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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la m^thode. rata 9 lelure, 3 32X 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 THE* OKA -QUESTION '.•V*.-v'*.'»-'N Containing the Original Title, and a Brief Aeeount or the Feudal System of Seigniorial Tenure in Canada, and its Abolition in 1854, Wrni A GENERAL IIEVIEW OF THE OKAOUESTION IN PARTICULAR — AND— ROMAN AGRES?^TON IN aENEKAL. lETT NORMAN MURRAY, TITLES and Documents Relating to the Seigni- orial Tenure in return to an address of the Legislative Assembly, 1851. QXJETBEC Printed by K. FRKCHKTTK, lii Mountain St Lower Town, 1852. o Page 210, No. 1*7*7 The Seigniori/ of Oka. Messrs of the Seminary of St. Sulpice, at Montreal, PniLii'i'i; Dk RiGAUD, &c. MiciiKL Recon, &c. On tho petitiou presented to uc by Messrs. the Ecclland and establlslied in the land.'^ wliieh are situated on the nortli-west side of ihc Lake of Two Moun- tains, which sc.id Mission would be advanta<,'ooue not only for the conversion ol the Indian.?, who being there uiore distant from the city would also be deprived of the op()ortunity of i^v'tting intoxicated, but also to the colony which by these moans would be protected against the incursions of the Iro-building, vvhieh may be found within the limits of the land which the said Sieurs of the Se.minary shall have set aside for their principal manor houpe, and tnat they shall also stipulate the reserve of such oak timber within the extent of the principal eonees.sions made or to be made to their tenants; which said oak timber llis Majesty shall be free to take, as well as the said tract of land or any portion thereof, when required, without being held to pay any indemnity ; aKso that they shall give notice to the King or to the (iovernor and lutendant of this country of the Uiines, or<>s and minerals, if any found within the limits ut the said tief and have the necessary roadways and passages; that they shall concede the said lands undt^r the simple title of a rent (redevauce) of twenty sols and a capon (chapon) for each and every arpent in front, by forty arpents in depth, and six (U-niers of cens (sixpence of tax) anil that there shall not be inserted in the said concession any sums of mou'jy or any other eharu'e than that of the simple title of rent (redevance) according to the intentions of His Majesty by whom they shall be iK-ld to liavo thcHC prosents confirmed witliiii one year from tliie date, in dclaull vnereof the present coneeBHionP shall be null and void. In ti'Blinony thereof we have sign! d these preBente and snusfMi the Hann- tc be sealed with <>iir .sialnat armn andcountor- Bigncd by uiir secretaries. Don',' and given at Quebec, the sevcnti'enth da) of Octob»;r, acventcou hundred and poventeen, (1717.) (Signed) VAIJDREIJIL k liEGON, Ami Ciirthor down by eoinniand of my Lord DeLestngo, And by coinuiand of uiy Lord Hunel. NoTK~Tho abovi" wap ratified by the King in Paris, 27th April, 1718, and registered in tlif reeords of the ' Supt'rior Couucil of Quubee, 2rjd Oct(.ber, 1719, with this alteration, that the titles Were made out in the name of the Seminary of St. 8)i!pice of Paris, iurflead of the Seminary of St. Sulpicc of Montreal. A Brief Account of the old Feudal system of Seigniorial Tenure in C anada. PiirkmuTi, in his Old Regime in Canada, says, (page 244) "Canadian l'\\idalism was made a double purpose, one of which was siui|tly and praetirally to supply agencies lor distri- buting land among the settlers." Page 245. Tl.i' Seigneui was usually the vassal of the crown. Page 251. The Royal Government continually intervened between eensetaire (tenant) and Seigneur, on the principle that a? His Majesty gave the land for nothing he can make what conditions he pleases, and ehaiige them when he pleases. The interventions were usually favorable to the eensetaire. Page 32G. At the "' l^iiberations de la Sorboiine stir la Bois^ons," Hth Maroli, ]()7r), after the case was referred to the Fathers of the Sorhonue, they, after solemn discussion, pro- nounon (Janada. " The eensetaires paid to the Seigneur a nominal rent, but they reipiired also to pay a .small annual tribute in kind, as a goose, a pair of lowls or the like, to labour for his benefit a certain number of days in the year ; to get tlieir coi n ground at bis mill, paying a tixed toll therefor; to give him also one fish in every eleven caught, aiiel ia cusu of a ualc uf thoir luudb, tu pay him one> twelfth of the prioo rcco.ivod. All the S<'ij:nt'urittl claiai« of Lower Canada wore settled in 18f)-l-, with (ho exL't'j)tion of such aa were held in tnust by the Crown for 'he liidimiH, as well as the Seii;niory of the Seminary (if St. Sulpici', or Oka. and one «r two other such. Seo Act 1854, chapter