The quarrel aroused mainly by the Quiberon affair
6. William Robertson, writes Mr. C. C. James, had been selected as a member, but he does not appear to hâve been sworn in or to hâve takien his seat. (First Lcgisïators of Upper Canada, Tr. R. S. 1902; this first dealing' with the origination of the Législature has been followed by the Second Législature of Upper Canada, 1796-1800, Tr. RJS.C., 1903).
FIRST PARLIAMENT OF UPPER CANADA
Edward. Burns was appointed Clerk of the Crown, Major Littlehales, Clerk of the Executive Council, William Jarvis, Secretary of the Council. During the same month of July the Lieut.-Govemor issued a proclamation dividing the province into nineteen counties (7).
The first session of the new législature sat at Newark (now Niagara on the Lake) from 17th September to the 15th of the next month. The following list of its memhers has been prepared with a good deal of labor, and published by Dr. C. C. James in the volume of the Royal Society for 1902, aecompanied by a biographical sketch for each member:
Glengarry, Hugh Macdonnell, John Macdonnell; Stormont, Jeremiah French ; Dundas, Alexander Campbell; Grenville, Ephraim Jones; Leeds and Frontenac, John White; Addington and Ontario, Joshua Booth; Lennox, Hastings and Northumberland, Hiazelton iSpencer ; Prince Edward and Adolphustown, Philip Dorland, replaced by Peter Vanalstine; Durham, York and lst Lincoln, Nathaniel Pettit ; 2nd Riding Lincoln, Benjamin Pawling; 3rd Lincoln, Isaac Swayzie; 4th Lincoln and (Norfolk, Parshall Terry; Suffolk and Essex, Francis Baby; Kent, David William Smith and William Macomb.
John Macdonnell was the Speaker (8). Philip Dorland
7. Kent, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincoln, York, Durham, Northu mberland , Hasting-s, Prince Edward, Lennox, Addington, Ontario, Frontenac, Leeds, Grenville, Dundas, Stormont, Glengarry.
8. Neither he nor amy member understood parliamentary debates. Knowing this, Lieut.-Governor iSimcoe had appointed Mr. Baldwin as clerk of the House because he oould, at least theoritically suppîy the required information and even put a hand to the helm. Contrary to this, in the Quebec Assembly, 6evien or eight French members, besides the English 'Clerk, were fully capable of conductdng the business, and they, very
FIRST PARLIAMENT OF UPPER CANADA
vacated his seat by refusing to take tbe oatb prescribed by the Act, and a new writ was issued for the county to return another member. This matter came up for considération immediately iafter Colonel Maedonnelt bad been elected Speaker. Borland was one of tbe Loyaliste who landed at Adolpbustown at the end of tbe war. He belonged to a band of Quakers or Friends from Dutchess County, New York, many of whom had been fighters on the British side. In September 1792 wben the élection took place, Philip Dorland was the leading Quaker, and he beeing elected, started for Nswark, but he objected to the oath, and his seat was declared vacant. When the people met once more to eonsider the situation they selected Major Peter Vanalstine who was the leader of the soldier settlers, and he appeared and took his seat at the second 'session whicli opened on the 31st May 1793.
There is a curious letter from Simcoe concerning John White the représentative of Leeds and Frontenac which expresses elearly the sentiment of the 'population in regard to the new political life. It is as follows: “In my passage from Montreal to Kingston, I understand that the general spirit of the eountry was against the élection of half-pay officers into the Assembly, and that the préjudice ran in favour of men of a lower order, who kept but one table, that is, who dined in common with their servants. It was by great good fortune that the temporary résidence I made at Kingston created suffirent influence to enable us to bring the Attorney- General, M. White, into the House” (9).
soon, showed that they had taken care to study the matter Ion» before the meeting- of the first, Législature. ‘
9- At the same time the habitants of Lower Canada voted, as a general rule, for ediuoated men and also men of substanoe and well settled. Ont of sixteen elected in ITpper Canada, two only had enough of political or other éducation to be
FIRST PARLIAMENT OF UPPER CANADA
The book and registers containing the records, producings, etc., of the first parliament cannot be found and were never seen after 1796. According to local tradition, Governor Simcoe sent them to England and the vessel was captnred by the Trench (10). Thèse documents were the property of the province; no one had the right to remove them from there. We are, therefore, without information concerning the varions subjects dealt with by our early legislators, except a few details, such as the Dorland épisode whieh hâve been handed down in a more or less ©bâte of aocuracy.
