A POSTSCRIPT
The rebellion of 1837 now belongs to the dead past. The _Patriotes_
and the 'Bureaucrats' of those days have passed away; and the present
generation has forgotten, or should have forgotten, the passions which
inspired them. The time has come when Canadians should take an
impartial view of the events of that time, and should be willing to
recognize the good and the bad on either side. It is absurd to pretend
that many of the English in Lower Canada were not arrogant and brutal
in their attitude toward the French Canadians, and lawless in their
methods of crushing the rebellion; or that many of the _Patriote_
leaders were not hopelessly irreconcilable before the rebellion, and
during it criminally careless of the interests of the poor habitants
they had misled. On the other hand, no true Canadian can fail to be
proud of the spirit of loyalty which in 1837 {129} actuated not only
persons of British birth, but many faithful sons and daughters of the
French-Canadian Church. Nor can one fail to admire the devotion to
liberty, to 'the rights of the people,' which characterized rebels like
Robert Bouchette. 'When I speak of the rights of the people,' wrote
Bouchette, 'I do not mean those abstract or extravagant rights for
which some contend, but which are not generally compatible with an
organized state of society, but I mean those cardinal rights which are
inherent to British subjects, and which, as such, ought not to be
denied to the inhabitants of any section of the empire, however
remote.' The people of Canada to-day are able to combine loyalty and
liberty as the men of that day were not; and they should never forget
that in some measure they owe to the one party the continuance of
Canada in the Empire, and to the other party the freedom wherewith they
have been made free.
[Illustration: Denis Benjamin Viger. From a print in M'Gill University
Library.]
The later history of the _Patriotes_ falls outside the scope of this
little book, but a few lines may be added to trace their varying
fortunes. Some of them never returned to Canada. Robert Nelson took
up his abode in New York, and there practised surgery until {130} his
death in 1873. E. B. O'Callaghan went to Albany, and was there
employed by the legislature of New York in preparing two series of
volumes entitled _A Documentary History of New York_ and _Documents
relating to the Colonial History of the State of New York_, volumes
which are edited in so scholarly a manner, and throw such light on
Canadian history, that the Canadian historian would fain forgive him
for his part in the unhappy rebellion of '37.
Most of the _Patriote_ leaders took advantage, however, of the virtual
amnesty offered them in 1842 by the first LaFontaine-Baldwin
administration, and returned to Canada. Many of these, as well as many
of the _Patriote_ leaders who had not been implicated in the rebellion
and who had not fled the country, rose to positions of trust and
prominence in the public service of Canada. Louis Hippolyte
LaFontaine, after having gone abroad during the winter of 1837-38, and
after having been arrested on suspicion in November 1838, entered the
parliament of Canada, formed, with Robert Baldwin as his colleague, the
administration which ushered in full responsible government, and was
knighted by Queen Victoria. Augustin Morin, the reputed author {131}
of the Ninety-Two Resolutions, who had spent the winter of 1837-38 in
hiding, became the colleague of Francis Hincks in the Hincks-Morin
administration. George Etienne Cartier, who had shouldered a musket at
St Denis, became the lifelong colleague of Sir John Macdonald and was
made a baronet by his sovereign. Dr Wolfred Nelson returned to his
practice in Montreal in 1842. In 1844 he was elected member of
parliament for the county of Richelieu. In 1851 he was appointed an
inspector of prisons. Thomas Storrow Brown, on his return to Montreal,
took up again his business in hardware, and is remembered to-day by
Canadian numismatists as having been one of the first to issue a
halfpenny token, which bore his name and is still sought by collectors.
Robert Bouchette recovered from the serious wound he had sustained at
Moore's Corners, and later became Her Majesty's commissioner of customs
at Ottawa.
