuxe's grounds. Though it happened as far back as the SSnd of last month, I have not yet been able to leave my own premises-^the cuts and bruises, though not dangerous. > M CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHT. It is if {.» : .3 Ic having been very oevere. I have, however, been able to keep oH' fever through care and abstinence, and i hope by the time this nronth is up to feel nothing of tiie cfiects of it. ** Ii now only remains for ine 1o convey to your wife Madatne De St. Laurent's kindest thanks for her obliging message, to assure you of our united best wishes for your health, wealth and happiness, and to subscribe inyself, with the most friendly regard, " Dear DeSalaberry, " Youis faithfully, " Edward. " P.S. — The enclosed letter was left with Beck some time since for you, and he requested me to enclose it. «♦ Lieut.-Col. DeSalaberry." It must have been observed, that while the Duke never lost sight of an opportunity of advancing the interest of his friend and protigi^ he always made it a point to recommend that he should place himself in the post of honor and danger ; and there DeSalaberry was always to be found. We accord- ingly find that, before the receipt of this letter, he had — obeying the imperious call of duty — left his young wife and frst-born son and child, and placed himself at the head of his Voltigeurs. In 1813, General Hampton having contemplated an attack on Montreal with 7,000 men, DeSalaberry was again sent to dispute his entrance into L'Acadie, which he successfully did ; for the enemy, alter several skirmishes, did not care to risk a general engagement in the woods, but decamped to •' Four Corners." DeSalaberry, having positively ascertained bis iutention, took upon himself, without orders, to counter- march with his regiment ; and, on the 1st October, with 60 Voltigeurs and 150 Indians, surprised him in his camp, and, after a very warm action, succeeded in putting him into confusion and making a reconnoissance. Dearborn and Wil- kinson'having been foiled, and the Americans having been defeated at Chrysler's farm, there remained only General Hampton to contend with. In advancing to meet him, De f (■■ H I lie to keep ly the time ■your wife |r obliging [s for your ^self, with ciples, I think yoor merit in having brought your Voltigeurs to the state of peifection which, I understand, they have attained, is beyond all praise. ♦' With respect to yourself, I will tell you candidly my wish is, when a proper opportunity offers, to get you promoted to the rank of Colonel, by being nonriinated an honorary A.D.C. to the Prince Regent ; and then, some day or other, appointed Colonel-Proprietaire of the Canadian regiment — which will then thrive under you, and enable you to remain in your own country, with benefit to that and honor to yourself. So do not think of quitting the army upon any consideration, while there is not a chance of your being removed from the defence of your Dietix Penates. As to your worthy father, the granting him his full pay for life, upon retirement, was but an 1811. iDeceiiibur few iluys De uf the |her-iii-law, id) I send w the po8t- Hontiments |say more in led conduct I had been n a manner an opinion ut upon this [silent — more there is bat ne yourself, the Canadian ived so well ; Militia laws military prin< ur Volligeura d, they have iidly my wish promoted to lorary A.D.C. ler, appointed — which will I in your own irself. So do sration, while n the defence y father, the It, was but an CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOURAPIIT. 86 act of jnslicn ; and the withdrawing of that grnnt uflerwardn, most nnjustitiablc, and I do not wonder it should have hurt you ; but times may alter. ** Repeating, as \ conclude, the sentiments of friendship 1 and esteem, with which I ever am, my dear DuSalaberry, " Yours faithfully, (Signed,) " Edward." This was the sensible and suitable way in which H. R. H. proposed to reward the great service of DeSalaberry. Let us see what was actually done. Great Britain commemorated the victory, by causing a rtiedal to be struck ; the Voltigeurs were presented with colors ; and DeSalaberry, besides the gold medal, had the Order of the Bath conferred upon him — transmitted, with an autograph letter, from the Prince Regent. The two houses of Provincial Legislature passed a vote of thanks to him ; and his father's pension, which had been " most unjustifiably withheld," was restored. This was all ; and we must admit