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SOME REM.IRKS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 PAMPHLET 
 
 OF 
 
 . WILLIAM FOSTER COFFIN, ESQUIRE, 
 
 &C-, &c., &c. 
 
 {To the Editor of the Morning Chronicle.) 
 
 thf T'~"^!-" ^5'" T"' ^"'"'' '"" '" '^^^ ^^"'^ Public mode of 
 thanking h.m for the amusement which the perusal of his 
 
 rz b ;:v'^^"'''^' r- ''- ''' ""^' '^ ^^ '"'^''-- - -^h 
 
 SR T ^""'T^ "" '" y'^'^'^^^^y^ «"'i «hall take leave to 
 Taif I ' ^7^'"!''^' "P"" '^ '■" P'-^-P'^let form. Meanwhile a 
 g a eful and d.scnuunat.ng publie may call for a seeond editioa 
 in tliat case, though ,t may savor of presumption, I be., permis 
 sion to suggest as a motto the following lines :_ " ^ 
 
 " The importance of a man to himself" 
 or 
 . " Much ado about nothino- " 
 
 Your obd't. serv't., 
 
 A. GUGY. 
 
 Quebec, 26th April, 1855. 
 
 o(^l' f °^l!- \^' ''""''^ ^ " '"«'"°"-^" or application for 
 office, to which It appeared to me to be necessary to direc 
 public attention. I was especially anxious that Lse who 
 should honor me so far as to peruse these lines, should have rlad 
 
 r> 
 
or should read, Mr. Coffin's work. Thefowwnr,i r . 
 
 ^. T- •'^ *""• "^cannotbe disDlpasiPfKvi.j, «j • u 
 
 ble effort, slill less with the obvious mnt on R ^ "'"" 
 
 may,havingwritten,published,and"drcS 
 form, a sort of autobiography • havin J thf. ' ' ^r^^'^'' 
 
 tice of ^.„, .en, chaLg/d^heTlfo;^^^^^^^ I' ''" ^"^■ 
 and anticipated that of pLerity Mr Coffin ^ contemporaries 
 ror criticism. I .ust premise 'LoLe.hanh '"^"'t 
 place-hunting, in so elabLte and iZortu'tlirl ^ "^ 
 
 to me to be quite indefensible. Trr^er 7e7' '''r 
 possesses more or less power- and it I. L, ,,, . ^'^ "^'^ 
 
 of fi»e.. .he genera. ad.i.si„„ fZui^aZ^TlTZ 
 ^ ome p.r,.cular offloe. B„. what does Mr. Coffin cW™? T 
 It the reversion of the Bishopric of Quebec-of ih. A; 7 
 Justiceship of the Queen's Be„eh'-„r the _d If the mS;:^ 
 
 890531 
 
8 
 
 —or the Commissionership of the Constabulary— or the post of 
 Lord High Admiral, now held by that amiable man, Mr. Fortin ? 
 —for each of which offices Mr. Coffin is as far as the others equally 
 well qualified. ^ ^ 
 
 Upon the subject of past services, too, pretensions of the kind 
 set up by Mr. Coffin must be taken with a grain of salt. The 
 first question is, or should, in every case, be one of qualification. 
 JNow, whatever may have been the offices filled by Mr. Coffin 
 It does not follow that he is entitled to reckon them as services ' 
 and he may nevertheless, also be quite incompetent, quite unfit for 
 many other offices which are or which may sooner or later be 
 vacant. Putting his claim upon that footing, too, is somewhat 
 injudicious, at least until Colonel Hanson is provided for. 
 Without disparagement to Mr. Coffin, he might, on that score, as 
 well attempt to compete with Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons as with 
 the distinguished veteran who has lately brought himself in 
 pnnt under the notice of the public. It does not follow, 1 say 
 because Mr. Coffin has held several offices, for which he may o^ 
 may not have been qualified, that he should now obtain anofher 
 office, for which, whatever may be his opinion of himself, he may 
 be quite unfit. But let us presume to examine the foundatiori 
 of his claim. Were the offices which he previously held forced 
 upon him-and did he perform the duties gratuitously? 
 From his present modest assurance and the pains he has taken 
 to assure His Excellency, in particular, and the world at large 
 ui general, of his meritorious services, it maybe assumed that 
 formerly as well as now he petitioned, memorialized, wrote 
 spoke, and curried favor by all the means in his power It il 
 to be presumed also, that he took cure to be well paid for what 
 he did. Does Mr. Coffin mean to argue as follows ?-Beinff an 
 Advocate without practice and in want of an income, I sought. 
 I prayed for and obtained place-consequently, I am now again 
 entitled to place I so obtained place and enjoyed the emolu- 
 ments thereof. I was thus amply remunerated-conscquently I 
 am entitled to other emoluments, to further remuneration. Mr 
 Coffin IS, doubtless, a logician-if he does not mean that-whai 
 does h" «""<>" ' ""«»i 
 
 e mean 
 
Mr. Coifin certainlv is a verv imnsmrr « 
 
 wneer, he gravely introduces I,i„„olf, wi,h a 1 er , „ ^ 
 
 pomp, and eircumst,mee-a„d he nrof.ZL J"""^"' 
 