Papineau returned to Canada in 1845. The greater part of his period of
exile he spent in Paris, where he came in touch with the 'red
republicans' who later supported the revolution of 1848. He entered
the Canadian parliament in 1847 and sat in it until 1854. {132} But he
proved to be completely out of harmony with the new order of things
under responsible government. Even with his old lieutenant LaFontaine,
who had made possible his return to Canada, he had an open breach. The
truth is that Papineau was born to live in opposition. That he himself
realized this is clear from a laughing remark which he made when
explaining his late arrival at a meeting: 'I waited to take an
opposition boat.' His real importance after his return to Canada lay
not in the parliamentary sphere, but in the encouragement which he gave
to those radical and anti-clerical ideas that found expression in the
foundation of the _Institut Canadien_ and the formation of the _Parti
Rouge_. In many respects the _Parti Rouge_ was the continuation of the
_Patriote_ party of 1837. Papineau's later days were quiet and
dignified. He retired to his seigneury of La Petite Nation at
Montebello and devoted himself to his books. With many of his old
antagonists he effected a pleasant reconciliation. Only on rare
occasions did he break his silence; but on one of these, when he came
to Montreal, an old silver-haired man of eighty-one years, to deliver
an address before the _Institut Canadien_, he uttered a sentence which
may be taken as {133} the _apologia pro vita sua_: 'You will believe
me, I trust, when I say to you, I love my country.... Opinions outside
may differ; but looking into my heart and my mind in all sincerity, I
feel I can say that I have loved her as she should be loved.' And
charity covereth a multitude of sins.
{134}
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
The story of the Lower Canada rebellion is told in detail in some of
the general histories of Canada. William Kingsford, _History of
Canada_ (1887-94), is somewhat inaccurate and shows a strong bias
against the _Patriotes_, but his narrative of the rebellion is full and
interesting. F. X. Garneau, _Histoire du Canada_ (1845-52), presents
the history of the period, from the French-Canadian point of view, with
sympathy and power. A work which holds the scales very evenly is
Robert Christie, _A History of the Late Province of Lower Canada_
(1848-55). Christie played a not inconspicuous part in the
pre-rebellion politics, and his volumes contain a great deal of
original material of first-rate importance.
Of special studies of the rebellion there are a number worthy of
mention. L. O. David, _Les Patriotes de 1837-38_, is valuable for its
complete biographies of the leaders in the movement. L. N. Carrier,
_Les Evenements de 1837-38_ (1877), is a sketch of the rebellion
written by the son of one of the _Patriotes_. Globensky, _La Rebellion
de 1837 a Saint-Eustache_ (1883), written by the son of an officer in
the loyalist militia, contains some original materials of value. Lord
Charles Beauclerk, _Lithographic Views of Military Operations in Canada
under Sir John Colborne, O.C.B., {135} etc._ (1840), apart from the
value of the illustrations, is interesting on account of the
introduction, in which the author, a British army officer who served in
Canada throughout the rebellion, describes the course of the military
operations. The political aspect of the rebellion, from the Tory point
of view, is dealt with in T. C. Haliburton, _The Bubbles of Canada_
(1839). For a penetrating analysis of the situation which led to the
rebellion see Lord Durham's _Report on the Affairs of British North
America_.
A few biographies may be consulted with advantage. N. E. Dionne,
_Pierre Bedard et ses fils_ (1909), throws light on the earlier period;
as does also Ernest Cruikshank, _The Administration of Sir James Craig_
(_Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada_, 3rd series, vol. ii).
See also A. D. DeCelles, _Papineau_ (1904), in the 'Makers of Canada'
series; and Stuart J. Reid, _Life and Letters of the First Earl of
Durham_ (1906).
The parish histories, in which the province of Quebec abounds, will be
found to yield much information of a local nature with regard to the
rebellion; and the same may be said of the publications of local
historical societies, such as that of Missisquoi county.
An original document of primary importance is the _Report of the state
trials before a general court-martial held at Montreal in 1838-39;
exhibiting a complete history of the late rebellion in Lower Canada_
(1839).
{136}
INDEX
Assembly, the language question in the, 8-12; racial conflict over form
of taxation, 13-14; the struggle with Executive for full control of
revenue leads to deadlock, 22-5, 27, 29-30, 53-4, 57; seeks redress in
Imperial parliament, 28-32; the Ninety-Two Resolutions, 38-42; the
grievance commission, 45-6, 52, 55-6; the Russell Resolutions, 57-61.
See Lower Canada.
Aylmer, Lord, governor of Canada, 29, 33-4, 44, 45.
Beauharnois, Patriotes defeated at, 124-5.
Bedard, Elzear, introduces the Ninety-Two Resolutions, 38, 42;
suspended as a judge, 126.
Bedard, Pierre, and French-Canadian nationalism, 11, 15, 16; his arrest
and release, 17-19, 20.
Bidwell, M. S., speaker of Upper Canada Assembly, 53.