a most inadequate recompense it was. Col. DeSalaberry was selected by Sir George Prevost to take a share in an expedition against the enemy at Salmon River. In nddition to his own Regiment, four companies of the 49ih Regiment marched with him to Cotear. du Lac ; but the expedition was given up. In April, 1814, he was sent into L'Acadie, with 1,800 men, to attack General Wilkinson ; but tha* General had retreated from Odelllown, before he could cross the inundated roads. In July, 1814, he whs again sent to Odelltown, with 2,200 men and some artillery, the greater part regulars, to make head against the American General, Izard, who was intrench- ed at Champlain and menaced L'Acadie with 6,000 men. Soon after this, the British troops arrived from France ; peace wasconcludedjthe Voltigeurs were reduced, and DeSalaberry, being reduced to half-pay, retired to his home at Chambly. In 1818 he was called to the Legislative Council — his father being still a member; and in this position he remained till death. The elder died in 1828. 30 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. I '' 'i In explanation of the allusions made in the notice of O'Sulljvan, and the letter of the Duke of Kent, I may say that they arose from an attempt made, in certain quarters, to (Jeprive DeSalaberry of his just fame. In order to place this matter in its true light, I have plaped in the Appendix doeu^ ments which speqk for themselves, and cannot be gainsaid. DEATH OF THE HERO OP CHATEAUGUAY. 1^' N c • ; r : Ik ; :< " '•V Colonel Charles-Michel DeSalaberry, like his father, wav always fond of the society of the young. In 1829 he was spending the evening at the house of the Hon, Mr. Halt, at Chambly, when a young lady, to whom he was much attached, prevailed upon him to danoe a reel with her : he danced so spiritedly and long, that his eldest son, who was present, glided in before his partner and assumed his place. Qn ceasing to dance hie withdrew to an adjoining room, and, throwing himself on a couch, said to a young medical friend, who chanced to be there, " I feel very unwell I" and almost immedi9,tely bepame speechless, but retained hjs other facul- ties. He was bled, and on the lollowing day Dr, R. Neilson arrived from ]\Iunlreal, when he was again bled ; but human sliill w£js in vain, •" At, lengUi no more liia deafened ear the jninstrels' meloily can lieapj Jlis face grows sliiu'p ; l)i>* liands are plenched, spt are his teeth ; hia fiulin'' eve Is sternly llxed on vacancy." The strong man, " in manhood's glory," expired at the early age of 51. Madame DeSalaberry survived many years, fttid his children are still with us — Lieut.-Col. DeSalaberry, D.^.G., being the representative of the family- Some men are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon thein. If the hero of our story was not born great in a world-wide sense, he had the fortune to be born of one of the oldest and most distinguished French Canadian faiuilies, so that it may be said fortune smiled on his birth. Greatness vyas not iirust upon lotioe of say that irters, to )la<;e this lU docu^ gainsaid. 'ather, was 29 he was r. Halt, at as much h her : he , who was his place. room, and, dical friend, and almost other facul- •, R. Neilson but human :an hear^ his teeth ; hia }ircd at the many years, )eSaiaberry, >atnesp, and hero of our , he had the istinguished said fortune lirust upon CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHV. 8T him ; but "here again fortune was propitious and afforded opportunities of advancement possessed by few. That he achieved greatness few will be disposed to deny ; — the warm- hearted, generous, chivalrous friend ; the loyal subject ; the brave, the prudent, and the skilful soldier; the Canadian Leonidas; the victor at Chateauguay ; the saviour of Canada — will never pass from the admiration and affection of his own countrymen, and his name will flourish in immortal youth wherever the tale of his great exploit at Chateauguay shall be told. May our country never want subjects as loyal and brave as DeSalaberry ; and may she learn how better to reward them ! I cannot close this paper without making one more allusion to the Prince who has occupied so prominent a part in it. His letters to the DeSalaberrys, extending over a period of more than twenty years (some of them sixteen pages in length), give us a true index of his character, and exhibit him as a warm-hearted, considerate, and discreet friend — above all, truthful