 "^r t" ^'"'-■* "' -'4'^rX:sz- ::ht''-" - 
 
 Coffin held no military rank, the term - civil f, ,' 
 
 ^ith his former employment o'Zr'J '" ''''''^''''^ 
 
 that situation, the cLlf^7l- S as IJ^T '"T"'^' '" 
 tioned. Suehishisino-enuitv M roffin ^'^'•'^^^'j "^ueh c|ues. 
 he founds his claim o T J' "''''" ^' ''^ '"^^- Thus 
 
 his having beef rorifftnd' """"^ '"" ^^'"^^-^-^'y' "P- 
 
 to be SheriF rrr ' ' '"r""^'^' "P"" '"^ '>«^-"'g ^-eased 
 lo oe oneritt. It appears to strike him, however th-u tL e 
 
 o ««,«„ „ olaim to office ! Mo,. n,en would hTve ZSIZx 
 the presentment of the Grand Jury, whieh he eitT ^t 
 reward. I. eonveyed no salary, h^^^wl la' d Mr ' Coffin 
 «pee,s,o ,e paid for everythfug. How could 1. oil 
 
or m,j man of ordumry spirit, being witnesses of the robbery 
 n.Hl m close proximity to the robber, have allowed him 
 to cseape ? But Mr. Cofn,, was then a Sheriff-a eonservator 
 ot the Poace-ii Peace Officer-whose especial duty it 
 was t,, apprehend a maIefactor,'canght llagrauti dilecto. If 
 he did not do so_who would? He barely did his duty 
 no more: and as he enjoyed one or two thousand a year 
 for do,n. u, he certaintly fought under happier auspices than 
 many of those who perished before S.bastopol. That apprehension, 
 too, was a result of his position at the time ; it was an inevitable 
 consequence of masculine instincts, urged into activity by the 
 
 liave allowed h.m more, ha<l he not hin.self taken so much 
 
 m preparmg Keports, the ability of Mr. Coffi., is such that he 
 has mvanably given satisfaction to those who employed him I 
 donbt, however, whether his account of the Toronto Election 
 was qu.te as agreeable to the opponents as to the friends of his 
 patron. Lord feydenhum-I hoard the subject much discussed 
 at M,e lune, and I wonder whether Sir Allan MaeXab and his 
 Inends thought it quite as impartial as it might have been 
 
 But Mr. Coffi,, hud a colleague in that mission-a collea-ne 
 who was employed by Lord Sydenham, among other jobs ^u' 
 managn.g the Terrebonne Election, as Sir Louis Lafuuta 
 doubtless rec.llects. His noble patron did not, at that time 
 know AL-. Ooffin sufficiently to trust him entirdy. Why his' 
 Ml. Coffia omitted to refer to that interesting collea r„c ? Was 
 he restran.ed by the fear of awakening a train of reflexions mV- 
 tavorable to h.s pretensions? Mr. Ooirin specifies the names of 
 those who conjointly with him arrested the robber-was he 
 ashamed of his associate in the enquiry touching the Toronto 
 Election? He was not alone-/^e knows he was not. Was he 
 apprehensive that reference to one of those leeches who in 
 search of place always infest the Colonies would be, just now 
 prejudicial to him ? , just now, 
 
 It is out of the Turnpike Roads, the cah6ts and the slei<rh ordi- 
 nance, however, that Mr. CofBn has extracted the principal subject 
 
of 8c!f-gl«nfication-ancl he places hi, claim to favor emnhaticallv 
 upon that foundation. It is certainly true that, m^e? b M^ 
 Coffin's pecuhar y u^inning u^ay», Lord Sydenham, as Mr Coffin 
 h.msef says; -imposed on Mr. Coffin the duty and t'hel 
 ^pjns..hty of carrying the sleigh ordinance into'eS." Mr" 
 Cofhn laments the repudiation of the law, and he is to this h^; 
 
 in Inhi., ^/f *^"'''!'"-^'«^'"g prepared n.odel sleighs, and be^ng 
 n habus of daily nuercour.e with His Lordshi,, on ,hc subjeet 
 
 iXz.''^t::: '''''^''' r'-^ tijthanjot-t 
 
 Mr r r , "'''''""' ''^ '^'* particular^ which he 
 
 Mr. Coffin, takes credit for having rendered -it i. nlJf i 
 marvellous that Mr. Coffin should b'e stillt o^n o he' S 
 and .nsufficency of the ordinance. Mr. Coffin styl s i InZ 
 lightened endeavor to abolish cah6ts. No wonderT 1 or li 
 nance was conceived by Mr. Coffin and begot te^ by Lod 
 Sydenham, lus patron-yet was it a miserable hotch-and .ho.Ih 
 '; tt™r ^ '■^' '''' ^«^" '-^ "'- - ^'-e for th; Se 
 
 Had Mr. Coffin taken the pains to acqin're the least practical 
 aequanuance w.th the subject which he justly Ueems m k,2 
 