Ist session 17th September to 15th October . 1792
2nd “ 31st May “ 9th July . 1793
3rd “ 2ndJune “ 9th July . 1794
4th “ 6th July “ lOth Augusit . 1795
5th “ 16th May “ 3rd June . 1796
Colonel John Macdonnell (Speaker) and David William Smith were the onlly two members of this assembly who sat in the second one (1796) and Sirnith was eleeted Speaker. In 1800 the province was rearranged to provide for 19 members. In the county of Lincoln was INewark the capital of TTpper Canada namcd after the town of NeWark in Lincolnehire, Eiast coast of England.
Let us see who were the members of the first Législature named above :
of sonie use to them sel ves and to the community : J ohn Macdonell and Francis Rahy. These two, with ITugh Macdonell were the only Oatholics in the Ilonse.
10. The Reports of the Bureau of Archives for the Province of Ontario (by Alexander Fraser) 1919-10, contain the proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of bpper Canada for the years 1792, 17C3 and 1794 (partly), and of the Legislative Council for 1792, 1793 and 1794. There is no record available of tire others sessions. Bee also the Report of the Dominion Archives for 1891, by Douglas Brymner.
FIRST PARLIAMENT OF UPPER CANADA
In Glengarry, the people had sent two brothers. Alexander Macdonnell of Aberchalder, aide-de-camp to Prince Charles Stuart in 1745, becarne a cap tain in the celebrated body of Loyalists raised in New York by Sir John Johnson. Later on his sons John and Hugh settled along with other Scottish soldiers. In 1796 the Royal Canadian Volnnteer Régiment of Poot was organized and John was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the 2nd battalion (11). It may be worth calling attention to the fact that the first Speaker of the first Législature of Upper Canada was a Roman Catholic, for at that time euch a sélection could not bave taken place in the Législature of Nova -Scotia. He died at Quebec and his remains were buried in that city.
His brother Hugh was lieutenant in the same Régiment as his father. When the Royal Canadian Volunteer Régiment was organized he commanded a company under his brother, then was appointed lieut. -colonel of the Gnlengarry Millitia of which John was colonel. Governor Simcoe made him first adjutant-geneTal of Militia in Upper Canada. In 1805 he was appointed assistant commissary-general at Gibraltar and from 1811 to 1820 consul-general at Algiers.
Lieutenant Jeremiah French had a large holding of land in Vermont when he enlisted in the corps of Sir John Johnson. He emigrated to Canada and drew lands in Cornwall and in Montague. His son Benjamin and Dr. Strachan were married to sisters. Jeremiah French died in 1805.
Alexander Campbell was présent at the first and second sessions and then left the riding and moved to Montreal.
Ephraim Jones came from a fami'ly established at West-
11. Tliis was the first corps raised in Upper Camada. The first battalion, adds Mr. James, was raised in Lower Canada under Dieut. -Colonel de Longue uil and Major Louis de Salaberry.
FIRST PARLIAMENT OF UPPER CANADA
ou. Mass., in 1666. He settled in Au gus ta township ; was a member of the Land Board for Leeds and Granville; had charge of the Government stores, and was known as “Commissary Jones’’. He married Mis® Coursol, of Montreal, and left a large family.
John White came out from England in 1792, probably along with Simcoe, who appointed him Attorney-General. He was shot in ia duel, as I will explain hereafter.
The ancestors of Joshua Booth were English and settled in Orange County, New York. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he served as a sergeant on the British side, and later on came to Ernestown. During the war of 1812 he took service as captain with his two sons. He died on the battle field, Oetober 31st, 1813.
Hazleton Spencer was bom at East Grenville, Rhode Island, on 29th August, 1757. He joined the Régiment of Sir John Johnson and becarne lieutenant in the 2nd battaîion. Having settled on a tract of land in Fredericksburg, he was elected member for Lennox and when the RoyaJl C'anadian Yolunteer Régiment was raised got appointed Major. Erom 1797 to 1803, he was commandant of the garrison at Kingston. He died in February 1813.
Major Peter Vanalstine, of Duteh ancestry, came from near Albany, New York, and spoke English with quite a foreign accent. After iserving with the Hessian troops, he moved to the bay of Prince Edward where he had large holdings of land and started a mil! there. He died at Adolphustown in 1811.
Nathaniel Pettit was from Pennsylvania. Part of the family estate was in New York. In C'anada he owned the land on which Grimsby now stands. He was commonly known as Judge Pettit (12).