and faithful : indeed, if it could with propriety be said of mortal man, that he was *' without variableness or shadow of turning," it might in all truth be said of him, who, being a King's son, was further nature's nobleman. Had he lived, there can be little doubt Canada would have felt the benefit of his w^ise and liberal counsels ; and that justice would have been done to DeSalaberry which, I regret to say, has not been rendered to himself or family. The Duke married, on 29th May, 1818, the sister of the late King of the Belgians, the widow of the Prince of Leinengen ; and, on 24th May, 18ld, there was born to him, at Kensington Palace, a little daughter, now our most gracious Sovereign Queen Victoria. On the 29th December, 1819, he wrote from Walbrook Cottage, to a friend : — " My little girl thrives under the influence of a Devonshire climate, and is, I am delighted to say, strong and healthy — too liealthyy I fear, in the opinion of some members of my family, by whom she is regarded as an intruder ; how largely she con- t/ I' .'I ! i' S8 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. h l^' i(5 i r ! tribujes to my happiness at this moment, it i» needless for me to say lo f/ou^ who are in such full possession of my feelings on the subject." This was one of his last letters, as he died, after a few days' illness, of inflammation of the lung?, on the 23rd Jan., 1820, in the 53rd year of his age and the lull vigor of manhood, prematurely cutoff when he was most wanted to protect his wife and infant daughter, and just when his noble nature and manly virtues, which had been so long misunderstood and misrepresented, were beginning to be appreciated in England. The Third Period of the History of Canada culminated in the unhappy rebellion of 1837-8. There is neither time, nor is this the place, to enter into the consideration of the causes which led to that outbreak ; but I would recommend all who have not already hoard or read it, to refer to the able paper on the History of Canada, by Mr. John W. Cook, which has been published in this year's transactions. It may, however, be remarked, that there must have existed during the period a fair measure of prosperity, as the population, which at the conquest was only 65,000, had then increased to about 465,000 in Upper Canada, and to 090,000 in Lower Canada — making a total of 1,155,000. The Fourth Period of Canadian History is to be dated from the Union of the Provinces in 1841, when the population in the Upper Province amounted to 465,375, and in the Lower to 690,782— making a total of 1,156,167. The Union, we are aware, was objected to by Upper Canadians, on the ground that it would destroy the character of Upper Canada as a British Province. In Lower Canada it was asserted, that French Canadian influence would be rooted out for ever, and that the stipulations and guarantees would be violated. We are now about to enter upon a Fifth Period ; and it will be useful to turn to statistics to see how far these anticipations have been realised. We find that at the present moment the population of Upper Canada is given by Mr. Arthur Harvey, a careful and reliable statist, at 1,802,056 ; that of Lower Canada at 1,288,880— making a total of 3,090,936. And of Iss for me feelings |few days' in., 1820, 'manhood, rotect his ature and stood and England. dinated in r time, nor the causes nd all who »le paper on which has y, however, the period hich at the d to about ;r Canada — e dated from jpulation in the Lower nion, weare the ground lanada as a jserted, that for ever, and olated. We id it will be anticipations moment the hur Harvey, at of Lower 36. And of CANAOfAN HISTORY AND BIOORAFHY. S9 these there are of French origin in Upper Canada 33,287, and in Lower Canada 847,320 —making a total of French origin of 880,607 ; giving an increase of 183,825 over the whole population of Lower Canada at the time of the Union. Then, as to the great question of Religion : so complete has been Civil liberty, so perfect the " freedom to worship God," that we find our fellow-colonists of the Roman Catholic Church numbering forty-five per cent, of the population of the united Province. ' I think this requires no comment ; so I shall con- clude with a short extract from Mr. Cook's paper : — " The great national progress which Canada has achieved since the Union of the two Provinces, has been accompanied by progress of a higher order. Schools, colleges and universities have sprung