 ^r. >ng, he could and would have enabled his patron Lord 
 Sydenhan, to confer inestimable benefits on Lower Canada' To 
 make th,s clear, a few words of explanation are n ces arv 
 Icwasmtendcd and enacted that whosoever dr^T'sin.le 
 
 u.a^«niesst.s course were .:,i:::rZd::;:::::—^ 
 
 I,IT'. ''"■"I^ ""^ Of„M\o« of ,he ordinance, the doeile 
 IcUlant, ,„ed to eonform to its provisions it is trne b.,,^ 
 orse was no. I,,,r„esscd in the YaLee fashion vrt'rac 1 
 » .ongne, as tt ,s called, or Pole ; but «ith shafts, and ,TsZ, 
 
 w 
 
b.u ,„.. escaped ,,,: * X. Z'oVr cl ""- """ '""«- ' 
 the important fact thnt th. > V . i "' ""'' ''^ overlooked 
 
 rcl. was thu ,1,0 4„W,L r/'fT ™ '"'^ "rgaraud,. The 
 
 Mr Coffin never noefuZ'rrr/'T""'' ''°'""'''- 
 Now, in „„emp,i„g ,„ „ "e j,. ° 7 ^ «"•"' »i"gl. sleigh. 
 
 »"b' I'nrJ part „f the road .To,,>rf.j n,„l,llc was the 
 
 -0"|.y i<, and drivin?„'it S,r " '" ""'.""-l^' cailod, ,„ 
 .wo stout ,,o,se«, .ravcmng" bre , :i" >''",'"r»""- l^ut 
 re-iuire a breadth of not ll, ™, ^ Th 7" '""""'"'I'™. 
 iKooring thi. fact, Mr. Coffi C tnl'do . h" """ ° ''""' """ 
 mul a half broad; That,™ illln *«''"» <>"l3"wo feet 
 "f .l.e French Ca,.,di n . "4 tr "«'"""' '""""<' ^reatlth 
 a-brcast „„ ,„,p„ :, 2 ie^ "' ;;',7;, *'-« '- '"-s 
 'heordhinnee beeame a m„„„ . """• ""^ repudiation ,f 
 In the neighbourhood ofTeTo """^"^ "' ">"« localities. 
 
 VankeetraveLitwasnofreud^r, ;,""''""■' '" "'" '"■"'« »' 
 of the double sleigh a ^^Tf,' '""""' ""e''"'" breadth 
 
 '""goo .othesingfesleg e";!. rr"" °"""""« "'<= 
 the roads In the V.ll, To " ''"'^'^ '" "n-l room in 
 
 »hioh is not'Crh :t; tt tjf ; "■- -^^-^^ ''™""' -f 
 
 ably; but when people found Z' < ' T ™" '" ™'"''""- 
 CotBn's model sWgh fe he,r ™ i""' ^^"'' '" *'■•• 
 
 foil in the e«i™.l'„f ^j tre;"ca::d ' "" f """ *'«'' 
 ■be .lonble sleigh b,Mr. Com^Z„i:r^TL v'"''"\ "' 
 many sup|wrters. So soon «= ., i""'' ""I '»" ordinanee lost 
 
 -i..orediieui.a,fdti:^'-::rtt 
 
I; 
 
 attempt of Mr. Coffin. Now, this is clearl^^ the fault of Jifr. 
 Coiriii, "who nssumcd the duty and the responsibility of cnrry-' 
 ing into effeet" what he has the coiira^rc, even at this day, to 
 call " an cnhf^htened endeavor." 
 
 Assuredly, there never was a more signal instance of mis- 
 management and incapacity. It \» for this, however, that Mr. 
 Coffin bespeaks piil)lic gratitude and official reward : Sut it is 
 easier to ciiampoo a Governor, and, with honeyed accents, (o win 
 his favor, than so to conduct oneself in oH'-e as to secure j-ublic 
 npprol)ation. I know that there are entire classes who invariably 
 worship the (governor General for the time b( ing, and Mr. Coffin 
 is one of those who venerated His then. Excellency, as he no 
 doubt professes to regard the present. The majority, how- 
 ever, Mill r-uided by stubborn tact, will not be dictated 
 to. To that majority, the question is not who or what 
 Lord Sydenham favored or appr;)ved, but whether the 
 ordioaticc was a judicious and sufficient measure or not. 
 Insepaiai)ly connected with that enquiry is the candiilate tor 
 office who plumes himself upon his performance of duties which 
 he so executed as to defeat the much desired end! Combiiiin<r 
 this proof cf an unsound judgment with this manifestati(m ol 
 over-wecning self-love, it is not impossible to arrive at a correct 
 estimate of the value of Mr. Coffin as a public officer. He 
 managed to ingratiate himself with Lord Sydenham ; it is true 
 he became a favorite of Lord Sydenham's ; and history tells us 
 what favorites invariably have been, as well as what favoritism 
 invariably produces. If Lord Sydenham were here, Mr. Coffin 
 would doubtless obtain a good office ; but the present Adminis- 
 tration is not bound to follow in the footsteps of Lord Sydenham 
 still less to repeat his blunders. The country will scarcely forget 
 the defeat of Sir Louis Lafontaine at Terrebonne, or of Mr. Fran- 
 chcre at Rouville ; each having a majority of ten or perhaps 
 twenty to one over his successful competitor : nor, I presume 
 arc Sir Allan MacNab and his friends quite oblivious of the 
 treatment which they received at his hands. 
 