Bouchette, Robert Shore Milnes, 129; wounded at Moore's Corners, 89-90,
91, 102, 108, 131.
Bourdages, Louis, Papineau's chief lieutenant, 36.
Brougham, Lord, criticizes Durham's policy, 110.
Brown, Thomas Storrow, 38, 72, 73, 131; in command of Patriotes at St
Charles, 74, 84-6, 102, 108.
Buller, Charles, secretary to Durham, 109, 113.
Bureaucrats, the, 18. See 'Chateau Clique.'
Canada. See Lower Canada.
Cartier, Sir George, 30; a follower of Papineau, 37, 131.
Catholic Church in Canada, the, 7; opposes revolutionary movement,
64-5, 102, 103.
Chartier, Abbe, encourages the rebels at St Eustache, 95-6; escapes to
the United States, 99.
Chartier de Lotbiniere, on French-Canadian loyalty, 11.
'Chateau Clique,' the, 22; and the Patriotes, 25, 31.
Chenier, Dr J. O., killed at St Eustache, 93, 94, 95, 97-9, 102, 108.
Christie, Robert, expelled from the Assembly, 34, 134.
Colborne, Sir John, his letter on the situation previous to the
Rebellion, 69-71; his 1837 campaign, 74-5, 83, 94, 97-101, 102;
administrator of the province, 106-8; his 1838 campaign, 122, 124, 125,
126.
Cote, Dr Cyrile, 89, 108, 118, 120; defeated at Lacolle, 121-2.
Craig, Sir James, his 'Reign of Terror,' 15-20, 23.
Cuvillier, Augustin, 28-9; breaks with Papineau, 37, 42, 44.
Dalhousie, Lord, his quarrel with Papineau, 27-9.
Daly, Dominick, provincial secretary, 107.
Debartzch, D. P., breaks with Papineau, 71, 84.
Deseves, Father, 93; his picture of the rebels at St Eustache, 96-7.
Doric Club, the, 71.
Durham, Earl of, governor and Lord High Commissioner, 104-6; his humane
policy fails to find support in Britain, 107-12; his appeal to Canadian
public opinion, 112-13; his Report, 114-16.
Duvernay, Ludger, at Moore's Corners, 89.
Elgin, Lord, and French-Canadian nationalism, 116.
English Canadians, their conflicts with the Patriotes, 51, 64, 128.
Ermatinger, Lieutenant, defeated by Patriotes, 73-4.
Executive Council, 22, 25, 59. See 'Chateau Clique.'
French Canadians, their attitude toward the British in 1760, 2; their
loyalty, 2-5, 128-9; their generous treatment, 7-8; their fight for
official recognition of their language, 8-12, 50; their struggle with
the 'Chateau Clique,' 22-5, 29; their fight for national identity,
26-7, 29, 115-16. See Patriotes.
French Revolution, the, and the French Canadians, 4-5.
Gipps, Sir George, on the grievance commission, 46, 55.
Girod, Amury, commands the rebels at St Eustache, 92-3, 94, 95, 103;
commits suicide, 99-100, 108.
Gladstone, W. E., supports the Russell Resolutions, 60.
Glenelg, Lord, colonial secretary, 46.
Goderich, Lord, colonial secretary, 29, 30.
Gore, Colonel Charles, commands the British at St Denis, 75-7, 88.
Gosford, Lord, governor of Canada, 45-7, 49-53, 55, 57-8, 61, 64, 106.
Great Britain, and French-Canadian loyalty, 2-5; her conciliatory
policy in Lower Canada, 7-8, 9, 44-6, 57-60; and the Rebellion, 104,
110-111.
Grey, Sir Charles, on the grievance commission, 45-6, 55.
Gugy, Major Conrad, 48; at St Charles, 82-3; wounded at St Eustache, 99.
Haldimand, Sir Frederick, governor of Canada, 3-4.
Head, Sir F. B., his indiscreet action, 52-3.
Hindenlang, leads Patriotes in second rebellion, 120, 121, 123, 124;
executed, 126.
Kemp, Captain, defeats the Patriotes at Moore's Corners, 90-2.
Kimber, Dr, in the affair at Moore's Corners, 89.
Lacolle, rebels defeated at, 121-2.
LaFontaine, L. H., a follower of Papineau, 37, 63, 108, 130, 132.