into existence As the education of the people ad- vances, it will be tasi' • ■; work well and wisely a system of government, which ^ e. .iy depends for its success on the information possessed i>y ihe people. A broader and greater Union is advocated by our ablest statesmen, under the full sanction of Imperial authority. A national spirit is gradually growing and strengthening. Nor need the fact, that the population of Canada is sprung from different races, be a source of weakness. French and English, Scotch and Irish, may well retain the traditions of their fathers, and be at the same time good and loyal Canadians. They may cherish the memories of the old la.ids, while uniting in defence of the new, in which God has blessed them with a healthy climate, , a productive soli, and a free government." APPENDIX. 11 ,.{ .. t, . , " Right's House, Cbate&uguay River^ " 27th Octobej, 1813. " Advance Brigade Orders. *' Major-General De Watteville has much satisfactioo in conveying to the troops composing the advance, by desire of his Excellency the Commander of the Forces, the high sense 1 ' ' 11 't 40 CANADIitN HISTORY AND ftlOGHAPHT. 1,1 r il: I ■( i i - 1 I I which his Excellency entertains of the conduct of the several corp« engaged with the entymy in the allair of yesterday, under the immediate command of Lieutenant-Colonel De Salaberry. " His Excellency was pleased to express his entire appro- bationf of the discipline, coolness and bravery displayed by all ranks on this occasion, which reflects the highest honor upon* all concerned. (Signed,) " Geo. F. Burke, " Major of Brigade." " Head Quarters, La Fourch6, ** On the Chateauguay River, « 27th October, 1813. " G>efferal Oirders. *' His Excellency th6 Giovertlor-in-Chief and[ Commandei' of the Forces has received from Major-General Ue Watteville, the report of the affair which took place in front ol the advanced positions of his post, at II o'clock on Tuesday morning, between the American army, under the command^ of Major-Gheneral Hampton', and the aidvanced piquets of the British, thrown out for the purpose of covering' Working partie^s, undeY thef direction of Lient.-Colonel DeSalaberry ; the jtidicious position chosen by that officer, and the excellent dispcfsition of his littler band, composed of the light company Camcdion Fencibles, and two companies Canadian Voltigeurs, repulsed with loss, the advance of fhe enemy's principaF column, commanded by G-eneral Hampton in person, and the American Light Brigade, under Colonel McCarty, was in like manner checked in its progress on the south side of the river, by the gallant and spirited advance of the flank com- pany 3d Emibodied Militia, under Capt. Daly, supported by Captain Bruyer's company of Sedentary Militia. Captains Daly and Bruyers being both wounded, and thcii^ companies having sustained some loss, their position was immediately taken up by a flank company of the 1st battalion Embodied Militia. The enen^y rallied and repeatedly returned to the i,i several' tslerday, lonel De le appro- |ed by all lor upon tgade." ■gf r, 1813. Dmmandei' Vatteville, mt ot the a Tuesday command' nets of the ^ working Salaberry ; e excellent ft company Voltigeurs, i principar m, and the ty, was in side of the flank com- pported by Captains companies ^mediately Embodied med to the CANADIAH HISTORY AKD BIOORAPHT. 41 attack, which terminated with the day in his complete dis- grace and defeat, being foiled by a handful of men not amounting to a twentieth part of the force opposed to them, but which nevertheless by their determined bravery main> tained their position, and screened from insult the working parties, who continued their labors unmolested. Lieat.-Col. DeSalaberry reports liaving experienced the most able support from Captain Ferguson in command of the light company Canadian Fencibles, and also from Captain Jean Bapt. Duchesnay, and Captain Juchereau Duchesnay of the two companies of Voltigeurs ; from Captain Laraotte and Adjy- tants Hebden and O'Sullivan, and from every officer and soldier engaged, whose gallantry and steadiness were con- spicuous and praiseworthy in the highest degree. " His Excellency the 6overnor-in-Chief and Commander of the Forces having had the satisfaction of himself witnessing the conduct of the troops on this brilliant occasion, feels it a gratifying duty to render them that praise which is so justly their due : to Major-General De Watteville for the admirable arrangement established by him, for the defence of his post ; to Lieut.