 To exclude cavil, however, I shall just add that the creation, 
 by Lord Sydenh un, of the several Turnpike Trusts is not denied, 
 
iilf of Afr. 
 
 of cnrry- 
 
 is day, to 
 
 ce of inis- 
 , that Mr. 
 
 *)Ut it is 
 Its, to will 
 irc puljlic 
 invariably 
 \ly. Coffin 
 
 as lie no 
 ty, how- 
 
 (lictatod 
 
 or what 
 tiler tlio 
 
 or not. 
 idatc lor 
 it's wliich 
 Dnibiiiing 
 tation of 
 a correct 
 Lcr, He 
 ; is true 
 r tells us 
 ivoritism 
 r. Coflin 
 idminis- 
 tlenhani, 
 ly forget 
 tr. Fran- 
 
 perliaps 
 )rcsiinic, 
 s of the 
 
 :reation, 
 denied, 
 
 
 
 nndl admit tliat he had a mind of a very hid. order • 1...^ 1 
 -,.ure.l, he ,roul, have tools, and in tho'n ft ; ' he il',: 
 
 ht:r.:e"'"' '""^'^ r'-^ " -^'"'^^^^ ^■■•'"' ^^'-"^ '•^- -• - 
 
 Mamstnte r ^ ^ ihc Pohce De,,artn,ent, Stipendiary 
 
 tred 7^?r "'r',""". "^ ^"'''^^' "•"' '^"'"^ Sheriff of Mo.i^ 
 treal. Uichsrnaycl l,y this irnp,..M„g array of titles I wool 1 
 enqu.rc w ether these five offices were not enough f' one 
 
 tcnt.veness of his memory is miraeulous-his f werl of f lotor I" 
 
 fift.;L:^s;^:p;::?;ru^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 "f^rt'unet"l-"^""' "'' ^"''"'^"''^ '^''' ^'^ " '-^ the good 
 ;; ;.. ^0.^^^^^^^^ ....ce-which ;ver!trd,lrrt' 
 
 I am not about to cavil with the philosophy of Mr. Coffin 
 The expansive power of heat would have burs' open a mfu i 
 tTe h^:: j;-f --etieally sealed ; buti can't understand h 
 
 That 1 ". ^"^'^ °P'" ' "°°^^" ^'"«^t in - room. 
 
 That, however, may be my fault or my misfortune, but I do 
 
 con aentiously marvel at Mr. Coffin's going out of his w.y 
 
 we ve years afterwards, to procure a cenificle that he st .S 
 
 Assur dl^f^^^-^^^^^^^^^ - n-^io 
 
 canno ; T?" ^' ^""' ''" ^'""P of a gentleman (which 
 cannot ^e saiJ of very many very important personages in this 
 oomtnunuyj Mr. Coffin could not suppose thut'any on^, however 
 
 B 
 
 1 "I 
 i 
 
M 
 
 10 
 
 inimical, would havo suspected him of stealing any one of the 
 several articles which he so discovered. Tie did what was simply 
 necessary— no more. The kind and amiable Priest, so certifying, 
 whom I well knew and loVcd, with characteristic gcnerosilv and 
 politeness, much over-rated the deed : but if, as he expects, Mr. 
 (Joffin is to obtain office because ho did not j)urloin Chtn-eh Plate, 
 any one forbearing from prigging a watch whenever opportunity 
 offers, must be said to have strong claims. 
 
 Since, however, Mr. Coffin, a perfect master of the English 
 tongue, has condescended to lay the fiicts, in his own words, 
 bcforn the public, I shall take leave to analize them. lie says 
 thnt he discovered several articles of j^late,— I shall not pause 
 to enquire why Mr. Coffin chose the verb to discover instead of the 
 verb to find— us I presume that he had his reasons. It strikes 
 me forcibly, however, that most gentlemen would have said 
 nothing about it, or have said " I found," or rather, perhaps, 
 merely, «' I saw." To find, is " to meet with, to fall upon,' to 
 " obtain something lost, to hit on by chance, &c." A discoverer, 
 
 however, is " one who finds anything not known before" as 
 
 IFarvey, to use Mr. Coffin's phrase, "had the good fortune tu 
 '' discover'' the Circulation of the Blood,— as Columbus "had 
 •' the good fortune to discover'' America,— so Mr. Coffin " had 
 '■'■ the good fortune to discover" several pieces of Church Plato 
 in an open cupboard in the Parsonage House!— But the word 
 several means divers— many. In this case, it cannot be under- 
 stood in a confined sense, inasmuch as Mr. Coffin, who presumed 
 the plate to be the Sacramental service, no doubt knows that the 
 service is composed of six articles. Now Mr. Coffin says he 
 discovered— hut he does not say that he secured. The articles 
 were secured, however, and were delivered to Mr. Quiblier— by 
 whom does not in terms appear— nor are we precisely told that 
 every one of the several articles was so delivered. Comparino- 
 the fact, however, as stated by Mr. Coffin, that he found several 
 articles of plate, presumed to be the Sacramental service, con- 
 sidering that the service generally consists of six pieces, with 
 the certificate of Mr. Quiblier that he received only three articles, 
 namely, a chalice, a patene, and crucifix, those who are not 
 