iii. sec. 3r». The Act j)rovided as follows: The siMisctaires, «r tonantH, were to pay a certain amount to I ho Sci^iior in consideration of hirt being fnie from any further claim." from his former Seignior. Bosides thi.s the Government spi-nt over two million die in settling the Oka question if the Seigniors were any others but a lot of crafty, deeeitlul prit>stH, who will forgo documents or do anything el.se to gain their own selfish ends. The conditions rc(jnired of the Indians were lighter than that generally re(|uind of other tenants. In tliie particular ease there was no miMitiun niude (tf their being obliged to ;jive any labour or anything else to the Seminary, but simply a small rental which, in the currency of the day amounted to 32c, and one rooster f )• every lot of forty acres. Allowing that a rooster would be worth 10c. at that time the whole rental would amount tf) 1 cent an acre. At the rate of .'» per cent, their interest io Oka, calcuhitiug upon tiie rate ol' rental that they can claim would ijo bought out for 25 ci nts an aero. It was on this principle that the other seigniorial claims weie settled. What service have they done to this country that they should exj)eet to get a presitnt of Oka for pilgrimage purposes. The other Seigniors were settled by Act of Parliament, and that is also the best way to oii;nior nnd proprictcr of properly in general are two (li.stin(!t clafPes of landholder.^. Any proprietor under ordinary circiimstaiice.s can rais<' hiH rent wlun he ploBHes, and give u learn; to suit iiimselt. Tlio seignior eould only claim a certain amount and no more. To think that the Protestant Indians of Oka should k^ compelled to leave, to be replaced by French Roman Catholics, is simply monstrous, and when such ideas are encouraged not only by politicians but also by Protestiiiit minister.-i, soeullcd, and a ProllisHor in a Methodist Theological Colh'ge, it is time for Prot« ^tants to bigin to look around them and liud out where ihoy are. As for the Gazette its i»osition is easily understood, and under the circumstances there is no fault to be found with it. It is simply u political mouthpiece fdV Sir John MacDonald's gov<'rnmeut, and is no more expected to give ati honest opinioti of its own than ii member of the Church of Rome, who has given the keeping of his con- science to some one else. But peoph^ who uned to look to the Witness thirty years ago, as the champion of Pro(estantigm,expect it to stand by its colours in this matter. We hear a great deal about peace and fjuietness. 1 also beliovo in peace but it is peace with honour. There cannot be peace in the world us long as Rome is in tlie a-r. Shaw like to sec the people of Cote St. Antoine that are snug and comfortable as they are, moved into a new sphere of life they are not used to. The Indians have as much right to think tor themselves as any one else, and il' they should make up their minds to go to Muskoka I aup])ose no one would hinder them, but to send thoni there simply because the Seminary don't like to have Protestants near them is simply robbing honest people of their right, to please the Devil and hie agents, the Sulpicians, I l)elieve, as the ohl saying Is, in "giving tlic Devil his duo," but I don't believe in f^ivinj* him f the Seigniini/ of O/caas compared with of he »■** »>V i^n iu rics . One pnint w.irtliy of spi'rial con-idcitttion Ih thai thf con- ditioTiH n'i|uiriM| of tlio Stuiiiiary in tliis iii«liitioe, as ackiinw lodgt'd by Mr. TJiiih , tho superior of llilh Hiiuiniiry, ut tho timi' "f Ibo ('oiniii)'M('t'iiiciit of th • proxciit ilisputo, wcro mort; onerous tliati Wint ri'ijuin-d i^f any of the other 220 SfiLMiiorics of Canu'lii, whili' the oonditioiis r(M|iiiri(I uf llu- Indiana jtrncti- enlly iiinnuntcd to nothing'. 'I'lu' i I'tiortuires on llio oth«r Si'iLrniorir.H. wiio l-i pay > j'onents of>the Seiuiiiary, that they IukI no claim whatever. Al.' that the act of 1841 did, was to confirm the rights originally given to the Seminary ef St. Sulpiee of Paris, to tbe Beuiinary of St. Sulpie.e established in Montreal, all of which I have ad- mitted, without iu any way infringing on the elaims of the Indians viz : That a- the Seminary were oul) stewards for the Crown, and not pro])iietors in any other >ense, thai when tiioir Bervieos were no longer recpiired as .stewards, they fiad no further claim on the. Indians, and it is for the Government and them to arrange about that. IJut neither the Seminary nor the Gove.'-nmont hns the right to remove the Indians from Oka, un- less they so denire themselves. /'/ 'fh con- now- tho mi>r« orics acli- Dth«!r ire of ful- fort, r Ihc ^ tilt" •escnt rttonc llOUHC ■movo idiatis ;icrc. \i' tlio in all ■)\, not ndiiins inittctl ioQ of s being z.: the of St flio op» r. Al! i