-Colonel DeSalaberry for his judicious and officerlike conduct displayed in the choice of position and arrangement of his force ; to the officers and men engaged with the enemy, the warmest acknowledgments of his Excellency are due, for their gallantry and steadiness, and to all the troops at the station the highest praise belongs for their zeal, steadiness and discipline, and for the patient endurance of hardship and privation which they have evinced. A determined per- severance in this honorable conduct cannot fail of crowning the brave and lc;;'al Canadians with victoiy, and hurling disgrace and confusion on the head of the enemy that would pollute their happy soil. " By the report of prieoners, the enemy's force is stated at 7,500 infantry, 400 cavalry, and 10 field pieces. The British advanced force actually engaged did not exceed 300. The Quemy suffered severely from our fire, as well as from their own-r-some detached corps having fired upon each other by mistake in the woods. r \u CANADIAN HISTORY AND 9I0OSAPHT. I i .! " Canadian Light Company had 3 rank and file killed ; 1 sergeant, 3 rank and file woanded. '• VoJtigeurs, 4 rank and file wounded. ** Srd bait. Flank Company, 1 captain wounded ; 2 rank and file killed, 6 wounded, and 4 missing. ** Chateauguay Chasseurs, 1 captain wounded. <' Total — 5 rank and file killed ; 2 captains, 1 sergeant, 13 rank and file woandod, and 4 missing. " Officers wounded— Captain Daly, 3d Embodied Militia, twice wounded severely, but not dangerously ; Capt. Eruyeis, Chateauguay Chasseurs, slightly. (Signed,) " Edward Baynes, Adjutant-General." ' ' ; " Sir, " Advance Post, 1st November, 1813. i,^Referring to the General Order of the 31st ultimo, issued in consequence of the action in which I repulsed General Hampton's army, 1 observe, with regret, that the choice of the several positions which I defended, is not attri- buted to me, — neither is the disposition of the force, which was immediately under my command, understood to have been {^[together mine ; from which the greater part of the merit (if i^ny there was for contending against a whole army for the ^pace of four hours) is taken away from me. To elucidate this matter, it appears necessary I should state, that when it was reported on the 21st ultimo at Chateauguay church, at night, the enemy had surprised the picket at Peper's Road, I was desired to move with my corps to English River ; and findinjg,when there, that the enemy's intention appeared to be to move down the River Chateauguay, on his way to Montreal, I lo«it no time in pushing on the trotips, and took up the three advanced positions, and began to fortify them as well as I. could (having then only few axes) and distributed the troops for their delence. I ordered also the famous abattis, situated Two miles in front of the above-stated positions, to which I marched on the 26th ; from whence I reconnoitered the killed ; ; 2 rank l-geant, 13 Id Militia, It. Eruyers, leneral." ler, 181S. |31st ultimo, I repulsed ret, that the , is not attri- !, which was > have been the merit (if army for the ro elucidate that when it ,y church, at per's Road, I River; and eared to be to to Montreal, up the three as w^etl as I, sd the troops itlis, situated B, to which I noitered the CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 49 American army in the act of Advance ; from Whence I cotti- pleted my dispositions for the defence of both. sides of thd (^hateauguay ; from whence, after an obstinate engagement of four hours, 1 succeeded in defeating their project of p^ne« trating into the country, and finally obliged him to tetive to his former position, five miles back, wi**" he loss of about seventy killed and sixteen prisor ., bt;^ <« a great number of wounded, about one hundred and hity stand of arms and six drums, &c., &c., which fell into our hands. Moreover, he has since retired into his own country. " It is true General De Watteville inspected my positions and approved of them, and of the orders I had given for their defence. The dispositions to receive the enemy on the )26th were made by myself ; no one interfered with them ; and hd officer of superior rank came up till after the action was over. It is true I was ably seconded by Lieut.