 I 
 
-as 
 
 had 
 
 11 
 
 acquainted Nvith Mr. Coffin will stare with astonishment. Thev 
 will nahirally exclaim, iftherc were only three pieees, why did not 
 Mr. Coffin say three .'-why did he say several ;-what matters it 
 whether there were three or three hundred! .'-assuredly, tlie 
 result would not have been iuHueneed by the number. I, however, 
 know Mr. Coffin-his ingenuity and in all that relates to hin.self 
 his nn-eterate habu of grandiloquence. I know, too, that in 1849, 
 some complauus were preferred against him, which made hin. 
 uesnous ot propitiating French Canadian Members of the Le-^isla- 
 ture and Government. To that end he procured the certificate 
 upon the potency of which he rehes ; and, calculating that men' 
 of business would never read it, or w : id read it with the favorable 
 HDpress.on made by his previous stai. ,.ent : he used the litt'e word 
 several m order that liis acts might appear to be very grand and 
 magnanimous. He thus overlooked the consequence that the 
 eenificate of the Priest contradicts the statement which he, Mr. 
 Coffin, affects to make, not upon his own word as he ought to have 
 done; but upon the proof which he produces, which proof, it 
 IS thus demonstrated, is strictly speaking, insufficient. I acquit 
 Mr. Coffin of every other motive ; but really if he obtains 
 office, and manages the business of the public as he does his own 
 -what are the benefits which the country may not expect ?- 
 
 Commencing at page 9, Mr. Coffin undertakes to found a 
 cam o office upon the apprehension of some forgers in the 
 Districto St Francis. He acquitted himself of t£t dutv in 
 
 Iwinr' . "'";,"'''^ " '''''^'' ^'^^^'"S of Tom Toms and a 
 blowing of furious blasts upon his indispensable trumpet ;-biu 
 m his relation of the facts lie has not been so circumstantial as 
 
 ^^mll:::Tr I'r^'' ^^^ ^-fly-<^ThatlnDecembe 
 " iwns li n ?f "^ "" ''""^"^ ^" P^'^'^-^ ^« ^he Eastern 
 
 " Un to S, r'"^ '^T' ""^" '-^'----^-^^n received from the 
 _tnued States, to take measures for breaking up a gang of 
 
 ^^cS^^^o^rSS. i:t£^^^:t PHnter another Pn.phM ha. 
 Raih^oad 8pec,>latiou9 „nd"L^le noutr.v^, /r'"''''' ^ ^''''°. "'"' *''•• Coffin's 
 or pleasing to the Stoeldio dors "Tint fc '-n ''"T l?^''''""''"''}' profitable 
 
 chances of success-for 7uot ihis he' tn.lZ/' ^''^ I"'"h"bly add to Air. Coffin', 
 to provide in the Colonics | ^ ^""^ "^ "'""^ '^^'' ^^^^^ >*■ has been u,ual 
 
p 
 
 12 
 
 " forgers," &c. The inference is clcar,--he, Mr. Coffin, received 
 the information, or at least he was to break up the can-, and 
 nobody else could do so, or was in any way to interfere— 
 Furthennore, he was to break up the whole gang and the only 
 gang of "forgers and coiners, who, for many years, had prose- 
 cut(-d then- operations within the Canadian frontier." Let it 
 be noted, at least, that he docs not state b,j tvhom he teas so 
 directed. At page 13, however, he docs not fail to inform 
 tlie civilized world that he received the order relative to his 
 famous model sleigh " through Major Campbell, C. B., -then 
 '« Captain in Her Majesty's Seventh Hussars," &c. I^Iost people 
 who read Mr. Coffin's effusion will possibly ejaculatc-what has 
 this to do with it ? Provider! the order was conveyed, whether 
 It was so transmitted by Major Campbell or the eternal Dominick 
 Daly— whether Major Campbell was in the Cavalry, the Artillery 
 or the Infantry— in the Hussars— the Lancers, the Carbineers' 
 or Dragoon Guards-in the Life Guards, or Royal Regiment of 
 Horse Guards Blue,— what, Mr. Coffin, does it matter ? The un- 
 initiated, in their simplicity, will never suspect that there actually 
 IS something in a name— and that to persons not sclf-sus- 
 tamed, it is something to be associated with a real live C. 
 B. But there is something more in it— for that C. B. is known, 
 since he settled in Canada, to have had the car of every Governor, 
 and the opinion of every new Governor is necessarily influenced' 
 more or less, by persons having had the ear of his predecessor. 
 The C. B. has, lately too, been engaged as a Commissioner in 
 a httlc enquiry very interesting to Mr. Coffin, and to propitiate 
 that C. B., to secure his countenance and support in exalting 
 Mr. Coffin and in depressing his rivals, is, with Mr. Coffin° 
 sound policy. Hence the introduction of all these titles. The 
 omission vhich I have noted is a result of the operation of the 
 same causes— but I shall supply it. 
 