Lartigue, Mgr, his warning to the revolutionists, 65.
Legislative Council, the, 22, 25, 31, 36, 41, 46, 53, 54, 55, 59.
Lower Canada, the conflict between French and English Canadians in,
13-15, 33, 114; the Rebellion of 1837, 69-103; the constitution
suspended, 104, 106; treatment of the rebels, 108-13; Durham's
investigation and Report, 114-116; the Rebellion of 1838, 117-27. See
Assembly.
Macdonell, Sir James, Colborne's second-in-command, 125.
Mackenzie, W. L., and the Patriotes, 72.
Melbourne, Lord, and Durham's policy, 111.
Mondelet, Dominique, 30; expelled from the Assembly, 36.
Montreal, rioting in, 71-2.
Moore's Corners, rebels defeated at, 89-92.
Morin, A. N., a follower of Papineau, 37, 108, 130-1.
Neilson, John, supports the Patriote cause, 26-7, 28; breaks with
Papineau, 36-7, 38, 42, 44.
Nelson, Robert, 108; leader of the second rebellion, 117-26, 129-30.
Nelson, Dr Wolfred, a follower of Papineau, 37, 60, 65, 66, 70, 73, 74;
in command at St Denis, 74, 76, 79, 80, 88, 102, 108, 109, 131.
Ninety-Two Resolutions, the, 38-42, 44.
O'Callaghan, E. B., a follower of Papineau, 37, 73, 74, 78, 87-8, 108,
130.
O'Connell, Daniel, champions the cause of the Patriotes, 59-60.
Panet, Jean Antoine, his election as speaker of the Assembly, 9-10, 22;
imprisoned, 17.
Panet, Louis, on the language question, 10.
Papineau, Louis Joseph, 21; elected speaker of the Assembly, 22, 28;
opposes Union Bill in London, 26-7; his attack on Dalhousie, 27-29;
defeats Goderich's financial proposal, and declines seat on Executive
Council, 30; attacks Aylmer, 33-4, 47. becomes more violent and
domineering in the Assembly, 34-5; his political views become
revolutionary, 35-6, 42-43; his powerful following, 37-8, 44, the
Ninety-Two Resolutions, 38-42; hopeless of obtaining justice from
Britain, but disclaims intention of stirring up civil war, 47-8, 53; on
the Russell Resolutions, 60-1; his attitude previous to the outbreak,
66-68, 70; warrant issued for his arrest, 72-3, 74; escapes to the
United States, 78-9, 87-8, 90, 92, 108; holds aloof from second
rebellion, 118; his return to Canada, 131-3; his personality, 21, 25-6,
30-1, 49-50, 68, 79, 132-3.
Paquin, Abbe, opposes the rebels at St Eustache, 95, 102.
Parent, Etienne, breaks with Papineau, 42, 43.
Patriotes, the, 22, 25; their struggle with the 'Chateau Clique,' 31-2,
54-5; the racial feud becomes more bitter, 33-34, 128; the Ninety-Two
Resolutions, 38-42, 44-5, 52; the passing of the Russell Resolutions
causes great agitation, 60-2; declare a boycott on English goods, 62-3;
'Fils de la Liberte' formed, 63, 71-2; begin to arm, 63-4, 69-71; the
Montreal riot, 71-2; the first rebellion, 73-103; Lord Durham's
amnesty, 108-110, 113; the second rebellion, 117-27; and afterwards,
128-33. See French Canadians.
Perrault, Charles Ovide, killed at St Denis, 78 n.
Prevost, Sir George, and the French Canadians, 20.
Quebec Act of 1774, the, 7, 9.
Quesnel, F. A., and Papineau, 34-5, 37, 42, 44, 71.
Rodier, Edouard, 62-3; at Moore's Corners, 89, 108.
Russell, Lord John, his resolutions affecting Canada, 58-59; defends
Durham's policy, 111.
Ryland, Herman W., and the French Canadians, 16.
St Benoit, the burning of, 100-101.
St Charles, the Patriote meeting at, 65-6; the fight at, 74, 82-7.
St Denis, the fight at, 74-81; destroyed, 88.
St Eustache, the Patriotes defeated at, 92-100.
St Ours, the Patriote meeting at, 60-1, 70, 75.
Salaberry, Major de, his victory at Chateauguay, 5.