-Col. McDonnell, of the G-lengary Fencibles, who had taken up the fourth position two days before the action, and by all the officers under my command. " I regret also to observe, in perusing the order of the 27th, that it is supposed I had been thrown forward (o cover work- ing parties. This idea is erroneous, inasmuch as there were no works carrying on there but such abaltis and defences as appeared to me necessary tc prevent my positions from being oatfltinked or forced. Those I ordered myself — no engineer directed them. I placed myselt in front of the abatlis, with the view to begin the defence of the country. I judged it a good position, from whence I could have a good view of the enemy's columns, which, I was apprised, were in full march. This I did of my own accord. It was a desperate undertaking^t succeeded ; and the enemy, instead of going to Montreal, is gone to Four Corners. " The enemy's intention is ascertained by concurring circumstances, and by the report of prisoners. He was not, then, in full march, with all his baggage and artillery, for the (liurpose of only attacking a/ew workmen ! • 44 CANADIAN HinrORT AND BIOORAPHT. If u ^.ll " These are the trae oireumstances attending >ti* ?.ction on the 26th ; and it grieves me to the heart to see that I must share the merit of the action, and that it must be reduced to my having covered a few worlcmen. Methinks, if any merit is to be obtained, I am entitled to the whole. i ' *' I cannot conclude without soliciting that this representa* tion may be placed before His Excellency the Governor 6^nieral, to whose justice I confidently appeal. " I have the honor to be, Sir, ^' Your most obt. humble servant, " Chas. DkSai.abkrrt, " Lieut.'Coionel, commanding Yoltigeurs. «♦ Td the Adjutant-General." t ^^ r, ' 1 : i- ■ iJ . Extract of a General Order, dated — , , ,, " Adjutant-General's Office, " Head-quarters, Montreal, 4th Nov., 1813. ** His Excellency the Governor-in-Chief and Commander of the Forces has the highesi pride and satisfaction in deeltt- ing his acknowledgments to the loyal and brave Militht ef Lower Canada, for the zeal and alacrity with which they flew to their posts, and tor the patieni^e and firmness with whieh they have endured, in this inclement season, the severe hard- ships and privations to which they have been exposed. The steadiness and discipline of the whole have beeii conspicuous ; aind the undaiinted gallantry displayed by six compsiniesi almost to a man composed of CauRclian Fencibles and Militia^ under the immediate command of Lieutenant-Colonel De Salaberry, in repelling, with disgrace, an Amerieati invading army, twenty times their number, reflects unfading honor on the Canadian name. . > (Signed,) " Edward Baymbs, " Adjutant-General." I }i.l *ction on it 1 must Muced to ly merit spreMhtd' Governor IKRRY, Yoltigeurs. se, bv., 1813. GMnihamder )n in decltt- e Milithn of ich ihey flew whh -whith severe hard* posed. The onspiouous ; companies) and Militia^ ■Colonel De ia.il invading ng honor on .INKS, nt-General." CANADIAN HISTORY AND lIOORAPHr. 4» " Head-quartera, Montreal, '' 18lh April, 1814. *' I am di ected by the Commander of the Forces to transmit, eneloiiied for your information and for the information of the detachments concerned, the copy of a letter Hid Excellency has just leceived from the Commander-in-Chiei, exprelisive of His Royal Highnesses satisfaction at the good condndt displayed in the affair on the Chateauguay. " 1 have the honor to be, Sir, *' Your most obedient humble servant " Noah )F*rckr, ' " Militaty S6cif6tary. ** To Lieut.-Colonel Chas. DeSalaberry, " Inspecting Field Officer, Militia Lt. Iiifanfry." (Copy) / « Horse Guards, -^ '. *< 24th December, 1819. " Sir, — I am to acknowledge the receipt of your Diipatch of the 30th October last, respecting the very gallant add successful resistance made by the detachments under the command of Lieut.-Colonel DeSalaberry, against an attack of a very superior body of the enemy's army, led by Major-Gen. Hampton in person, upon the advanced posts, near the Chateauguay River ; — and I have derived much satisfaction from receiving so flattering an account of the eminent skill and determined bravery displayed by the officers and men of the very small portion of the Regular Troops and Militia employed on this occasion; and I shall not fail to bring their conduct under the gracious consideration of the Prince Regent. "I am, Sir, yours, .,,j ; (Signed,) "Frederick, "Commander-in-Chief. *' Lieutenant-Generat " Sir George Prevost, Bart., , ,, : , " &c., &c., &c., '•' -^' "Canada." "A true copy. ' ' "Noah Frkkr, " Military Secretary." , I I", J :: ii h [, ll„ m H|i 46 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOCIRAPHr. '•'». " House of Assembly, " Tuesday, 26ih January, 1814. " Resolved, nemine contradicente^ tliat the tlianks of this House be given to Lieutenant-Colonel DcSalaberry, of the Canadian Voltigeurs, and the several other ufficer»< under his oommandf for their distinguished exertions on Tuesday, the twenty>sixth day of October last, in the gioriouft action on the Chateauguay River ; and that the Speaker of this House have it in charge to signify the same to the said Lieutenant-Colonel DeSalaberry and the several other officers, that this House doth highly feel and acknowledge the distinguished valour arid discipline so conspicuously displayed by the non-commis" ffioned officers, privata soldiers and militia men of the little band under the immediate command of Lieutenant Colonel DeSalabeny, in the signal defeat of the American army, under theMflitnandof Oenetal Hampton, at Chateauguay aforesaid ; itfkd thtA the same b^ signified to them by the commanding dffioers of those corps, who are desired to thank tbetn for their gallant and exemplary conduct. " Attest. Wm. Lindsay, Jr., " Clk. Assembly." " Quebec, 11th March, 1814. " Sir, — 1 have the honor to transmit to you the thinks of the Legislative Council of this Province, Unanimously vottid on the 2nd of ti'ebruary last to yourself, and to the officers and! men under your immediate command, for ' distinguished * cdriduct and bravery in the action of the 26th October last, ' on the River Chateauguay, when a smrJl but heroic band of 'native troops repulsed the advance of the American army, ' under General Hampton.' " Upon an occasion so exclusively and so highly honorable to His Majesty's Canadian subjects, in which loyalty, courage, zeal and ability were equally conspicnoas, I have (he highest CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOORAPHT. 1814. laliflfactlon in obeying the order of the Legislative Council, which directs me to signify their thanks to yoa, and to request that you will communicate them to the officers and roen, to whom they have reference, in the way which you may deem proper. " I have the honor to be, Sir, *' Your most obt. and very humble servant, " J. SSWKLI., *' Speaker Legislative Council, " Lower Canada. «♦ Lieut.-Col. DeSalaberry." , Jr., issembly." h, 1814. thinks of usiy Voted fficers and linguished tober last, )ic band of can army, honorable ^, courage, he highest " Adjulant-General's Office, " Head-quarters, Quebec, 26th March, 1814. " General Orders. " His Excellency the Govemor-in-Chief and Commander of the Forces feels the highest gratification in obeying the commands pf His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, trans- mitted in a leUer from the Right Honble. the Earl Balhurst, one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, of which the following is a copy, and which His Excellency direct* t9 be published in General Orders, and read at the head of all coips in this command : — " ' His Royal Highness has observed with tho greater 9Rtisfaction the skill and gallantry so conspicuously displ«ye4 by the officers and men who composed the detachment of troops opposed to General Hampton's army. By the resistancf which they successfully made to an enemy so vastly djsfHr«h portipnate, the confidence of the enemy has been lowensd* their plans disconcerted, and the safety of that part of tb« Cunadii^q froqtier epsured. It gives his Royal Higjiness peculiar pleasure to fiud, that His Majesty's Canadian snbje«U| h»ve at length ba4 the opprtunity (which His Royal HighQ99j| /iv ! i y ;j| !< !( 48 CANADIAN HISTORY AND IIOOIIAPHY. has been long anxious should be afforded them) of refuting, by their own brilliant exertions in defence of their country, that calumnious charge of disaffection and disloyalty with which the enemy prefaced his first invasion of the Pr(»vince. " * To Lieutenant-Colonel DeSalaberry, in particular, and to all the officers and men under his command, in general, you will not fail to express His Royal Highnesses most gracious approbation of their meritorious and distinguished services. His Royal Highness has commanded me to forward to yovi, by th? first safe opportunity, the colours which yuu have solicited for the embodied battalions of the Militia, feeling that they have evinced an ability and disposition to secure them from insult, which gives them the best title to such a mark of distinction.' " By His Excellency's