 It is now, unfortunately, necessary u place Mr. Coffin in a 
 painful position— alas, even in close contact with a person not in 
 the Army or Navy— not in the Marines or Coast Guard-not 
 even in a Nigger Regiment in the West-or in the irregular 
 Horse in the East Indies,— with a person without a title— without 
 
18 
 
 -ner „f Ponce, and, ,o ,„o,o cL Rli,!7;:^:T:Z 
 
 Uiy to Hereford— I received llie onler lo siiDnrr^, „„1 , 
 them,-a„,i I ,ho„sh. i, p„.,ib|c ,|„„ U ey 3 . ,1, ' , 
 
 "n the same day. uj before M C^m",, ■ """""^ 
 hin.clr in „/M„„.rea, i^^.tewtj't tit""' 
 acve m„„-I could not e„,braec ,l,c wWo fr,,i " "t' 
 reserving for nryself what was understood to be ,e , . ]„ I'l' 
 and important postand diilv, I deputed Mr fJnlT,,, 7, 
 was bad for me thou^l, „o; for tbc m.blie i ,"''•.'"'" ^"'''-■'"'<>" 
 the District of St. Fianeis Mr r ffi ^ " '" "'^' ""'"' '" 
 ;:ii. the proportions of^a aiia^.^ '^o ^I ^f ™::;.;f -* 
 
 reminded me „f a little circumstance wliiel J^^ZT' 
 Adhering to my programme, , arrested .,„me twent 1 ?' 
 gers,each of them in be,l in his own house all on i^ " 
 .norning. Having made preliminar; Trr'a emd "f"^ """" 
 comprehensive kind-haviilg taken e(e ;"""! r!^nl ° ',""" 
 I completely surprised every one of them ,„d e ^ ,,'""' 
 presses, tools and paper, as'wcll I msci 1 't',"" "'* 
 
 "o danger that I p„rtic,ilarly no.ieed-no r^ ta it ™ 
 
 s..y for noise or bus,le-„r for the in.erp,^ r„f T'v "r"'" 
 or non.com™is3i„„od o/Hecr of the Queen-sfo ees t wa, , T' 
 
 !::i::t; treTo-MTciffi -r-"^ ""^"^' ^-^ 
 ; ™et.i,h no ct-:r4r:!r:(d'orprp 
 
 I now see what a hpnmif.ii „ • j • -^^""'l^'ius r. liarker. 
 
 Mr. Coffin, aft:;';;" rMi'Li „:• ' '■"'= """-" 
 
 to himself. With Adolphu., P Bart „ h "''P'^'P''^'^ 
 
 famed for personal strenJih on ,h. , ' . ^'"'' "''"'""' 
 Uobcr,NirUe,eomm:„di„: Ltst^li '7''', ""' ?°'°"" '''' 
 on the other, , might have '■^:„tZ:t: o"!",!" H"^'' 
 leon with his immortal code or like Mr r^^. ^""^"^ 
 phlet in his hand. 'Tis .r„. .'.Z. . . .-f " ^5"' ^^''.^'^ '"« Pam- 
 but woe is ine : 
 
 'Tis true that I did all (hat c 
 
 onld be dc 
 
 •-<inothi„,.b„uti,.Mr:c;;:,:rjj 
 
IK 
 
 li 
 
 ll Hi! 
 
 Il^i 
 
 14 
 
 wiser, elicited and secured a letter of thanks, which, lila 
 
 eeper, he bottled up 
 
 the small beer of an economical house-l, 
 for future use.* 
 
 At page 19 will be found a letter written by Boston & 
 Codin, remindingone forcibly of the celebrated annals of P.P., 
 Clerk of the Parish. It is on the whole a funny production, 
 considering that the encomiums of Air. CoHiii and his better 
 half SlieriiF are lavished exclusively on Mr. Cotiin. It is a 
 long story all about a ride which Mr. Collin took to Lachine 
 one day; and the style, I say it under favor, is not that of Mr. 
 Boston. Why, I could name a mere boy who, in the numth of 
 March, during the last American War, carried despatches from 
 Kingston to the o/ficer commanding at Niagra, riding post, 
 and crossing over rivers in all conditions (there were no 
 bridges then,) never stopping either by day or by night until 
 he delivered them. That same boy, too, with a detachment 
 of his Regiment, in sight of the Yankee /leet, which then had 
 the command of Lake Ontario, took what was called a brigade 
 of boats containing Hour and pork for the troops, from King- 
 ston to Toronto. If the Honorable Mr. Wilkins be yet alive 
 he will probably recollect the boy who, so to speak, carried 
 the boats and their "contents upon his back over the carrying 
 place," And Mr. Coffin boasts of a ride to Lachine ! Talk of 
 the labors of Hercules, or of the heroism of John Sliipp, aft 
 
 ter 
 
 * I was awaro that Mr. C.)fii:i sufTercd under iuflammiifK.n of the throat, which 
 at page 10, lie takes care to report, as well as of its cause ; but, until now, I had 
 not iniayuied or had forgotten lliat he could liave officially applied for permission to 
 follow my mstruetious, or tlial- Mr. then Assistant Secretary Moutizambert could 
 have played with so much alfability into his hands. It was Mr. Coffin's duty to have 
 reporte<l to me, as the Head of the Department, by whom, in Volume ^X. of the 
 Appendix, of 1850, he admits that he was directed to rcj)air to Stanstead • but I sec 
 through the numanivre and its object. Since that period, Mr. Montizambert lias, in 
 his own person, proved that I'roviucials have " a great idacrity at sinking." Tliis 
 nllnsiou to the preference over the natives, invariably given by our Euroitona 
 Governors to men of European birth, will be generally understood. It is a 
 Colonial grievance of h.ug stauding, whici tho old Colonists found irtoleiable 
 How long will it be endured here i The French Canadians were urged by that 
 cause into Rebellion, and, as a result of it, have acquired political power and 
 numerical prepouderan^•e, enabling Ihcni successfully to contend with the Metro- 
 politans :— but, in Lower Caniwhi, every man of every other origin, whatever his 
 devotion, nis capacity or his services, must be prepared to yield to the superior 
 claims of importei' virtue and merit. I shall, probably, shortly say, or urint a 
 few words on this subject. ' ^ i > 
 