Sewell, John, and the French Canadians, 16.
Sherbrooke, Sir John, his policy of conciliation, 24.
Stanley, Lord, supports the Russell Resolutions, 60.
Stuart, Andrew, and Papineau, 37, 42, 44.
Tache, E. P., a follower of Papineau, 37, 102.
Taylor, Lieut.-Colonel, defends Odelltown against the rebels, 123-4.
United States, and the French Canadians, 2-3, 117-19.
Viger, Bonaventure, a Patriote leader, 73, 108.
Viger, Denis B., a follower of Papineau, 28-9, 63.
War of 1812, French-Canadian loyalty in the, 5.
Weir, Lieut., his murder at St Denis, 79-80, 88, 99.
Wellington, Duke of, and Durham's policy in Canada, 110-111.
Wetherall, Lieut.-Colonel, defeats rebels at St Charles, 75, 82, 83,
86, 88.
Wool, General, disarms force of Patriotes on the United States border,
119.
Printed by T. and A. Constable, Printers to His Majesty
at the Edinburgh University Press
THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
THIRTY-TWO VOLUMES ILLUSTRATED
Edited by GEORGE M. WRONG and H. H. LANGTON
THE CHRONICLES OF CANADA
PART I
THE FIRST EUROPEAN VISITORS
1. THE DAWN OF CANADIAN HISTORY
By Stephen Leacock.
2. THE MARINER OF ST MALO
By Stephen Leacock.
PART II
THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE
3. THE FOUNDER OF NEW FRANCE
By Charles W. Colby.
4. THE JESUIT MISSIONS
By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
5. THE SEIGNEURS OF OLD CANADA
By William Bennett Munro.
6. THE GREAT INTENDANT
By Thomas Chapais.
7. THE FIGHTING GOVERNOR
By Charles W. Colby.
PART III
THE ENGLISH INVASION
8. THE GREAT FORTRESS
By William Wood.
9. THE ACADIAN EXILES
By Arthur G. Doughty.
10. THE PASSING OF NEW FRANCE
By William Wood.
11. THE WINNING OF CANADA
By William Wood.
PART IV
THE BEGINNINGS OF BRITISH CANADA
12. THE FATHER OF BRITISH CANADA
By William Wood.
13. THE UNITED EMPIRE LOYALISTS
By W. Stewart Wallace.
14. THE WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES
By William Wood.
PART V
THE RED MAN IN CANADA
15. THE WAR CHIEF OF THE OTTAWAS
By Thomas Guthrie Marquis.
16. THE WAR CHIEF OF THE SIX NATIONS
By Louis Aubrey Wood.
17. TECUMSEH: THE LAST GREAT LEADER OF HIS PEOPLE
By Ethel T. Raymond.
PART VI
PIONEERS OF THE NORTH AND WEST
18. THE 'ADVENTURERS OF ENGLAND' ON HUDSON BAY
By Agnes C. Laut.
19. PATHFINDERS OF THE GREAT PLAINS
By Lawrence J. Burpee.
20. ADVENTURERS OF THE FAR NORTH
By Stephen Leacock.
21. THE RED RIVER COLONY
By Louis Aubrey Wood.
22. PIONEERS OF THE PACIFIC COAST
By Agnes C. Laut.
23. THE CARIBOO TRAIL
By Agnes C. Laut.
PART VII
THE STRUGGLE FOR POLITICAL FREEDOM
24. THE FAMILY COMPACT
By W. Stewart Wallace.
25. THE 'PATRIOTES' OF '37
By Alfred D. DeCelles.
26. THE TRIBUNE OF NOVA SCOTIA
By William Lawson Grant.
27. THE WINNING OF POPULAR GOVERNMENT
By Archibald MacMechan.
PART VIII
THE GROWTH OF NATIONALITY
28. THE FATHERS OF CONFEDERATION
By A. H. U. Colquhoun.
29. THE DAY OF SIR JOHN MACDONALD
By Sir Joseph Pope.
30. THE DAY OF SIR WILFRID LAURIER
By Oscar D. Skelton.
PART IX
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
31. ALL AFLOAT
By William Wood.
32. THE RAILWAY BUILDERS
By Oscar D. Skelton.
TORONTO: GLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY
End of Project Gutenberg's The 'Patriotes' of '37, by Alfred D. Decelles