command, *' Edward BAYirn, " Adjutant-General, N. A." " To His Royal Highness the Prince Regent of the United Kingdom of Oreat Britain and Ireland, &c. ** May it please your Royal Highness, we, the faithful subjects of His Majesty, the Commons of Lower Canada in Provincial Parliament convened, most humbly beseech your Royal Highness to take into your most gracious consideration the services which Lieutenant-Colonel Charles DeSalaberry has tendered to his country, by his skill and courage, in the glorious afiair of 26th Oct., 1813, on the River Chateanguay, in repulsing, at the head of three hundred of bis countrymen, a divisioD of the American army, under the command of Gkveral Hampton, disconcerting the plans of the enemy, diminishing his oonfidence, and securing the safety of the Province. ** Therefore His Majesty's most faithful Commons most humbly pray, that your Royal Highness will be pleased to take iato consideration these most distinguished services, so OANADIAM HISTORY AND BIOORAPHY. 41 as to stimulAte in tho future the emulation of our compatriots for the defence of this Province against tho enemies of His Majesty ; and ordain that a grant of the lands of the Crown be made to Lieutenant-Colonel Charles DeSalaberry, or to issue any other order which, in your Royal Highness's opinion, may be suitable. " Address paued 30th March, 1816." AYNKS, al, N. A." [ent of the reland, &c. he faithful Danada in ieech your isideraition eSalaberry ige, in the iteaugnay, runtrymeoy mmand of >e enemy, iety of the none most pleased to ervices, so Extract ot a letter from the Duke of Kent, dated — Kensing ton Palace, 16th June, 1814 : — " I am most happy to tell you that, however the Commander of the Forces may have sought to obscure your high and distinguished merit for your gallant and cool conduct in the affair of Chateauguay, it is not the less appreciated on this' side the water ; for it has appeared evident to every reader of the public despatches, that to you the public are indebted, as the gallant leader of the heroic band, for the glorious result of the business. I have only to add my hearty good wishes for your health, happiness and prosperity, and to assure you of the friendly regard and sincere esteem with which I shall ever remain, " My Dear DeSalaberry, « Yours faithfully, " Edwabd." lExtraot from Montreal Oazettey 22nd August, 1817 : — " We understand that Lieut.-Colonel Charles De Salaberry, late commanding the Canadian Voltigeurs, has been appoic'r d member of the Legislative Council. It is said that the mandamus has lately arrived. However trifling this mark of distinction, when compared with the character of that dis- tinguished officer, we are gratified to see it conferred on him by Govemment, in the absence of any other recompense for his meritorious services." \u . 50 CANADIAN HISTORY AND BIOGBAPHY. ) ' (. ., I . ] f {Trtws/aiion.) , " Kensington Palace, " 15tb March, 1814. " My dear DeSalaberry,— On SUt December, I received your interesting letter of 10th November, in which yon give me an account of the advance ot' the Canadian army an 27th October, and of the brilliant affair vhich your son gained by his arrangements. I received at the same time his letters, in which he gave me the details ; and I hesitate not to declare my opinion, that you have reason to be proud of the victory gained by my protig6 over forces So superior in numbers to those which he commtinded, — but also that he displayed talents and judgment rarely to be found, unless in veterans, bdth in making his dispositions and during the Isaittle. • ' " I have seen, with pain, that the report of the Adjutant General does not ido hira justice, as he does not give hltn exclusive credit for the dispositions made, and the success which xesulted from them. But you may comfort yoursi^lf with the idea, that there is not any one here who does not regard him as the hero who saved "Lower Canada^ hy the decisive steps which he took and the bravery with whicli he opposed his little band of hexoes to the troops of the enemy, so superior in numbers. I have talked the matter over with the Duke of York, and he appears completely convinced that to your son belongs the whole merit ; and I have no doubt he will find occasion to reward him in a manner appropriate to his desiie and merit You may rest assured that this is the effect produced by the reports of the English officers who were present and witnesses of the affair. "' ' ' ' ' " 1 must confess