I King- 
 
 15 
 
 that, if you can. The writerof these linos might perhaps have 
 some facts of a rather more serious nature to relate, but then 
 lie does not lay claim to lawn sleeves-or to the Ennine-or to 
 an Admiral's ilatr. 
 
 Without having access to documents in oaicial hands, it is im- 
 possible to enter into minute details touching the prodi^vious 
 rcd.^t.on of the expenditure and saving effected," of 4ich 
 Mr. Coffin assumes the merit, at page 14. He proves it 
 
 mnt .^o 11 and as he wuhholds the proof, he must pennit me 
 to doubt that he deserves all the credit which he takes! I could 
 also w.h that he hud printed the " Rules and Kegul.tions," 
 PJO. 1.,) which, by nnphcation, the world is to understand that 
 he eompose.1. I shall be greatly surprised if, in both those state- 
 ments, he has been perfectly ingenuous; but, ki.sing goes by 
 favor, and Mr. Coffin will, no doubt, obtain his object.* Mean- 
 while, lie will permitme to tell him that, unmoved by the imposino- 
 array of olhces and appointments which he enumerates, I called 
 at tlie proper onico and caused strict search to be made I 
 consequently, venture to tell Mr. Coffin plainly that there is no' 
 record ol any Commission creating him either '' Assistant Civil 
 Secretary for the Police Establishment of the Province " or of 
 Assistant Civil Secretary for the Police Department !» He 
 alhrmsthathc held those appointments : he sets out with that 
 statement, making it part, and an important part, of the founda- 
 Uon of his chum to some other office. According to the Public 
 Keg.s ters, Mr. Coffin was appointed Stipendiary Magistrate, on 
 tlie 26th June, 1839, Commissioner of Police, 8th July 1840 
 and Joint SheritF of Montreal, 1842. His ingenuity is miracu- 
 lous ; but there are the Public Records and their eloquent silence 
 contradictmg him. 
 
 ^^ At page 7, Mr. Coffia observes that " his services led to 
 ^^ the offer, by Sir John Colborne, of the office of Assistant 
 ^^rctary, with a view to the organization of a Police Force 
 
 ^^.:^Z'!^t!^'n^'^Z:!S7l'''^'''l ""* ^''^'^ already iu.inuato.t 
 are Lw m course uf pr^pa^ion ! ! I ' ''""'"'■""' "^ ^"" "^'"'^ "Pl'oiutmeut, 
 
I'll 
 
 16 
 
 " for the Province." What may have been said, or intended 
 . beyond .ny "W but, in short, it was I, as Co^.i^ilr' 
 and Inspecting Stipendiary Magistrate, ^vlio organized the Poliee 
 Eventually, Mr. Coffin beeame one of those Stipendiary MaZ 
 ra tes, oyer who.n, ,ny right of inspeetion extended. It is true 
 that, owing to the alarm caused by the Rebellion and the dread 
 of ineend.ansm among others, and the facility with which Sir 
 John and h.s advisers created offices in the Police, much un- 
 necessary expense was incurred-which I would, if I could 
 have prevented. On the reduction of all the Rural Stations,' 
 the expenditure was necessarily reduced. This may be the re- 
 duction for which Mr Coffin takes credit; but 'the notice 
 ^^ which he says was taken of his services by the officer in com- 
 mand of the expedition" cannot be overlooked. The officer 
 was Colonel the Honorable John Maitland, a scion of a noble 
 house, who, no doubt, required " a sort uf a Owil Aide de 
 Camp, inasmuch as he was not himself by any means dvil. 
 Officers under the rank of Brigadier arc not generallv entitled to 
 Military A.de-de-Camps ; but a CMl Aide-de-Camp might suit a 
 person like him, devoid of those martial instincts which shed eter- 
 nal lustre over the humblest names. Captain Griffin will remember 
 the whistling of the Rifle-balls from the Church, and how, just 
 as I rode up, one poor fellow of his Company, or at least of 
 his Regiment, was hit in the flice. Proceeding from thence 
 until (I did not discover, hut) found Colonel Maitland- I 
 pointed out to him a weak point, at which the Church 
 could be successfully assaulted, and urged him to take it. He 
 might have done it with one wing of his magnificent Regiment- 
 but the proposal seemed to of end him, and he treated me rudely! 
 On his refusal, I carried my information to Colonel WetheralJ 
 by a part of whose Regiment, the thing was done. I may add 
 that the Artillery could make no impression on the walls of the 
 Church : and I heard Captain Holroyd, R. A., (I think that was 
 the name,) just then report that all the ammunition was ex- 
 pended. Had every officer, then, been like Colonel Maitland 
 Her Majesty's Forces might have been still bivouacking round 
 the Church. Not at all doubting the justice of his estimate of 
 
