IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) / O 1^ "is ^ f/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 t m " lifi IIIIIM I. ^ 1.8 U nil 1.6 V] <^ 7i v: o el ■c^l it deprived of the services of Officers eis zealous as they • tre aedlant and inteli'iu> fe/toiv-countrymcn were I can assure Messrs. Malhiot. that ali the Officers .aid indilianicn who then for- med the divison of St. Oars, while they both were on the Stajf\ retain the most res- pectful esteem for them. '1:1'! f bcis them t<. reeeivi ihr etssuratiecs of mi/ own in par- ticular. Ch. H de St. ours, Colonel of the 1st Pat. of the ,Wlitia of Richelieu. PROVINCE OF ) LOWKU CANADA, i in par- Mji a meeting of proprietors ^jyd freehold- ers of the City and County of MONTREAL, forming a COMMITTEE named by the People at a Gcncrcd Meeting of proprietor s held at Montreal on tki liithday of Dceemhcr last, to have transmitted to His Majesty and the Imperial Par- liament their Petition against the Coloni(d administration, and to promote the objtet cf the said Pcli'ion, held at Montreal on the 2tith day ofjtdy 1820. LOUIS ROY PORTELANCE Esqr. in the Chair. The special Committee to which by an order of this Committee tlateil 24th July, were referred the Depositions and other Papers relative tr> the late Proceeding of His Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie at Varenues and to the dismission of certain Militia OiKcers, and the General iMihiia Order publishing said dismissals, having reported on the subject of the ?aid reference, and their report having been read : Resolved— 1. — That said report is approved, 2. — That it is the ancient and undoubted Right of British Sub- jects, without let or hindrance, peaceably to assemble and discuss l\w political affairs of their Country for the purpose of petitionnig and for re- dress of Grievances ; that said ancient and undoubted Right was asserted and recognized in the " Rill of Rights" at the glorious and immortal Re- volution by virtue of which his present Majesty sits on the Throne of the British Empire. 3. — That the declaration of his Excellency the Earl of Dalhou- sie to Lieut. Col. Malhiot, namely, that the peaceable and lawful Meeting of the Freemen and Landholders at Vercheres to petition the King aiul Parliament against his Excellency's administration was seditious, and that such Meetings should not be attended by Militia Men but should be pre- vented by them, was a declaration which inculcated an outrage on the «ai(I ancient and undoubted Right, and an insult to the Bill of Rig t' hich is peculiarly indecent in a public functionary. 4.— That such a rule as that which his Excellency thus laid down, in a Country where the whole male population from IG to GO an- declared Militia Men, would, if inforccd, be a high crime and misdemean- our, in as much as it would break the " Bill of Rigiits." and by militarv rule, prevent the King s Subjects from peaceably meeting to petition anJl legally sue for redress of Grievances. It would render his Excellency's ad- ministration despotic, by imposing silence and abject submission on the peo- ple, and would deceive the King and his Parliament and the people ot England as to the character of his Excellency's Conduct and Administra- tion, by not allowing them the means of learning the Truth. 5.— That all the Subjects of the King, meeting as Freemen. Freeholders and Landholders, stand, at such Meeting on equal footing -. and no military character, station or power is recognized at such MeetiniTs C— That the application, by the Earl of Dalhousie, to such Aioet- ings, of the rules of military subordination, and his requiring the Freemen, Freeholders and Landholders, who are also militia men, Mhen attending r,uch meetings, to be governed in their conduct towards such persons preseiit as may bear militia commissions, by the rules of military submission and deference necessary when on parade or under arms, is an insult to Britisa Subjects, a violation of their Rights, an impediment to the freedom oi opin- ion and conduct necessary on such occasions, and tends to estabUsh Military Despotism. 7.— That it was unconstitutional and a breach of order and legal Government in his Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie to call before him Free- men and Landholders of the Province, and rc(|uire them to answer to him, personally, for their political conduct at a public Meeting, and to pronounce a public and peaceable meeting of Freemen, Freeholders and Landholder:, seditious; in as much as there are tribunals specially constituted to take coir- iiizance of any breach of the Laws in such cases ;' and it is forbidden to fiv Chief of the Executive to judge and pronounce, in his own person, ou^ucij acts. ^ ^ ^ ia' J'^ :>^ U.— That il war- unconr.titiitional. a hrc.iili o( ftnnd order and a l»rcadi of tin- bill of Ripl.ts in his K\» cllcnry the Karl of Didhmisio, niid an act deserving iinncacljraenf, to punish as militia men, Snhjeitis of >lie Kinn;, being Freemen Freehohlcrs, and Landholders, for acts done in their eivd capacity as such, not being a breach of the Law, nor called in question in any civil Court. 9. — That it was un ::onstitutional and a breach of order and good Government and derogatory to the head of the Executive for the Earl ol DalhouBic, to interfere, personally, to avenge the (piarrels of the sons of Mr. Martigny one of his partisans, and to use his power for their gratification, and for the purpose of forcing Freemen, Freeholders and Landholders, sub- jects of the king, to the ignominy ol apologizing to these persons for oflTcnces or 8Hpp:)Bed oflences received by them at a meeting of such Freemen, Frce- hokkffr and Lend holders. 10. — That even if his Excellency had a constitutional authority to take cognizance, personnally, of such matters, he should have furnished those charged, with a copy of tlic charges, and have heard their justifica- tion ; both of which he refused to do — and thereby, in an arbitrary manner, punished them to gratify the resentment of the Martignys his partisans ; though it is established by proof, that the Martignys went to the meeting in order to disturb it, to create a clamour, and to impede his Majesty's Subjects, the Freemen, Freeholders and Landliolders of the county, in the peaceful ex- ercise of an ancient and undoubted right. 1 1. — ^That the General Militia Order of the 25th June last, issued by his Excellency, publishinf^ the dismissions in this case, is an open military Violation of the Rights of British Subjects ; and by publishing that the con- duct of Subjects ofthe King, being Freemen, Freeholders and Landholders Vfas " Low/Im*," although not even impeached in any Court of law, or by any of the law officers, the said order is a calumny on his Majesty's Subjects and a violation of decencj and good order. 12. — ^That the conduct, expressions and avowals of his Excel- lency the Earl of Dalhousie, in this case as in others, are unjust and despo- tic, evincing a disposition for an absolute military Government, and allbrd an additional proof of the correctness of one of the charges against his Excellency contained in the Petition of the people, namely, that of employ- ing his influence as Commander in Chief to restrain the people of the coun- try in the exercise of their political Rights and of using militia commissions, favours and punishments to coerce the expression of public opinion on the Civil Administration of his Excellency. 13. ^That the conduct of his Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie is calculated to corrupt that OPINION upon which, and not upon brute force, the connexion between different parts of the British Empire can alone securely rest. , » 14, — ^That nothing can or wdl prevent the people of this pro- vince who must have some regard to their own Rights and Feelings, from soli- citing at any time and at all times, the recal of any Governor whose adminis- tration shall be as offensive to the Freemen, Freeholders and Landholders of the province, as that of his Excellency the Earl of Dalhousie ; and v V.ch shall, like his, evince on all occasions, military maxims and a military spirit in ad- ministering the Government of Freemen. 15._^That these Resolutions, and the depositions and other pa- pers detailing and elucidating the circumstances of this case, and the report of the special Committee, be forthwith transmitted to our Agents, who arc requested to communicate the same to the Members of the Committee, now investigating the affairs of this province,to Mr Humev/ho seems to feel sostrong- ly the evils of a military Governor, and particularly to call to them the atten- tion of the Right Honorable William Huskissov, in order that that gentleman may see what an injurious spirit his justification in Parliament of Lord Dal- housie's administration has unhappily fostered ; and to make such further and other use of thcra as will best support the Intcrcyls of their Country.