 i 
 
IT 
 
 «he •• service, of .or. of am Aulcdc-Cm,, ;" T f,„ „„ ,,„„ 
 .houM have d«d.ined ,„ receive . complin, „ fr^J or'T^ 
 Soldier, so tlioroughly inept '"m one, as a 
 
 direc.i'l'"'Hr°' '''•;""*" ■■"' '"'"' -"■ril'u.ions in ,U 
 
 ao li .; !''V'™">«f' '"1 te'imony of a gallant officer, who, 
 SO Imle ,s ,t got ,.p for effect, certifies what took place •< whc^ 
 
 foUTf" " """'" " "'" " '"-" I'""' »-' note, tZ 
 form r fnnctton.r.es, all " Dear Coffining" hin, most gbr L 1 
 
 But he maj. not have deemed these testimonials snfficient Zu^ 
 
 back agan,. Th.s cert.hcate h™ at least the charm of novcllv 
 
 P ungtng „,th p™„ic atrfor, in nu;limre>, Mr. Coffi,, JJi'„, 
 by s,a„ng that in the autumn of 1,87, he oVered IHs e X. 
 
 accompany him as interpreter- as nk^ .k . .u ^^""''^^'' *° 
 connected with or conseouent in k u '^'' '"^""'^ ^^«« 
 
 n^-in ii^rei^ro^d-ih^rit.-^^^^^ 
 
 which he had passed the five years of his dorkshiplJap "i'.io^ 
 wht.h I should uot have supposed to have required the foUr 
 
 •'» 
 
>Mi 
 
 18 
 
 or to have been the result of a tender of his services. Be that as 
 it may, on the tenth or eleventh of December, Mr. Coffin, then a 
 clerk in Mr. Ogdens office, in great apparent dejection and 
 per|)lexity, applied to me to take him on the then projected 
 expedition to St. Eusiache. I was then attached to the staff of 
 General Gore, whose displeasure I incurred by acquiesing in 
 Mr. Coffin's request. I necessarily rode out, but I permitted Mr. 
 Coffin to sit in the sleigh which I was allowed ; and on the 
 memorable night of the thirteenth, I gave him a share of my 
 camp supper and bed. From pre\ious exposure on the expe- 
 dition to St. Charles, I was so racked with rheumatism and stiff 
 in every joint that, on the next morning, I required the help of four 
 men of the 32nd to assist me to mount my horse. Mr. Coffin 
 drove comfortabl-' in my sleigh. I am not about to give a 
 history of the campaign, still less to refer to the part which I 
 took in it ; but [ must briefly say, that while leading the Royal 
 Regiment into the Church, by an accessible point which I had 
 previously delected, I was badly wounded. I pause here to 
 state a fact which made some impression on me at the time, 
 and which is now fraught with importance. Mr. Coffin says 
 that he was " attached to the office of the Attorney General." 
 That is not a military office. Then at the request of Colonel 
 Maitland, he accompanied him as interpreter. As such he 
 was a mere non-combatant ; and besides, it was not Colonel 
 Maitland but me whom he accompanied to St. Eustache. Those 
 Tvho see the drift of Mr. Coffin's pamphlet, and the end to be 
 attained by the production of Mr. Griffin's, (he was neither 
 Captain nor Military Secretary then,) and other certificates, 
 will comprehend that Mr. Coffin plumes himself upon his liuma- 
 nity. I contradict nobody ; but I state what I saw myself. Mr. 
 Coffin carried a rifle, for which when I consented to take him I 
 was not prepared, and though I never saw him near the Church, 
 at which point only resistance was made, Mr. Coffin will permit 
 me to remind him that he came equipped pui'posely to shoot the 
 habitants like sparrow s. Will he say that he did not fire on them ? 
 A man of capacity and attainments, he knew perfectly well that 
 desultory, individual, undisciplined efforts of that kind could 
 
 i^ 
 
> give a 
 
 19 
 
 produce no effect on the result. For a non-combatant, this rifle 
 wasnot necessary-for a man who piques himself upon his hu- 
 manity it was something more. 
 
 In closing this notice of his pamphlet, I must add, that after I 
 had received my wound, tho.igh the contest was ended I 
 saw nothing of the friend and companion whom I had 
 brought out, until next morning: he then approached my 
 bed to say simply that "he was off"-nor have I ever in 
 any way received from him the slightest intimation that he 
 remembered my having subjected myself to some inconve- 
 nience to please r>.^ serve him. I mention the fact for the 
 benefit of those who . is now attempting to propitiate, or has 
 propitiated. I have, perhaps, dwelt too much on this subject 
 but without citing Mr. Coffin's example, I may well be proud of 
 having contributed to bring into notice so great a man ^ he is 
 He does not mention me, it is true, nor could he, seeing that I 
 am neither Co^oneZ Sir Robert This, K. «., commanding in Aus- 
 traha, nor Colonel the Honorable John That ; but plain, 
 
 Darnoc, 26th April, 1855. ^' ^^^^-